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.)

Download for free

For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.

Other formats & older devices
638 kB
614 kB

There may be more files related to this item.

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
Last Update Sep 19, 2025
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 2199 downloads in the last 30 days.

Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!