King Lear

The ageing King Lear, tired of office, decides to split his kingdom between his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia; but the decision to allot their share based on the love they express for him proves to be a terrible mistake.

''The most perfect specimen of the dramatic art existing in the world'' Percy Bysshe Shelley

Shakespeare''s bleak and brutal tragedy begins when an ageing king, seeking a successor, rejects the young daughter who loves him and misplaces his trust in her malevolent sisters. In return they strip him of his power and condemn him to a wretched wasteland of horror and insanity. Set in a pitiless universe, King Lear is a towering, elemental masterpiece of fierce poetry and vast imaginative scope.

Used and Recommended by the National Theatre

General Editor Stanley Wells
Edited by George Hunter
Introduction by Kiernan Ryan

• | Author: William Shakespeare
• | Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• | Publication Date: Jul 30, 2015
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9780141396460
• | ISBN-10: 0141396466