Home > King Lear Summary & Study Guide > Summary
King Lear | Summary
From the legendary story of King Lear, Shakespeare presents a dramatic version of the relationships between parents and their children. Lear, king of ancient Britain, decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters: Goneril and Regan, the wives of the Duke of Albany and the Duke of Cornwall, and Cordelia, his youngest and favorite. In an attempt to give the “largest bounty” to the one who loves him most, the king asks for his daughters’ expressions of affection. He receives embellished speeches of endearment from the older two, but Cordelia modestly speaks the...
[The entire page is 592 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
- King Lear: Introduction
- King Lear: Summary
- King Lear: William Shakespeare Biography
- King Lear: Reading Shakespeare
- King Lear: List of Characters
- King Lear: Historical Background
-
King Lear: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 4: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 5: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scenes 2 and 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 4: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 4: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 5: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 6: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 7: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 4: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 5: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 6: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 7: Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scenes 1 and 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scene 3: Summary and Analysis
-
King Lear: Quizzes
- Act I, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 3: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 4: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 5: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scenes 2 and 3: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 4: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 3: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 4: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 5: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 6: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 7: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 3: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 4: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 5: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 6: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 7: Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scenes 1 and 2: Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scene 3: Questions and Answers
- King Lear: Essential Passages
- King Lear: Themes
- King Lear: Character Analysis
- King Lear: Principal Topics
-
King Lear: Essays
- Is Lear a Tragic Hero?
- The Power of Language and the Language of Power in King Lear
- King Lear and Comedy
- A Brief Critical History of King Lear
- King Lear: Saints and Sinners
- The Tragic Ending of King Lear
- Good and Evil Children in King Lear and Henry IV
- Textual and Contextual Analysis of the Opening Scene in Shakespeare's King Lear
- Contrast in Character in The Tragedy of King Lear
- Kingship and the Themes of Shakespeare's Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth
- Madness in King Lear
- Two Critical Episodes in Shakespeare's King Lear
- King Lear: Criticism
- King Lear: Selected Quotes
- King Lear: Suggested Essay Topics
- King Lear: Sample Essay Outlines
- King Lear: Modern Connections
- King Lear: FAQs
- King Lear: Bibliography and Further Reading
- King Lear: Pictures
- Copyright
Tell a friend about King Lear at eNotes.
