The King LearBy : William Shakespeare

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play's action centers around an aging king who decides to divvy up his kingdom between his three daughters (Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia) in order to avoid any conflict after his death. Lear's actions end up destroying his family, tearing apart the kingdom, and causing a big old war, leaving just about everyone dead by the play's end

Shakespeare's most important source is probably the second edition of The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande by Raphael Holinshed, published in 1587, which includes the story of "King Leir," an ancient British monarch who divides his kingdom between three daughters, Gonorilla, Regan, and Cordeilla.

Characters :

Lear, King of Britain, is a powerful and important man. But he's getting near retirement age, Lear thinks he can hand over the hard work of ruling the kingdom to his children and relax. He wants to enjoy the power of still being king without any of the responsibility.

Goneril, eldest daughter of Lear, and the wife of the duke of Albany. Goneril is jealous, treacherous, and amoral.

Regan, second daughter of Lear, and potentially less wicked of Lear's two evil daughters. Slightly more passive, Regan can't oppose her father on her own. She's more likely to get men to do her dirty work for her than to attend to it herself 

Cordelia is King Lear's favorite daughter until she refuses to flatter the old man and gets booted out of the kingdom without a dowry. Soon after, she marries the King of France and raises an army to fight her wicked sisters and win back her father's land.

Earl of Gloucester: A powerful lord in Lear's court, In the power struggle that follows Lear's retirement, this pits Gloucester against the younger generation: Lear's elder daughters and their husbands. Gloucester's blinding in the play makes literal his emotional blindness towards his two sons, Edgar and Edmund. Only when he becomes blind does Gloucester gain true insight into who his children really are – and which of them actually loves him.

Duke of Albany, husband to Goneril

Duke of Cornwall, husband to Regan

Earl of Kent : Kent is Lear's servant. He's also the guy Lear banishes in the first act after Kent warns his king not to disown Cordelia. The thing to know about Kent is that he is loyalty personified. He would do anything for Lear, even though the King treats him badly and kicks him out of the kingdom.

Edgar and Edmund, sons of Gloucester

The story opens in ancient Britain, where the elderly King Lear is deciding to give up his power and divide his realm amongst his three daughters, Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril. Lear's plan is to give the largest piece of his kingdom to the child who professes to love him the most, certain that his favorite daughter, Cordelia, will win the challenge. Goneril and Regan, corrupt and deceitful, lie to their father with sappy and excessive declarations of affection. Cordelia, however, refuses to engage in Lear's game, and replies simply that she loves him as a daughter should. Her lackluster retort, despite its sincerity, enrages Lear, and he disowns Cordelia completely. When Lear's dear friend, the Earl of Kent, tries to speak on Cordelia's behalf, Lear banishes him from the kingdom

King Lear: Plot Summary

When the loyal Gloucester realizes that Lear’s daughters have turned against their father, he decides to help Lear in spite of the danger. Regan and her husband, Cornwall, discover him helping Lear, accuse him of treason, blind him, and turn him out to wander the countryside. He ends up being led by his disguised son, Edgar, toward the city of Dover, where Lear has also been brought.

In Dover, a French army lands as part of an invasion led by Cordelia in an effort to save her father. There was a battle.Finally, after a lot of fussing, Lear reunites with his loving daughter Cordelia (who says she doesn't hate Lear, even though he totally disowned her). Soon after, Cordelia's French forces lose the battle against Regan and Goneril's British army and Lear and Cordelia are captured. Edmund takes this opportunity to secretly order their executions.

While Lear and Cordelia sit in prison, Regan and Goneril scuffle with each other over who gets the dreamy (-so evil) Edmund In a rage, Albany demands that Edmund and Goneril, having an affair and planning to kill him. Before Edmund can be taken to jail, Edgar shows up and stabs his evil brother in the guts. Then Regan dies, having been poisoned by Goneril. Edgar reveals his true identity to his father Gloucester, who is surprised, has a heart attack, and promptly dies. Goneril commits suicide. Before Edmund (who has been stabbed) dies, he says he's sorry for being so bad and reveals that he's sent someone to kill Cordelia and Lear – if they want to do something about it, they had better act quickly, but  it's too late for Cordelia, who has already been hanged by Edmund's executioners. Lear enters with his dead daughter in his arms. When Lear realizes what has become of his family, he dies of a broken heart. Albany and Edgar are the only ones left to govern the kingdom.

The End

Quotes

Quote #1Meantime we shall express our darker purpose.Give me the map there. Know that we have dividedIn three our kingdom: (1.1.2)Here, King Lear says he wants to divide his kingdom into three parts.

KING LEARBe your tears wet? yes, 'faith. I pray, weep not:If you have poison for me, I will drink it.I know you do not love me; for your sistersHave, as I do remember, done me wrong:You have some cause, they have not.CORDELIANo cause, no cause. (4.7.5)This is, perhaps, the most tender of moments in the play. When Lear awakens and finds his daughter at his bedside, he acknowledges the way he's hurt Cordelia and admits that she has "some cause" to wish him harm. Yet, despite everything, Cordelia finds it within herself to utter "no cause, no cause."

Quote#2

Quote #3Good my lord,You have begot me, bred me, loved me: IReturn those duties back as are right fit,Obey you, love you, and most honour you.Why have my sisters husbands, if they sayThey love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carryHalf my love with him, half my care and duty:Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters,To love my father all. (1.1.6) When Lear demands his daughters profess their love to him, Goneril and Regan lay it on pretty thick – professing they love Lear "the most." Here, Cordelia points out that Goneril and Regan are being disloyal to their husbands because, as married women, Goneril and Regan owe much of their love and "duties" to their spouses.

Thank youNada Al-Habardi