King Lear

King Lear is a tragedy written by Shakespeare, in five acts and in prose. The story is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological Celtic king. It was written between 1603 and 1606 and played for the first time in 1606. King Lear is an old king, who decides to leave his throne and give it to one of his three daughters. He makes them pass a test, which in they have to tell him how much they love him. The oldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, flatter him a lot, but the youngest, Cordelia, (who is also the favourite of her father), says she has no words to describe how much she loves him. King Lear is furious and disowns her (it means that he says she is no longer his daughter). His friend, Kent, tries to change his mind, but he doesnt succeed. The king of France, who already loved Cordelia, is impressed by her honesty, and still wants to marry her, in spite of her new poverty. So, he marries her and takes her to France with him. King Lear decides to live in Gonerils house. At the same time, another elderly gentleman, Gloucester, has family problems: his adoptive son Edmund told him that his other son, Edgar, wanted to kill him. He did it in order to get the money of his father. Edgar, who feels menaced, decides to flee to the heath too, and disguises himself. King Lear begins to realise that his eldest daughter treats him like a stupid man, so he decides to join Regan, but she flees to Gloucester castle. Kent, the friend of King Lear, has heard that his daughters wanted to betray him and decides to try to save him. But Goneril, Regan and Regans husband discover it and prison him in Gloucester castle. King Lear arrives, sets him free, but his realises that they betrayed him: he feels so hurt that he becomes insane, wandering on a heath during a thunderstorm, with his old friend Kent, who wants to stay with him. Gloucester, who likes King Lear too, is looking for him, and finds him with his son, Edgar: they are both raving (they say delirious things). He convinces them to go having a rest in an isolated place of the castle. Then he comes back and tells them that the French army is coming to help them. But his son Edmund, denounces him to Regan and Goneril: the girls blind them (he cant see anymore) and he has to wander on the heath too. There, he finds his son Edgar, still disguised, and they both go to Dover, when the French army has arrived. King Lear and Kent go there too. Edgar sees Gonerils butler, who carries a letter: he reads it and understands that Goneril is in love with Edmund, the betrayer, and asks him to kill her husband. He tells it to the nice and honest husband. Cordelia and her father finally find themselves, talk and forgive each other. King Lear becomes sane again.

Regan (whose husband is dead, killed by a King Lears partisan) also loves Edmund, and this one has to choose between the two sisters, even if he is only interested in their money. French and English fight each other, and English win. Lear and Cordelia are imprisoned. Albany, Gonerils husband, shows her that Edmund doesnt love her and her sister. Edgar arrives, fights with Edmund and kills him. Before he dies, this one confesses that he and Goneril hung Cordelia in his geol. Goneril and Regan are both dead too: Goneril murdered Regan and then killed herself. Lear and Gloucester die of grief (of pain). Edgar, Albany and Kent take power, and express their deep sadness in the last scene. As a conclusion, I would say that I found the plot of the play and the characters personalities very interesting, even if the end is really depressing!