Books with title The tragedy of King Lear

King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It tells the tale of a king who bequeaths his power and land to two of his three daughters, after they declare their love for him in an extremely fawning and obsequious manner. His third daughter gets nothing, because she will not flatter him as her sisters had done. When he feels disrespected by the two daughters who now have his wealth and power, he becomes furious to the point of madness. He eventually becomes tenderly reconciled to his third daughter, just before tragedy strikes her and then the king.

King Lear is growing old, and in an effort to preempt an inheritance war, he decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters while he is still living—dependent on which one loves him the most. Goneril and Regan tell him flattering lies, but the youngest, Cordelia, refuses to answer. Angered, Lear disowns Cordelia. He splits the kingdom between Goneril and Regan, who begin plotting against him. When it becomes clear that the daughters who claimed to love him the most are planning to betray him and that he has banished the one daughter who truly loved him, Lear goes mad and wanders out onto the heath. This is an unabridged version of one of William Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. Versions of the play were first published in 1608 and 1623.