King Lear

Synopsis

The most perfect specimen of the dramatic art existing in the world' Percy Bysshe Shelley

Shakespeare's bleak and brutal tragedy begins when an ageing king, seeking a successor, rejects the young daughter who loves him and misplaces his trust in her malevolent sisters.

In return they strip him of his power and condemn him to a wretched wasteland of horror and insanity.

Set in a pitiless universe, <i>King Lear</i> is a towering, elemental masterpiece of fierce poetry and vast imaginative scope.

Used and Recommended by the National Theatre

General Editor Stanley Wells

Edited by George Hunter

Introduction by Kiernan Ryan