King Lear by William Shakespeare
"King Lear" by William Shakespeare is a tragedy written in late 1605 or early 1606. Set in pre-Roman Britain, the play follows King Lear's catastrophic decision to divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on their declarations of love. When his youngest daughter speaks honestly rather than flatteringly, Lear disowns her, triggering a chain of betrayals, madness, and destruction. Known for its dark tone and themes of blindness and madness, the
play is regarded as one of literature's greatest achievements. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 |
|---|---|
| Title | King Lear |
| Note | Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Lear |
| Credits | the PG Shakespeare Team, a team of about twenty Project Gutenberg volunteers |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 92.3 (5th grade). Very easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | Tragedies (Drama) |
| Subject | Fathers and daughters -- Drama |
| Subject | Inheritance and succession -- Drama |
| Subject | Lear, King (Legendary character) -- Drama |
| Subject | Britons -- Drama |
| Subject | Kings and rulers -- Drama |
| Subject | Aging parents -- Drama |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 1532 |
| Release Date | Nov 1, 1998 |
| Most Recently Updated | Sep 19, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1999 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |