Part of: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (The Oxford Shakespeare) King Lear

Shakespeare’s King Lear may be his greatest tragedy. It presents a dark picture of aging, of an uncaring universe, and the dangers of an unstable king struggling to understand his own power. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

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Citation

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (The Oxford Shakespeare), ed. with a glossary by W.J. Craig M.A. (Oxford University Press, 1916).

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Related People

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author)

The greatest English writer before Shakespeare, Chaucer pioneered the use of English, rather than French or Latin, for serious literary works. He also brought all classes of society onto the page together, particularly in his masterwork, The Canterbury Tales.

Christopher Marlowe (Author)

Marlowe and Shakespeare were the top two poets and playwrights of their day. They referenced one another’s work and competed with and inspired each other.
John Dryden (Author)

One of the great English poets and playwrights who followed Shakespeare, Dryden is similarly interested in portraying the importance of English history for English audiences. Dryden was also deeply interested in establishing the theater as a legitimate art form rather than just a popular entertainment.
Alexander Pope (Author)

A great poet in his own right, Pope also edited Shakespeare’s work, regularizing and “smoothing” it to accord with 18th century aesthetic judgements.

Critical Responses

Book

A Thousand Acres

Jane Smiley

Jane Smiley’s novel A Thousand Acres reimagines the story of King Lear as a tale about a modern American family farm.

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Film

Ran

Akira Kurosawa

Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa revisioned the story of King Lear as a samurai epic.

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Connected Readings

Website

The Holinshed Project

One of the most frequent sources for Shakespeare’s plays is the Holinshed’s Chronicles, a collaborative history of England. The source material for Lear is available here.

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Website

Sources for King Lear

Shakespeare drew from a wide range of sources for his plays, and the sources for Lear are particularly rich and varied. Read a few of them here.

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Audio

Listen to Lear

The Folger Shakespeare

Listen to some selections from a performance of King Lear at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

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What to read next.

In Praise of Folly

Desiderius Erasmus

Shakespeare’s comedies are known for their use of fools who are sometimes truly foolish, and sometimes foolish in a way that reveals a deep and important wisdom. The Fool in King Lear comes from that tradition of comic fools, but his wisdom is painful for himself and all who hear it. Inspiration…

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