King Lear Video

King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1605. Drawing on various accounts of a mythological British king named “Lyr,” Shakespeare’s version centers on Lear’s descent into madness and destitution after handing the kingdom over to his greedy and selfish daughters, Regan and Goneril. Shakespeare imbued King Lear with themes like the dangers of a divided kingdom in order to appeal to King James, his patron. Today, King Lear is respected as one of Shakespeare’s crowning achievements.

At the start of the play, King Lear is discussing the division of his kingdom with the Earls of Kent and Gloucester. Seeking to retire, Lear has decided to divide his realm into three parts, entrusting them according to which of his three daughters loves him the most. Goneril, the eldest, bathes her father in flattery, followed by Regan, who attempts to outdo her sister. But Cordelia, Lear’s favorite, finds her sisters insincere, telling her father that she loves him “according to her bond, no more nor less.” Furious at Cordelia’s earnest answer, Lear strips her of her inheritance and title.

The Earl of Kent speaks out in defense of Cordelia, but Lear will hear none of it and banishes Kent from the country. Lear then summons the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, both of whom have proposed marriage to Cordelia. Learning of her disinheritance, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his proposal, but the King of France is endeared by Cordelia’s honesty and makes her his wife, the new Queen of France.

True to his word, Lear divides his kingdom between Goneril and Regan, awarding dominion over the regions to the daughters’ new husbands, the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall. Privately, Goneril and Regan call Lear a foolish old man, confirming Cordelia’s estimation of their insincerity, and plot to seize their father’s power.

Lear decides to split his time between Goneril’s and Regan’s homes. But the sisters order their servants to treat Lear coldly and undermine his authority at every turn, depriving him of his knights and servants. Meanwhile, Kent has disguised himself as Caius, Lear’s servant, in an attempt to stay in the country. In retaliation for his loyalty to Lear, Goneril and Regan place Kent in the stocks. Betrayed and outraged, Lear flees to the heath with his Fool and the disguised Kent just as a violent storm begins to rage.

Meanwhile, the Earl of Gloucester’s bastard son, Edmund, decides to steal the land and legitimacy of his half-brother, Edgar, by manipulating his father and brother against each other. To this end, Edmund shows his father a forged letter in which his brother asks for Edmund’s help with overturning their father. Gloucester urges Edmund not to jump to conclusions. That is, until Edmund returns with a self-inflicted wound, which he blames on Edgar, prompting Gloucester to initiate a manhunt for his allegedly traitorous son.

Soon, Gloucester receives a letter informing him of Goneril and Regan’s schemes against their father. He decides to help Lear, who is slowly going mad, to take shelter in Dover. On his way, Gloucester encounters Edgar but does not recognize him, as Edgar has disguised himself as a witless beggar named Poor Tom to escape his father’s misplaced wrath.

While his father is away, Edmund informs Regan’s husband, Cornwall, of Gloucester’s allegiance to Lear. Edmund adds that Gloucester failed to tell Cornwall of an impending attack by the French army under Cordelia’s rule. In reward, Cornwall promotes Edmund as the new Earl of Gloucester and gouges out the deposed Gloucester’s eyes, sending the blind man out into the storm. Overwhelmed with fury at what he has seen, a servant in the household attacks Cornwall, killing him.

Wandering the heath, the blind Gloucester laments his decision to trust Edmund and expresses his wish to die. Still disguised as Poor Tom, Edgar encounters his father and promises to help him take his life. Instead, Edgar tricks his now blind father into believing he has survived a fall from a Dover cliff, heralding the event as a miracle. They soon encounter Lear, who is now completely mad.

At the same time, Edmund becomes romantically entangled with both the widowed Regan and her sister, Goneril, whose husband, the Duke of Albany, is beginning to side with Lear. In an attempt to win Edmund over, Goneril orders her servant, Oswald, to deliver a letter to Edmund that details her plan to kill Albany so that she can marry him. But it is intercepted by the disguised Edgar, who kills Oswald and tells Albany of Goneril’s treacherous plan.

Meanwhile, clashing with the French army, the British emerge victorious, capturing the French Queen, Cordelia, and Lear, who has been recovered by the French camp. Edmund orders their execution, and although they are reunited, Lear has been sedated by Cordelia’s doctor and barely understands who she is. At the same time, the widowed Regan declares her plans to marry Edmund, but Albany tells her that Edmund has promised to marry Goneril. Suddenly, Regan falls ill. Goneril has poisoned her.

Declaring Edmund a traitor, Albany calls for a duel. Disguised in armor, Edgar appears, drawing his sword on his brother. Fatally wounding Edmund, Edgar then reveals his identity, telling his brother that Gloucester died of happiness after learning that Edgar was alive.

With her plan to marry Edmund exposed, Goneril takes her own life. The devastated Lear soon enters with Cordelia’s lifeless body. Before dying, Edmund admits that he and Goneril had ordered Cordelia hanged to make it look like like she committed suicide. Albany restores Lear to rulership, but Lear is inconsolable in the wake of Cordelia’s death. Lear dies, and Kent and Edgar are installed as equal rulers. Kent declines the position, stating that he soon follow Lear, leaving Edgar to claim the kingship.