• ISBN13: 9788124800553
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject: English Literature
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint: Peacock Books
• Publication Date: July 13, 2023
• Pages: 142
• Original Price: INR 175.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 190 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): N/A

“The art of our necessities is strange that can make vile things precious.”

William Shakespeare's King Lear is an intense exploration of human suffering, frailty and the complexities of authority. At the heart of the play is the tragic journey of King Lear, who, in a moment of misjudgement, divides his kingdom and sets in motion a series of betrayals that lead to his emotional and physical destruction. Through its raw portrayal of power, loyalty and madness, Shakespeare crafts a narrative that probes the very nature of family, justice and human fallibility. First performed in 1608, King Lear is a timeless masterpiece that continues to provoke reflection on the deepest aspects of life, making it one of the most powerful tragedies in literary history.

“Lear's greatest strength–its beating heart–is its resonant human tragedy: a once-formidable man losing his sense of identity and purpose, and then his mind; of fathers estranged from their children; of fatal misjudgements, misunderstandings and missed connections.”

—The Medium

“Shakespeare never lacks for juicy insults, and King Lear is especially thick with verbal abuse.”

—The New York Times

William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” (or simply “The Bard”). His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. Next he wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest examples in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime, and in 1623 two of his former theatrical colleagues published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognised as Shakespeare’s.