The play takes place in Britain in the 11th century. The imperious and powerful King Lear feels the approach of old age. He has three daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. The king decides to divide his kingdom between them in order to relieve himself of the burden of power. He is wondering how best to show his generosity and wants to hear from his daughters how much they love him.

Goneril speaks first. She flatters her father and swears that she loves him as much as no one ever loved his parent. Regan also makes sweet speeches and talks about her great love for her father. It is the turn of the youngest and beloved daughter Cordelia. She is very truthful and modest, she does not know how to flatter and publicly swear her love.

Cordelia is grateful to her father for giving her life, raising her, she loves him as a daughter should love her father, no more and no less. Hearing such words, the king calls on his favorite to correct the answer and reproaches her for callousness. But Cordelia does not refuse her words, she is straightforward, but not at all callous in soul.

The king is furious and deprives Cordelia of her inheritance and dowry for her outspokenness. And he gives the entire kingdom to his eldest daughters, reserving the right to live with each of them for a month, and allocating a hundred people for his protection.

The king's close associate and friend, Count Kent, tries to reason with the old man. He convinces him that Cordelia loves her father no less than other daughters, and loud words are not always true. The king is angry that Kent contradicts him. He orders the Count to leave the kingdom. Without losing his dignity, Kent replies that the king’s unbridled pride is worse than exile to a foreign land.

The Duke of Burgundy, who was the first of the contenders for Cordelia's hand, refuses her - he does not need a dowry. The second contender was the King of France. Upon learning of what had happened, he was amazed by Lear's behavior. He was delighted by the chastity of Cordelia's feelings, and he invited her to become queen of France. The two of them leave. Cordelia turns to her sisters with a request to take care of her father, she knows that their love is ostentatious, this worries her most of all.

The Earl of Gloucester, who served the king for many years, is also puzzled by Lear’s behavior. He is upset that the king makes an important decision under the influence of a momentary impulse. Meanwhile, not everything is in order in the count’s family either. Gloucester's illegitimate son Edmund decided to take full possession of his father's inheritance. To do this, he wants to slander his brother Edgar. Having forged Edgar's handwriting, Edmund writes a letter on his behalf in which he plots the murder of their father. Then he arranges everything so that the count reads the letter. Edmund inspires his brother with the idea that his father is planning evil against Edgar. Edgar realizes that someone has slandered him. Edmund does not stop there; he easily injures himself, and tells everyone that he tried to detain his brother while attempting to kill his father. Gloucester believed in his son’s guilt; he gave the order to find and capture Edgar. Edgar can only run away, and Edmund is happy, because his plan was completely successful.

Lear lives with Goneril for the first month. She tries to show her father who is in charge now. Her servants are openly rude to Lyra, encouraged by their mistress. Lear wants to talk to his daughter about this, but Goneril avoids meeting with him. Even the court jester bitterly ridicules the king's fate.

Goneril appears. She speaks extremely rudely and impudently to her father, demanding that he dismiss half of his retinue. Lear is amazed. He is trying to influence his daughter with anger. Even her husband, the Duke of Albany, stands up for Lear, considering Goneril's decision humiliating for her father. But the hard-hearted Goneril is not stopped by her husband’s words, and her father’s anger does not affect her either. The devoted Earl of Kent never left Lear. Realizing that the old man is in trouble, he, disguised, comes to him to hire himself into his service. Kent considers it his duty to be with the king in difficult times. Lear sends Kent with a letter to Regan. At the same time, Goneril sends her messenger to her sister.

Lear hopes to find understanding from his second daughter. He orders the horses to be saddled. And finally, he assures Goneril that he will regain all the power that he lost. He is confident that Regan will help him with this.

Regan and her husband arrived at Gloucester Castle to resolve disputes with the king. Two messengers met in front of the castle: Oswald, Goneril’s messenger, and Kent, the king’s messenger. Kent recognizes Oswald as Goneril's courtier, whom he beat for disrespecting Lear. Oswald makes a fuss. Regan and the Duke of Cornwall, her husband, come out. They give the order to put the stocks on Kent. The Earl of Gloucester tries in vain to intercede on his behalf. Regan wants to humiliate her father and teach him a lesson, demonstrating her power. She is no different from her sister Goneril. Kent understands this and worries about Lear, foreseeing what awaits him with his second daughter.

Finding his ambassador in stocks, Lear is indignant and asks who dared to do this. Kent replies that it was the king’s daughter and son-in-law who ordered this. Lear understands that this is so, but does not want to believe it. He is overcome by melancholy and despair. The king wants to talk with his daughter, but she cannot receive him because she is tired from the trip. Lear is angry, indignant and wants to break down the door...

Regan and her husband come out. Lear tries to talk about how Goneril kicked him out. Regan doesn’t even want to listen to her father; she invites him to return to Goneril and ask her for forgiveness. Once again the king is humiliated, but before he even has time to come to his senses, Goneril herself appears. The two sisters insult their father and amaze him with their cruelty. One demands cutting the retinue by half, the other demands leaving only twenty-five people. As a result, both come to the conclusion that the retinue is not needed at all. Lear is completely crushed, and only now he begins to understand that he treated Cordelia unfairly

A storm is approaching. The wind howls. And the daughters abandon Lear on the street, closing the gate in front of him.

Steppe. A storm broke out. Streams of water pour from the sky. Kent is looking for the king in the steppe and accidentally meets a courtier from his retinue. Having trusted him, Kent says that there is “no peace” between the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall, and that the cruel treatment of the “good king” is already known in France. Kent asks the courtier to go to Cordelia and tell her about the king’s misfortune. In order for Cordelia to understand that the messenger can be trusted, Kent gives him his ring, which she must recognize.

Overcoming the wind, Lear wanders across the steppe with the jester. The king is experiencing terrible mental anguish; the heartlessness of his own daughters has destroyed all his illusions. The elements do not frighten him; disappointment in life is much worse.

Kent meets Lear and convinces him to hide in a hut from bad weather, and poor Tom Edgar, who pretended to be crazy, also takes refuge there. Tom talks with Lear and distracts him from his sad thoughts. At this time, the Earl of Gloucester worries about his old master; the sisters’ act seems disgusting to him. Gloucester receives news of a foreign army in the country, he wants to hide Lear until help arrives. He shares his plans with Edmund, and he decides to take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of his father. Edmund plans to report him to the Duke and thereby move forward; he cares little about his father’s fate. Gloucester does not suspect his son's plans; he is looking for the king. Finally, he finds a hut and calls Lear to his refuge, where he will be safe. Lear does not want to part with the poor philosopher Tom, and he follows him to the farm at Gloucester Castle. Gloucester goes to the castle on business, and Lear, completely distraught, arranges a mock trial of his daughters in front of witnesses. He demands that Regan's chest be opened to check whether she has a heart of stone. Kent, Edgar and the jester calm him down and put him to rest. Gloucester appears. He says that he overheard a plot against the king, and asks the travelers to quickly go to Dover.

Having learned about the landing of French troops, the Duke of Cornwall sends Goneril and Edmund to convey this news to the Duke of Albany. Oswald, who was tasked with spying on Gloucester, reports that the earl helped the king and his companions escape to Dover. The Duke gives the order to capture Gloucester. The Count is tied up and wildly mocked. Regan asks him why he sent the king to Dover. Gloucester replies that he wanted to save the king from his child predators and hopes that “thunder will incinerate such children.” After these words, the Duke of Cornwall tears out the eye of the helpless old man. Gloucester's servant stands up for his master and draws his sword. He deals a fatal blow to the Duke, but is also wounded. Trying to console Gloucester, the servant asks him to take at least one look at how his enemy is avenged. But the Duke of Cornwall, in a fit of anger before his death, tears out the old man’s second eye. Gloucester asks his son Edmund to avenge him, but learns that it was Edmund who betrayed his father. Gloucester realizes that he was unfair to Edgar, who was slandered. The unfortunate, blind old man is pushed out into the street and driven away.

The servant does not leave the count. Gloucester asks to leave him so as not to incur anger. The servant is worried that the master will not find the way. But Gloucester says he stumbled even when he was sighted, and now he doesn’t care where to go. He feels sorry for poor Edgar. The son heard his words and volunteered to become a guide. Gloucester asks him to be taken to a steep cliff to commit suicide.

Goneril and Edmund appear in the palace of the Duke of Albany. Goneril is surprised that her husband does not meet her. Oswald reports that the Duke is behaving very strangely after learning about the landing of troops and about Gloucester's treason. What makes him happy is what should make him sad, and what makes him sad is what, on the contrary, should make him happy. Goneril calls her husband “a coward and a nonentity,” and sends Edmund back to the Duke of Cornwall to command the troops. Edmund and Goneril pledge their love to each other.

The Duke of Albany greets his wife with contempt. He knows how the sisters treated their father. He considers their act inhumane and appeals to Goneril’s conscience. The Duke hopes that he can convince his wife. A messenger appears and reports the death of the Duke of Cornwall at the hands of a servant who stood up for Gloucester. The Duke of Albany is shocked to learn of the new atrocities of the sisters and the Duke of Cornwall. He vows to repay the loyal Gloucester. Goneril considers all her husband’s words to be nonsense. Her only concern is that her widowed sister will be left alone with Edmund. This could disrupt Goneril's own plans.

Edgar leads his father. The Count is sure that there is a cliff in front of him, he falls and remains in the same place. Edgar makes him believe in a miracle. Gloucester thinks he jumped off a cliff and survived. From now on, he decides to submit to fate and no longer think about suicide. Oswald suddenly appears and is ordered to kill old man Gloucester. Edgar fights him. Oswald is killed. In his pocket, Edgar discovers a message to Edmund from Goneril, she invites Edmund to kill her husband and take his place himself.

Lear walks in the forest, intricately decorated with wildflowers. The mind has left him, speech is meaningless. A courtier appears and calls for Lear, but he runs away.

Having learned about the cruelty of the sisters, Cordelia hurries to the aid of her unfortunate father. French camp. The doctors put Lear into a life-saving sleep. He lies in bed, dressed again in royal robes. Cordelia prays to the gods for her father to regain his sanity. Lear woke up. He sees Cordelia, kneels before her and asks for forgiveness, calling himself old and reckless.

Regan and Edmund lead the British army. Regan suspects Edmund of having an affair with Goneril. She asks him about it, but he swears his eternal love to Regan. The Duke of Albany and Goneril enter to the beat of drums. She, seeing her sister next to Edmund, intends to poison her. The Duke wants to draw up a plan of attack and proposes to convene a council for this purpose. Edgar comes to him in disguise and gives him a letter from Goneril, found on Oswald. He asks the Duke to call him to him if he wins. After reading the letter, the Duke learns of the betrayal.

The French lost the battle. Edmund captured Cordelia and King Lear. Lear is happy that he has found his daughter again; he is not afraid of imprisonment. From now on they are inseparable. Edmund orders Lear and Cordelia to be taken to prison. He then gives a secret order to kill them both.

The Duke of Albania enters with an army. He demands that Edmund hand over Cordelia and the king to him in order to manage their fate wisely and honorably. Edmund refuses him and says that he has sent the prisoners to prison. Meanwhile, the sisters started an obscene squabble over Edmund. The Duke of Albany accuses all three of treason. He shows his wife her letter to Edmund and declares that he himself will fight him if no one comes to the call of the trumpet. Edgar enters the duel after the third call of the trumpet. He is in no hurry to reveal his name, because for now it is “contaminated with slander.” A duel between the brothers begins. Edmund is mortally wounded. Edgar identifies himself, and Edmund understands that fate has punished him. Edgar tells the Duke of Albany about his wanderings with his father. Only on the eve of this fight did he open up to him and ask for a blessing. A courtier enters and reports that Goneril poisoned her sister and then stabbed herself. Before his death, Edmund talks about his secret order. But it’s too late, and the crime has been committed. Lear appears with the dead Cordelia in his arms. He is unable to survive this loss and dies himself. Edgar calls him, but Kent says that the king has already suffered enough, he needs peace.

Britain, 11th century. The elderly ruler of the vast country Lear, feeling that he is becoming increasingly old and frail, decides to divide all his lands between his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. He calls all three girls to him and asks them to tell him how much they love him. The two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, swear to their father that they dote on him, that no one has ever loved their parents the way they do.

Lear really likes the words of the first daughters, dictated by cunning calculation, then he wants to hear the same from the youngest, his favorite Cordelia. However, a sincere and modest girl is absolutely not going to embellish her feelings. She directly answers the king that she loves him as her daughter’s duty tells her, no more and no less.

The enraged sovereign deprives Cordelia of any dowry, dividing the entire kingdom between Goneril and Regan. He leaves himself only a hundred servants and the right to live with each daughter for a month. One of the king’s close associates, the Earl of Kent, tries to reason with him, saying that Cordelia loves her father no less than the eldest daughters, and that the ostentatious expression of tender feelings does not mean that Regan and Goneril really feel that way about Lear. But the king absolutely does not want to listen to Kent and, in a rage, orders him to leave his native country and go into exile.

The Duke of Burgundy, one of Cordelia's suitors, immediately abandons her upon learning that the girl is deprived of any dowry. But the second of the contenders, the king of France, happily takes Cordelia as his wife, knowing the wonderful spiritual qualities of Lear’s youngest daughter. She says goodbye to her sisters, instructing them to take care of their father, but her soul is uneasy, since Cordelia knows very well that Goneril and Regan are only feigning love for the king for their own selfish interests.

The Earl of Gloucester, who served Lear faithfully for decades, is also upset by such a sudden and drastic decision of the sovereign. But he does not realize that his illegitimate son Edmund is intriguing against him, trying to set his father against his half-brother Edgar, who was born legally. The young man inflicts a slight wound on himself, but tells his father that he fought with Edgar, who attempted to assassinate Gloucester. The Count flies into a rage and orders Edgar to be captured; the innocent young man is forced to hide.

First, Lear stops with Goneril. The young woman now behaves completely differently towards her father, believing that he must remember who is now the boss. Her servants behave rudely and arrogantly towards the former king; Goneril herself soon begins to sharply demand from her father that he dismiss half of his entire retinue. Lear cannot believe what is happening; the husband of his eldest daughter, the Duke of Albany, is trying to rein in his wife at least a little, believing that the old man does not deserve such humiliation. However, Goneril does not want to listen to anyone and insists on his own.

Kent, who is unable to leave his master, disguises himself and hires himself to serve Lear under an assumed name. It is him who the old king sends to Regan, giving him a letter for his second daughter. Goneril, in turn, also sends her own envoy to her sister. Lear still counts on help and understanding from Regan, because he gave her a lot.

In the castle of the Earl of Gloucester, where Regan and her husband, the Duke of Cornwall, arrive, Kent, who arrived with a letter, is immediately put in the stocks, despite the intercession of Gloucester. But Regan, like her sister, strives in every possible way to humiliate her father as much as possible, which is why she treats his messenger so cruelly. When Lear arrives at this castle and sees that his ambassador is in the stocks, he does not understand who dared to treat him like that. The answer that his daughter and son-in-law did this shakes the former ruler to the core.

Lear tries to talk to Regan, but she refuses to accept him, saying that she is too tired from the road. When he finally meets with his daughter and son-in-law, the king begins to complain to her about Goneril, but Regan advises him to immediately return to her sister and apologize to her. Lear cannot believe his ears, but at that moment Goneril herself arrives.

The sisters are merciless towards their father, they insult him without any ceremony. One insists on reducing the size of his retinue by half, the other believes that twenty-five people will be enough, in the end both come to the conclusion that old Lear does not need servants at all. The shocked former king realizes that he has nothing more to hope from these heartless creatures, he realizes that he has treated Cordelia extremely unfairly.

A real storm begins, and Lear's daughters leave their old father on the street at the mercy of the uncontrollable elements, slamming the castle gates in front of him. Kent is looking for his king in the endless steppe and at the same time asks one of Lear's former courtiers to inform Cordelia in France about how badly the elderly king is now being treated and how he needs help.

While wandering through the steppe in the pouring rain, the old man finally gives up his illusions. Kent finds Lear and persuades him to hide in the hut, where Edgar is already located, also forced to hide from the authorities due to a slander on the part of his half-brother.

Meanwhile, Edmund decides to get rid of his father and denounces the Earl of Gloucester to the Duke of Cornwall. Having arrested the elderly count, the duke tears out his eyes, but the count's servant, unable to bear what is happening, inflicts a mortal wound on Regan's husband. The blind Gloucester realizes that he was betrayed by his son Edmund, who had previously slandered the innocent Edgar.

Edgar, having heard about his father's terrible misfortune, volunteers to become his guide, although he does not give his real name. At the same time, Goneril returns to her husband’s palace with Edmund, and the woman sends him to command the army; before parting, they swear an oath of eternal love to each other.

The Duke of Albany, having learned about how the sisters treated their father, greets Goneril with an angry and contemptuous speech, but the wife does not want to listen to his reproaches and does not admit her guilt. At the same time, it becomes known about the death of the Duke of Cornwall and what he and Regan did to the Earl of Gloucester. Goneril is upset that her sister has become a widow and Edmund is now with her; the woman fears that her lover will not remain faithful to her.

Edgar, accompanying his blind father, meets Lear in the forest, completely covered with flowers. The old man has lost his mind, which those around him immediately understand from his incoherent speeches. Cordelia, having learned about how shamelessly the older sisters acted with their father and what a terrible situation he is now in, hurries to help Lear.

When the old king, after a long period of unconsciousness, comes to his senses in the French camp and sees his youngest daughter in front of him, he kneels before Cordelia and begs to forgive him. At the same time, Edmund and Regan are at the head of the British army fighting the French. Regan suspects that Edmund is having an affair with Goneril as well, but he assures her that he loves only her. Goneril, in turn, realizing that her sister is competing with her for her lover, decides to poison her.

The French troops are defeated, Lear and Cordelia are captured by Edmund. However, the former king is happy that his beloved youngest daughter is next to him again, they do not part for a minute. Edmund gives secret orders to kill both.

The Duke of Albany, Goneril's husband, insists that the old man and his daughter be handed over to him as prisoners, but Edmund refuses. The Duke discovers the sisters' fierce rivalry over this young man and accuses all three of committing treason. Edgar, hiding his true name and appearance, expresses his readiness to fight Edmund and mortally wounds his half-brother. Before his death, Edmund finds out who took revenge on him and admits himself defeated.

The Duke of Albany is informed that Goneril stabbed herself with a dagger, having previously managed to add poison to Regan. Before his death, Edmund talks about his secret order and asks everyone to hurry to save Cordelia and Lear. But it turns out that it is too late, the young and beautiful daughter of the former king of Britain has already been killed. Lear, who has suffered a lot of grief and disappointment, is unable to come to terms with her loss.

An elderly man dies with his last words of despair. Edgar tries to bring Lear back to life, but Kent stops him, saying that it would be much more merciful to let the former king go quietly, making him suffer again would be extreme cruelty and heartlessness.

Everything that happens ends with the Duke of Albany’s statement that the era forces people to be persistent, no matter how severe the melancholy that grips their souls, that those who survived must still find strength in themselves and continue to move on their path.

Shakespeare's "King Lear", act one - summary

Scene 1. King Lear of Britain, having grown old, decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters and spend the end of his life in retirement. Having gathered his relatives, he demands that his daughters express their love to him before this significant act. The two eldest - Goneril and Regan (wives of the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall) - pronounce sugary, flattering speeches in front of their father. But the third daughter, the straightforward Cordelia, out of disgust at the insincerity of her sisters, refuses sweet outpourings addressed to her parent and confines herself to a few restrained words. Old Lear is indignant at this and loudly renounces Cordelia. He proclaims that he will divide the kingdom in half between Goneril and Regan, and will not give anything to his youngest daughter.

The noble Earl of Kent, who is present, tries to restrain the monarch from taking an unreasonable step, but Lear showers him with abuse and expels him from the country. Having learned that Cordelia will not receive her third of the kingdom, one of her two suitors, the Duke of Burgundy, immediately renounces his former betrothed. But the second, the King of France, on the contrary, out of admiration for Cordelia’s selflessness, happily takes her as his wife. Cordelia predicts that time will show her parent which daughter truly loved him. At the end of the scene, the greedy Goneril and Regan confer in private on how to curb the old “crazy” father and take away the last remnants of power from him.

Three daughters of King Lear. Artist G. Pope

Scene 2. The treacherous Edmund, the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester, dreams of taking over his father's inheritance, pushing aside his legitimate son, the kind and trusting Edgar. To this end, Edmund shows Gloucester a letter written in Edgar’s forged handwriting, in which his brother allegedly invites him to kill his father and divide his county into two. Gloucester indulges in deception. Edmund convinces Edgar that his parent is terribly angry with him because of some kind of slander, advises him not to catch his eye and not to walk around without a weapon.

Scene 3. Having given the kingdom to his two eldest daughters, Lear comes to live with Goneril and the Duke of Albany. Having learned that her father has beaten one of her courtiers, Goneril orders her butler, Oswald, to treat Lear as roughly as possible in order to deliberately cause a break with him.

Scene 4. The Earl of Kent, expelled from Britain, does not lose his loyalty to Lear, who expelled him. Realizing that the two eldest daughters will soon begin to oppress their father-king, Kent dresses up, changes his appearance, comes to Goneril’s palace and, unrecognized, enters Lear’s service. The king already notices that Goneril's people are treating him without due respect. His favorite jester laughs at him for acting like a fool, voluntarily giving up power.

Goneril, who came to Lear, speaks sharply and arrogantly with him. She reproaches her father for the alleged outrages of the detachment of one hundred bodyguards left to him and demands that half of them be disbanded. The outraged king curses Goneril and gathers his people to go from her to Regan. Goneril sends Oswald to Regan with a letter, where she calls on her sister to act together with her against her father’s “madness.”

Scene 5. Lear instructs Kent, who he does not recognize, to take a message to Regan, in which he informs her of his quarrel with Goneril. The jester continues to laugh at the king and prophesies that the second daughter will treat him no better than the first.

Shakespeare's "King Lear", act two - summary

Scene 1. Edmund convinces Edgar that his father, the Earl of Gloucester, is even more furious against him, and persuades him to run wherever his eyes look. Edgar does just that. Edmund tells his father that before escaping, Edgar attacked him with a sword and tried to kill him. Gloucester renounces his legitimate son and promises to bequeath all his possessions to the illegitimate one - Edmund. Regan and her husband, the Duke of Cornwall, arrive at Gloucester Castle. Regan received a letter from Goneril and intends to help her in her intrigues against Lear.

Scene 2. The Count of Kent, in disguise, arriving at Regan with a message from Lear, meets Goneril's messenger, Oswald, and attacks this vile man with a sword. Regan and the Duke of Cornwall, who came running at the noise, order Kent to be put in stocks. Kent says that such humiliation of the ambassador is an insult to the king himself, but this does not stop either Regan or Cornwall. They, like Goneril, strive for an open break with Lear.

Scene 3. Edgar, who has fled from his father's castle, learns that they are looking for him in order to punish him as a traitor. He decides to dress up as a wandering madman.

Scene 4. Arriving at the castle of Gloucester, Lear sees his ambassador Kent there chained in stocks. At first the king refuses to believe that such an insult has been caused to him. Regan and Cornwall come out to him. The monarch tells them about Goneril’s insolence, but Regan justifies his sister in everything. Goneril herself arrives at the castle, calling her father “a madman and a grump” to his face. Regan refuses to give Lear shelter and insists that he return to Goneril and dismiss not half, but all of his bodyguards. Shocked to the core, the king leaves the castle, not knowing where to go. A terrible thunderstorm is approaching, but the daughters are ordered to lock the gates and do not care where their father will spend the stormy night.

"King Lear". Feature film based on Shakespeare's tragedy (1970). Parts 1 and 2

Shakespeare's "King Lear", act three - summary

Scene 1. The Earl of Kent and one of Lear's courtiers are looking for the king abandoned by his daughters, who wanders in despair somewhere in the open air in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm.

Scene 2. In the rain, Lear pronounces heartfelt monologues about the ingratitude and heartlessness of Goneril and Regan, until Kent finds him and takes him to hide in a nearby hut.

Scene 3. The Earl of Gloucester tells Edmund that a French army has landed in Britain. Gloucester sympathizes with Lear and is going to help him regain the throne. Edmund decides to convey this secret intention of his father to the Duke of Cornwall, hoping that he will take the earldom from Gloucester and give it to him.

Scene 4. Kent, Lear and the jester approach the hut and find Edgar there, dressed in a beggar's dress and pretending to be mad. The Earl of Gloucester, who appeared immediately, takes the king and all his companions under a safe roof. Gloucester does not recognize either his son Edgar or the Earl of Kent.

Scene 5. Edmund brings the Duke of Cornwall a forged letter, from which it follows that his father, Gloucester, allegedly spied for France. Cornwall orders to find and capture Gloucester. He transfers his counthood to Edmund.

Scene 6. Lear, brought by Gloucester to a farm located near the castle, almost loses his mind with grief and, in semi-insanity, plays out the scene of the trial of his daughters. In view of the possible danger from Cornwall and Regan, Kent and the jester, on the advice of Gloucester, carry the king on a stretcher to the port of Dover. Everything there has already been prepared for his escape.

Scene 7. Cornwall learns that Gloucester helped Lear escape. Gloucester is captured and brought before Regan and Cornwall, who in a rage tears out both of his eyes. One of the servants, in an attempt to stand up for Gloucester, wounds Cornwall with a sword. Realizing that Edmund had slandered him, Gloucester bitterly repents for having believed the same deceiver’s slander against Edgar. Blind Gloucester is thrown out into the street. The servants decide to give him as a guide a madman wandering around the area - that is, Edgar.

Shakespeare's "King Lear", act four - summary

Scene 1. Blind Gloucester is brought to Edgar. He hears his father loudly moaning about his injustice towards him, but decides not to reveal himself yet. Gloucester asks Edgar to take him to Dover: the former earl wants to throw himself into the sea from a cliff there.

Scene 2. Edmund comes to Goneril as an envoy from Regan. Goneril's husband, the Duke of Albany, does not approve of her arrogant treatment of her father and is not too eager to fight the French army that landed to restore Lear's monarchical rights. Dissatisfied with her husband, Goneril tries to start a love affair with Edmund. Regan's messenger informs Goneril and the Duke of Albany about the death of the Duke of Cornwall: he died from a wound received in a fight with a servant who stood up for Gloucester.

Scene 3. Kent, in the French camp, learns that Cordelia is at the head of the landing army. She had not lost any of her love for her father and came with an army to protect him from her sisters. The forces of the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall had already moved against the French.

Scene 4. Having learned that her father has almost lost his mind from grief, Cordelia orders him to be found and treated.

Cordelia. Artist V. F. Yemes, 1888

Scene 5. Regan, left a widow, makes plans for her marriage to Edmund and sees her sister Goneril as a dangerous rival. Butler Oswald Regan is sent to find and kill blind Gloucester.

Scene 6. Continuing to feign madness, Edgar brings his father to the vicinity of Dover. There he places him out of the blue and convinces him that in front of him is a sea cliff. Having decided to commit suicide, Gloucester takes a step “off the cliff.” Edgar approaches him again and, playing the role of a different person, convinces his father that he really flew off the cliff, but remained alive. They both see a crazed Lear, wearing a flower crown, wandering around, uttering bizarre monologues, until Cordelia's servants find him and take him to a doctor. Oswald suddenly appears and tries to kill Gloucester, but dies in a fight with Edgar. Edgar finds a letter from Goneril addressed to Edmund from Oswald. She convinces Edmund to find a way to kill her husband, the Duke of Albany, during the battles with the French.

Scene 7. The care of Cordelia's doctors restores Lear's sanity. Having come to his senses, he talks with Cordelia, thanks her for her love and repents for his previous injustice towards her.

Shakespeare's "King Lear", act five - summary

Scene 1. At the British troops' camp, Regan offers Edmund his love. An obvious rivalry is already brewing between her and Goneril over Edmund. Edgar, in disguise, comes to the Duke of Albany and gives him a letter in which Goneril makes plans to kill him at the hands of Edmund. Edgar says that he is ready to prove the authenticity of the letter through a legal duel with Edmund.

Scene 2. Edgar and Gloucester learn that in the battle that took place, Cordelia's army was defeated, and she and Lear were captured by the British.

Scene 3. Edmund, who has captured Lear and Cordelia, orders them to be taken to prison and gives secret orders to kill both. Regan announces that she wants to marry Edmund, but Goneril, who foresaw such a turn, manages to give her poison in advance. Regan becomes ill and is taken to a tent. The Duke of Albany, having read the letter given to him by Edgar, accuses Edmund of lying and betrayal. The herald summons anyone who wants to support this accusation by force of arms. Edgar responds to the call, enters into a duel with Edmund, mortally wounds him and tells him his real name. Albany shows Goneril a letter where she makes plans to kill him. She leaves and stabs herself with a dagger, confessing before her death that she poisoned Regan. Before his death, Edmund talks about the order he gave to kill Lear and Cordelia. They run to prison to save the unfortunates, but find out that Cordelia has already been hanged there. The king, brought from prison, dies near the body of his daughter. Albany orders their funeral and asks Edgar and Kent to be his support in the revival of the country.

The tragic creation is based on the famous basis - the chronicle of the English king Lear, who in his declining years decided to give his power to his children. As a result, the ruler became a victim of the terrible relationship between his two eldest daughters, and the socio-political situation in the kingdom worsened, threatening him with absolute liquidation. The author supplemented the famous legend with another storyline - the relationships in the family of the Earl of Gloucester, the illegitimate heir of whom, for power and position, did not spare either his brother or his parent. The death of the main characters at the end of the creation, the concept of heroes built in contrasts, are considered the unconditional properties of a classic tragedy.

At first glance, you might think that this tragedy is about the ingratitude of children. But if you think long and hard and look inside the story, you will find that this play, on the contrary, is about a terrible ruler and parent.

The mighty eagle Lear, feeling the approach of death, decided to divide the property between his daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. However, before the division, the king wanted to hear promises of love from them. Goneril and Regan were very crafty and declared their immense love. When it was soon the turn of the conscientious and shy Cordelia, she sparingly announced her own love for dad and lowered her eyes. the king fell into a rage and decided to divide the property only between the first two daughters. Despite the news, Cordelia accepted the agreement to become the wife of the King of France and left, begging her sisters to look after their father.

The Earl of Gloucester, who worked for King Lear for a long period, wanted to understand the circumstances of such a conclusion for the king. However, his fate was also unhappy. The problem is that Gloucester had two sons, the illegitimate heir Edmund and Edgar. Edmund decided to tarnish his brother's reputation in the eyes of his parent with lies. And he suggested to his brother that the count was planning something bad in spite of him. The result was that Gloucester gave the order to catch Edgar, but he managed to escape.

The daughters received a share of the kingdom, and King Lear went to live with each of them for a month. At first he went to Goneril, but immediately regretted it. Goneril, at every suitable opportunity, demonstrated to the pope her own advantage over him and dishonored him. In addition, she ordered her father to disband his own large retinue. Kent arrived to support Lear and hired himself to serve the king. Lear counted on his other daughter Regan and went to her. The day before he wrote her a notice and sent it with Kent. And while he was on the road, the no less dishonest Regan ordered to catch Kent and put shackles on him. When Lear arrived, he had no information about the vileness of his second daughter. However, seeing his own servant in the stocks, the king was furious. At that time, he realized what his daughters were really like. The pressure on Lear did not stop and soon he found himself outside the gates.

Kent begged to inform Cordelia about the king and his grief. Gloucester, not leaving his own king in trouble, decided to hide him and informed Edmund about it. The latter decided to take advantage of this in order to end his life with his parent. Gloucester took Lear to a refuge and offered to send him to Dover for protection. Soon he was shackled and tortured, since it was established from Goneril’s messenger that the earl had sent the king to Dover. When Gloucester told Regan that she was a flayer, her husband tore out his eyes. Gloucester's servant stood up for his master and the Duke of Cornwall died, tearing out his second eye before his death. Blind and defenseless Gloucester was pushed out into the street. He finally found out about Edmund's betrayal. The Count begged Edgar to take him to the cliff in order to throw himself off it. The son agreed, but brought him to an ordinary plane, and when Gloucester fell and hit the ground, Edgar was able to assure him that he had fallen from a cliff and was in good health.

At the same time, the Duke of Albany sought to force his wife Goneril to come to her senses. However, she didn't care. Goneril was only concerned that Edmund would pay attention to her sister. Thus, she gave Edmund permission to destroy her husband and take his place. Speaking of the king, Lear went crazy. When he met Cordelia, he asked her for mercy. Edmund took Lear and Cordelia into slavery and gave a hidden order to destroy them. Edgar appeared and began to fight with his brother, without showing his own face and without giving away his own name. He destroyed Edmund. Meanwhile, Goneril stabbed herself, and before her death, poisoned her sister. Unfortunately, Edmund's death had no effect on the fate of Lear and Cordelia.

Picture or drawing of King Lear

Other retellings and reviews for the reader's diary

• Summary of Bulgakov Zoykina apartment

  There was no devilry in this play. What the characters themselves do is enough.

• Brief summary of Gray Neck Mamin-Sibiryak

  In autumn, the birds were preparing to fly to warmer places. The duck and the drake were constantly arguing. She condemned her husband for being indifferent to their children. He assumed that he was acting correctly. All the quarrels were over a little wounded duck.

• Summary of Tales by Phone Rodari

  Mr. Bianchi had a daughter. As she saw off her father, she reminded him that she wanted to hear a new fairy tale. I only fell asleep when I listened to a new story. And he began to share new fairy tales with his daughter on the phone before going to bed.

• Summary of Heart failure Aleksina

  The work begins its narrative with the fact that Galya Androsova enters the institute. On this occasion, her mother and her husband, whom everyone affectionately called Pavlusha for some reason, decide to give her a ticket to a sanatorium for heart patients

• Summary of The Red Wheel Solzhenitsyn

  In his epic novel The Red Wheel, Alexander Solzhenitsyn describes the first decade of the 20th century. The author gives the reader the opportunity to immerse himself in the pre-revolutionary era and see that time through the eyes of his heroes

Scene 1

In the throne room of King Lear's palace, the Earl of Kent and the Earl of Gloucester discuss the division of the kingdom. Gloucester introduces Kent to his natural son Edmond. King Lear appears in the hall with his daughters, the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany and his retinue. He orders Gloucester to go for the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy.

King Lear asks his daughters how much each of them loves him? Goneril, the wife of the Duke of Albany, gives an eloquent and poetic declaration of love, for which she inherits a huge part of the kingdom. Regan, the wife of the Duke of Cornwall, says that she and her sister are “of the same breed” and know no other joys than love for her father. As a reward, the girl receives an equally beautiful part of the kingdom. Cordelia, for whose hand the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy are arguing, admits that she loves her father as her duty dictates, and after marriage she will be forced to give part of her tenderness to her husband. King Lear becomes angry and disowns his youngest daughter. He gives a third of Cordelia's inheritance to her older sons-in-law and says that he will live with each of his daughters for a month. The Earl of Kent tries to reason with the king, but Lear does not want to listen to anything. He orders him to leave the kingdom within five days, otherwise death awaits the traitor.

The Duke of Burgundy does not want to take the disinherited Cordelia as his wife. The King of France sees in the girl, who was once Lear's beloved daughter and suddenly fell out of favor, a precious treasure of purity and sincerity and happily makes her his queen. Saying goodbye to her sisters, Cordelia asks them to be merciful to their father. Goneril and Regan agree to weaken Lear's power in order to retain his inheritance.

Scene 2

In the hall of the Earl of Gloucester's castle, Edmond, with a letter in his hands, discusses his right to his father's inheritance. The young man plans to commit forgery to frame his brother Edgar.

When his father appears, Edmond hastily hides the letter in his pocket. The Earl of Gloucester begs his son to give him "Edgar's" letter, in which the latter writes about his desire to manage his father's finances without waiting for his death. Edmond promises his father to bring Edgar to clean water, and turns Edgar against his father.

Scene 3

In the palace of the Duke of Albany, Goneril asks her butler Oswald whether it is true that King Lear killed one of her courtiers for cursing him as a jester? Having received an affirmative answer, the king’s eldest daughter calls in sick and gives Oswald orders to treat her father’s servants as coolly as possible.

Scene 4

Kent, in disguise, is hired as a servant to Lear. The royal jester is moping. Oswald treats the king without due respect. The jester who comes to Lear's call calls him a fool for giving his power into the hands of those who do not love him. Goneril asks his father to pacify the riot of his people by dismissing a significant part of his retinue. King Lear is furious at his daughter's words. He curses her with infertility. The Duke of Albany tries in vain to understand the reason for his father-in-law's discontent. Getting ready to set off, King Lear discovers that out of a hundred people in his retinue, he has fifty left. Goneril sends Oswald with a letter to Regan.

Scene 5

Courtyard in the castle of the Duke of Albany. King Lear sends Kent with a letter to his daughter. The jester entertains his master.

Act II

Scene 1

Courtyard of the Earl of Gloucester's castle. The courtier Kuran tells Edmond about the upcoming visit of the Duke of Cornwall with his wife and a possible war between him and the Duke of Albany.

Edmond, who was ordered by his father to arrest Edgar, arranges a mock fight with the latter, supposedly necessary for his escape. He tells Gloucester about his brother’s desire to kill his father and the attempt on his, Edmond’s, life. The Count sends his servants in pursuit of Edgar.

The Duke of Cornwall and Regan sympathize with Gloucester and offer Edmond a place in their retinue. The count promises his side son the transition to the status of legal heir.

Scene 2

In front of Gloucester's castle, Oswald asks Kent where he can park the horses. Kent insults the vile scoundrel and draws his sword against him. Owners and servants come running to hear the noise. Having found out the cause of the quarrel, the Duke of Cornwall orders Kent to be put in stocks until lunch. Regan says that this is not enough and extends the sentence until the morning. Gloucester asks the Duke to write about what happened to the King and give Lear the opportunity to punish his servant himself. The Duke of Cornwall refuses. Gloucester apologizes to Kent. Falling asleep in the stocks, the latter reads Cordelia's letter.

Scene 3

Edgar, hiding in the forest, decides to change his appearance and become a crazy beggar.

Scene 4

King Lear asks Kent, who was chained in stocks, who dared to do this to him? The faithful servant tells of Oswald's treachery, which interrupted Kent's report and caused the Duke of Cornwall and Regan to flee to the count's possessions.

Gloucester conveys to the king the words of the Duke and Regan that they are sick and tired from the road. Lear demands to be accepted. The Duke of Cornwall and his wife come to the king. Regan believes that her father should return to Goneril and ask her for forgiveness.

The Duke of Cornwall admits that Kent was put in stocks on his orders. Regan happily meets Goneril and invites his father to dismiss part of his retinue and live, as he planned, with one or the other daughter. Lear does not want to return to Goneril. Regan refuses to accept her father, citing the fact that she did not have time to prepare the palace for his arrival, and asks to visit her with a retinue of twenty-five people. Arguing about how many personal servants their father should have, the daughters gradually come to the conclusion that - none: King Lear, in their opinion, would have enough servants of Goneril or Regan.

A storm is coming. King Lear and his retinue leave. Goneril and Regan justify their actions to each other.

Act III

Scene 1

Steppe. The courtier tells Kent how King Lear battles the storm alone. Kent explains to him that France has decided to conquer the kingdom, weakened by ducal disputes. The courtier, at Kent's request, goes to Dover to notify Cordelia of the king's unfortunate fate.

Scene 2

At the other end of the steppe, King Lear calls thunder and lightning on his head. The jester invites him to return to his daughters’ dry house. Kent finds King Lear and invites him to wait out the storm in a hut. The jester prophesies that when people become noble, then the end of the world will come.

Scene 3

A room in Gloucester Castle. Gloucester complains to Edmond about the heartlessness of the dukes, talks about the army landing in the country and the mysterious letter he locked in his room. The Earl asks his son to distract the attention of the dukes while he helps King Lear. Edmond immediately decides to hand over his father to his new master in order to clear his path to inheritance.

Scene 4

Kent persuades King Lear to hide from the weather in a hut. Upset by his daughter's ingratitude, the ruler wants to be left alone with the storm, since it helps him not to think about the misfortune that happened to him. The Jester finds Edgar in the hut, pretending to be crazy Tom. King Lear believes that the latter suffered the same misfortune as himself. Edgar reveals that in the past he was a pleasure-living rake. King Lear admires poor Tom for being a real man.

Gloucester appears in the hut. He offers King Lear shelter. The latter refuses to leave the hut without “his philosopher.”

Scene 5

The Duke of Cornwall thanks Edmond for his loyalty and makes him the new Earl of Gloucester.

Scene 6

Gloucester brings King Lear to a farm adjacent to the castle. The maddened ruler arranges a funny trial of his daughters, appointing Edgar as a judge, noise as a sage, and Kent as a juror.

Gloucester tells Kent about the plot against the king. Together they put the sleeping Lear on a stretcher and set off for Dover. Edgar feels better at the sight of the royal grief.

Scene 7

The Duke of Cornwall orders Edmond to accompany Goneril to her husband. He asks the Duke of Albany to start arming himself in order to give a worthy rebuff to the French troops. Oswald reports on the betrayal of Gloucester and the king's flight to Dover.

The servants bring Gloucester to the castle. The Duke of Cornwall orders the “traitor” to be tied up. Regan, in a fit of anger, pulls his beard. Enraged by his subject's disobedience, the Duke of Cornwall tears out his eye.

The first servant comes to Gloucester's defense. The Duke of Cornwall draws his sword. A servant wounds his master. Regan snatches the sword from another servant and kills the first. The Duke of Cornwall deprives Gloucester of his second eye. From Regan, the Count learns about Edmond's betrayal and understands that Edgar has been slandered. The second and third servants take the blinded Gloucester with them.

Act IV

Scene 1

Edgar meets his blinded father in the steppe. Gloucester asks the guide to find clothes for the beggar. He takes the latter as a guide and asks him to lead him to a large cliff hanging over the abyss.

Scene 2

In front of the palace of the Duke of Albany, Goneril is surprised that her husband did not meet her. Oswald reports to the hostess about the strange behavior of the ruler. Goneril orders Edmond to return to the Duke of Cornwall to lead the troops. In return, she offers him her love.

The Duke of Albany reproaches his wife for her unworthy behavior towards her father. Goneril insults her husband. The latter can hardly restrain himself from tearing her into pieces.

A messenger brings news of Cornwall's death. Goneril leaves to compose a letter to her sister. The Duke of Albania promises to reward the unfortunate Gloucester and King Lear.

Scene 3

In the French camp near Dover, Kent asks the courtier what forced the king of France to leave the army (state affairs), who is now in command last (Marshal of France - Mr. Lafar) and what impression the letter received made on the queen (she cried).

Scene 4

Cordelia orders the officer to send soldiers to find her father. The doctor says that only rest and medicinal herbs can restore the patient’s sanity. A messenger reports to Cordelia that British troops are approaching.

Scene 5

Regan asks Oswald to show her her sister's letter to Edmond, to whom she became engaged after her husband's death. Goneril's butler does not give the message, but promises Regan support in eliminating Gloucester.

Scene 6

Edgar allows his father to make an imaginary jump from a cliff and repent of his desire to die. On the plain they meet King Lear, decorated with flower wreaths, carrying nonsense full of deep meaning.

King Lear runs away from a courtier and servants. Oswald wants to kill Gloucester. Edgar comes to his father's defense. Before his death, Oswald asks Edgar to deliver a letter to Edmond, in which Goneril asks the latter to kill her husband.

Scene 7

King Lear sleeps inside a French tent. Cordelia thanks Kent for his help. The awakened King Lear gradually begins to recognize those around him. Kent and the courtier talk about the upcoming battle with the British.

Act V

Scene 1

In the British camp near Dover, Edmond swears to Regan that he never had any plans for Goneril. Edgar, in disguise, gives the Duke of Albany a letter from Goneril to Edmond. Before the battle, Edmond reflects on his plans for the future.

Scene 2

The British are winning. Edmond takes King Lear and Cordelia prisoner. He orders the officer to take them to the fortress and hands him a letter with further instructions regarding the prisoners.

The Duke of Albania wants to decide the fate of the prisoners. Edmond opposes him on the grounds of supposed brotherhood. Regan and Goneril argue over a potential husband. The Duke of Albany accuses Edmond of treason. Regan feels bad.