William Shakespeare

1564 –  1616

”was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist.”

he got married wen he was 18 and he got 3 children

“Between about 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays and collaborated on several more. His 17 comedies include The Merchant of VeniceAbout Nothing. Among his 10 history plays are  and Much Ado Henry V and Richard III. The most famous among his tragediesare Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. Shakespeare also wrote 4 poems, and a famous collection of Sonnets which was first published in 1609.”

king Lear

Lear, the aging king of Britain, decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters. First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves him. Goneril and Regan, Lear’s older daughters, give their father flattering answers. But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest and favorite daughter, remains silent, saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father

Lear got mad and he kicked Cordelia out of his palace . king of France, who has proposed to Cordelia, says that he still wants to marry her even without her land, and she left with him to France without her father’s blessing.

Gloucester (Lear’s best friend )

he has 2 sons Edmund and Edger

Edger is Legitimate and kind

Edmund is Illegitimate and mean

Edmund always tries to turn his father against his brother Edgar

He once wrote a letter and cuts his arm with a sword then he goes to Gloucester , shows him his arm and his arm and the letter and claim that Edgar wrote the letter and Edgar hurt him when he( Edmund opposed him)  , Gloucester become really angry and decided to kill edger!

Edmund pretends to be good he tells Gloucester he will speak with Edger again to stop him , he goes to edger and ells him to hide forever because their father wants to punish him .

Edger disguises

as a crazy man and he calls himself “ poor Tom “ and he stays in a hut.

Gloucester sadly shows the letter to Regan , Regan says” if your son is bad ,this because he sits with Lear for so long.”

Goneril’s palace (after 14 days)

Goneril orders her servants to always quarrel with the 100 knights!

Lear become angry

Goneril says either 50 or none

Lear’s sends servant “kent” to Regan to tell her that your father is coming to stay, but Goneril sends her servant Oswald to Regan to tell her your father is coming  ,don’t welcome him.

Lear’s leaves Goneril’s palace angrily and talks to himself and he curses Goneril “ I wish you had a child who could torment you the way you did to me .”

At Regan’s palace

“ kent” fights with Oswald so Regan puts “ kent’ in prison so Lear gets angry , he asks for Regan and Cornwall but the response was they can’t see you they are tired and they didn’t get down .

Goneril comes to Regan’s , Regan gets down for her sister and she asked what happened .

After she knows what happened she tells Lear that 50 is enough and he have to say sorry to Goneril and ask for her forgives and leave back with her

Lear is angry and he decides to stay at Regan’s

Regan say 25 is enough Lear become really angry and says:

“ it seem that Goneril loves me twice as you do. “

Lear is very angry he leaves Regan’s palace with” kent” talking to himself and curses his two daughters

“ Blow hard , crack your cheeks and hurt my two daughters .”

Lears relizes that giving away the power and wealth has been a mistake and that his tow daughters don’t love him….

Lear now is becoming crazy “kent” takes him to the hut where Edgar is

Lear sees “ poor Tom” and says

“ you must have two daughters who have taken everything from you and left you crazy “

Lear decides to hold a trail for his daughters ( a mock trial- not real):

 2 stools replaced Goneril and Regan   “kent” and “ poor tom” were the judges 

Gloucester talks to Edmund 

Regan and Goneril are bad and cruel . I will look for Lear and bring him back to rule!

Edmund Goes to Regan and Cornwall tells them about his father’s intentions

Regan :

“I will go to your father’s place and punish him for reason.”

Edmund:

“ Do it when im not home , so that I have a reason if people blame me for not defending him.”

Regan , cornwall and some servants are at Gloucester’s place :      

 Gloucester talks to Regan

Why you are so mean to your father ?, why do you treat him so badly ?

Redan : If Lear is suffering , then he did it to himself and he is the one to be blamed.

they Make Gloucester sit on a chair , Cornwall plucks out his eyes, a servant cant stand the scene he attacks Cornwall and hits him severely so Cornwall kills the servant , Cornwall plucks the other eye , Regan tells Gloucester that Edger is his good son not Edmund and that Edmund wrote the letter and also that Edmund knows what they are doing right now , in the end she ordered him to leave his own place.

The words hurt Gloucester much more than being blinded..

 Cornwall dies after being attacked by the servant

Regan becomes a widow

Goneril and Albany

Goneril believes her husband is weak so she decides to kill him , she sends a letter to Edmund with Oswald to kill her husband so that they marry .

“kent” meets Oswald he takes the letter , kills Oswald and he gives the letter to edger

Goneril and Regan

Goneril loves Edmund and wants to marry him but e is afraid that Regan would love him so she decides to kill Regan .

She invites her and gives her poisoned juice Regan collapsed after drinking it and she died

Albany and Goneril

Albany comes to Goneril and he was angry he tells her that her and her sisters are bad for what they are doing to their father he tells her that she is not even worth the breeze that hits her face.

And decides to take Lear’s side in the war

Goneril is afraid now that Albany has become strong so she thought he has the letter that she wrote to Edmund with Oswald , so she took the dagger and killed herself

“kent “ sends a letter to Cordelia telling her about what has happened to her father and asks her to come and save him

King of France with Cordelia and a big army come to Britain . they reached Dover , but for some reason , king of France has to go back to France , the war between the French army and the British starts

Blind Gloucester is now out of his place walking alone in the storm and rainy weather , a stranger comes , takes him by the hand and helps him walk

stranger

Gloucester to the stranger “ who are you?’ I know this voice you are poor tom from the hut                                       ( the stranger said nothing )

Gloucester tells the stranger about all what has happened to him and that he now knows who  his good son is and that he has not been fair to him , he wishes his son Edger was the one helping  him walk.

“Gods are evil when they are bored, they amuse themselves by killing us like flies , I don’t want to give them this chance , so help me kill myself , take me to Dover to the highest cliff.”

Gloucester said

“ poor Tom” agrees he makes his father walk till he gets tired they reach plain area in Dover , but says they reached the cliff , “ poor tom’ +Edger tells Gloucester to jump , he jumps but nothing happens , tom tells Gloucester that gods are not bad and they love him

Gloucester was very exhausted so poor tom puts him under a big tree and tells him that he is Edger , Gloucester becomes really happy but has a heart attack and dies .

ger goes to the battle field .

The battle field

both of the British army and the French army met in Dover

“ kent” takes Lear to dover , Lear meets Cordelia he recognized her immediately , now he is not crazy , she tells her doctors to take care of him

Edmund orders his soldiers to capture Lear and Cordelia , Albany is the leader of the British army , he orders Edmund to sit learn d Cordelia free , Edmund said he will do that later

( but now he orders his soldiers to kill them ) Albany decides to fight him , edger says to Albany ‘ let the same blood fight”

Edger fights Edmund he hits Edmund severely , Edmund tells edger about all what he has done , he askes Edgar to go fast and save Lear and Cordelia from being

Edgar is late ! lear is carrying his dead daughter and crying ‘ why have you gone “ “ why have you eft me alone , we could have lived happily to gather .”

Lear keeps crying till he dies of a heart attack