The History Of King Lear

The History of King Lear: A Tragedy (1749) is a play written by Nahum Tate that is based on William Shakespeare's King Lear. The play tells the story of an aging king who decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on how much they love him. However, his two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, flatter him with false declarations of love, while his youngest daughter, Cordelia, refuses to participate in the game of flattery. As a result, the king banishes Cordelia and divides his kingdom between Goneril and Regan. The play follows the tragic consequences of the king's decision as he loses his power, his sanity, and ultimately his life. Tate's version of King Lear differs from Shakespeare's in that it has a happy ending and Cordelia survives, unlike in the original play where she dies. The play was controversial when it was first performed as it deviated significantly from Shakespeare's version, but it was later embraced by audiences and became a popular adaptation of the classic tragedy.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.