'King Lear' Overview
Shakespeare's Familial Tragedy Play
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By Lily Rockefeller
Updated December 26, 2019
King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s many influential plays, estimated to have
been written between 1603 and 1606. Set in Britain, the play has as a major
influence the mythological pre-Roman Celtic King Leir. Despite its early
roots, the tragedy forces its audience to grapple with enduring themes,
including the line between nature versus culture, the role of legitimacy, and
the question of hierarchy, and it has maintained its powerful influence even
up to the present day.
Fast Facts: King Lear
Author: William Shakespeare
Publisher: N/A
Year Published: estimated 1605 or 1606
Genre: Tragedy
Type of Work: Play
Original Language: English
Themes: Nature versus culture, family roles, hierarchy, language,
action, legitimacy, and perception
Main Characters: Lear, Cordelia, Edmund, Earl of Gloucester, Earl
of Kent, Edgar, Regan, Goneril
Notable Adaptations: Ran, legendary Japanese film directed by
Akira Kurosawa
Fun Fact: In the myth of King Leir, which inspired Shakespeare’s
play, Lear and Cordelia both survive and Lear even returns to the
throne. Shakespeare’s heartbreaking ending was criticized by many
less disposed towards tragedy.
Plot Summary
King Lear is the story of the ageing king of Britain, Lear, and his three
daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. When he asks them to prove their
love for him in exchange for one third of his kingdom, all but Cordelia
manage to flatter him enough. Cordelia is clearly the daughter who loves him
the most, and yet she is banished; Regan and Goneril, meanwhile, quickly
reveal they despise him. They send him out of their houses in a state of halfmadness with only his most loyal servants to protect him. Meanwhile, the
Earl of Gloucester’s bastard son, Edmund, attempts to usurp his father and
elder brother Edgar, plotting to kill his father and have Edgar banished from
their home.
When the French army, led by Cordelia and her new husband the French
king, arrives on the British shore, Goneril fights with Regan for the love of
Edmund. Eventually, Goneril poisons her sister; however, when her husband
Albany confronts her for her cruelty, Goneril kills herself offstage. Edmund
captures Cordelia and has her put to death—his change of heart comes too
late to save her—, and Edgar kills his cruel half-brother in a duel. Both
Gloucester and Lear die of grief. Albany takes up the throne of Britain after
the play’s bloodbath concludes.
Major Characters
Lear. King of Britain and the play’s protagonist. He starts the play as an
insecure and cruel old man, but grows to realize his children’s true natures.
Cordelia. Lear’s youngest and truest daughter. She is well-respected by
those who can recognize goodness, spurned by those who cannot.
Edmund. Gloucester’s illegitimate son. Scheming and deceitful, Edmund
grapples with his own status as bastard.
Earl of Gloucester. A loyal subject of Lear’s. Gloucester is blind to how his
own actions—of infidelity to his wife—have damaged his son Edmund and
torn his family apart.
Earl of Kent. A loyal subject of Lear’s. Once he is banished by Lear, Kent is
not afraid of pretending to be a peasant to continue serving his king.
Edgar. The legitimate son of Gloucester. A loyal son, Edgar maintains his
status as “legitimate” and true son.
Regan. Lear’s middle daughter. Regan is ruthless, putting out Gloucester’s
eyes and scheming to get rid of her father and sister.
Goneril. Lear’s eldest daughter. Goneril is loyal to no one, not even her sister
and partner-in-crime Regan.
Major Themes
Nature vs. Culture, Family Roles. With its depiction of two daughters
who only proclaim their love for their father based on his ability to give them
land, the play demands that we investigate this theme. After all, the natural
thing for daughters to do is to love their father; however, the culture of Lear’s
court sees them hating him, and lying about it to win power within their
social sphere.
Nature vs. Culture, Hierarchy. In one of the most famous scenes of the
play, Lear attempts to prove his power over even nature, despite the fact that
he cannot control his own daughters.
Language, Action, and Legitimacy. The play is largely interested in
legitimate inheritance, and in particular how that legitimacy is proven
through language or action. In the beginning of the play, language is enough;
by the end, only those who prove their goodness through action are shown to
be legitimate enough to inherit.
Perception. A common theme in Shakespeare’s plays, the inability to
perceive is central to King Lear. After all, Lear cannot see which of his
daughters to trust; in the same way, the Earl of Gloucester is fooled by
Edmund into thinking Edgar is the traitorous one.
Literary Style
King Lear has had remarkable literary significance from its first performance,
which is estimated to have been between 1603 and 1606. It is a tragedy, a
genre with roots in classical Greek theatre. Shakespeare’s tragedies generally
end in multiple deaths; King Lear is no exception. Generally acknowledged to
be one of Shakespeare’s masterpieces, it is a play that makes use of complex
language and imagery concerned with nature, culture, loyalty, and legitimacy.
The play was written during the reign of Elizabeth II. There are numerous
early versions of the play still in existence; each, however, has different lines,
so it is the job of the editor to decide which version to publish, and accounts
for the many explanatory notes in editions of Shakespeare.
About the Author
William Shakespeare is probably the highest regarded writer of the English
language. Although the date of his exact birth is unknown, he was baptized in
Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1564 and married Anne Hathaway at age 18.
Sometime between the age of 20 and 30, he moved to London to start his
career in theatre. He worked as an actor and a writer, as well as a part-time
owner of the theatre troupe the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the
King’s Men. Since little information about commoners was retained at the
time, not much is known about Shakespeare, leading to questions about his
life, his inspiration, and the authorship of his plays.