King Lear Shakespeare short. The expulsion of the Earl of Kent, the marriage of the French king to Cordelia, the insidious plan of Regan and Goneril

XI century, Britain. The powerful King Lear, anticipating the end of his age, decides to divide his property between his daughters, whose names are Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. But before the division, the King wants to hear from the girls words of love for His Majesty’s father.

It turned out that Goneril and Regan were very crafty in their love for dad, they acted first. The girls talked about strong family dependence, that they loved their father, just as none of the children loved their parents. The king understood that they were not completely sincere, but he was still touched by it. But when it was the turn of his beloved daughter Cordelia, the king changed. The fact is that the girl was very honest and modest. She could not talk in public about how she felt in all its colors. That is why Cordelia spoke very dryly about her love for her father, but the king did not understand this and, in a rage, gave his kingdom to his two daughters, and Cordelia got nothing.

His friend Kent tries to calm the king down, but to no avail. And one of the contenders for her hand and heart, the Duke of Burgundy, turns away from Cordelia. And the second contender, the King of France, on the contrary, not understanding King Lear and the Duke, invites Cordelia to become Queen of France. The girl accepts the offer and tells her sisters that she knows their essence, but asks them to keep an eye on their father.

The Earl of Gloucester, who served King Lear for a long time, also tried to understand the reason for the king’s decision, but it so happened that the Earl of Gloucester himself was deceived. The fact is that he had two sons, the illegitimate son Edmund and Edgar. Edmund decided to deceive his brother's reputation in the eyes of his father. He forged Edgar's handwriting in a letter that spoke of his own plan to kill his father. And he convinced Edgar that the count was planning something bad against him. The result was that the Earl of Gloucester ordered Edgar to be captured, so the actually innocent son had to flee.

Meanwhile, by agreement, King Lear has the right to live for a month with his daughters, who received parts of the kingdom. The first adoptive daughter was Goneril. But life with her was torment for the king. Goneril, at every opportunity, showed her father her superiority over him, she demonstrated that she was the mistress. She also did not hide her indignation when King Lear tried to do something his own way, and supported the servants who could shout at their father and the jester who ridiculed him. But the father’s humiliation did not end there. Goneril began to tell her father in an orderly tone to dismiss his numerous retinue. Even her husband, who tried to protect the king, did not stop the woman. Kent came to the aid of Lear, who disguised himself and hired himself into the service of the king.

Lear hopes for his second daughter, Regan. He writes a letter to her and sends it with Kent, but at the same time a messenger from Goneril is traveling to Regan. King Lear, shouting that he will take everything he has lost, goes to Regan. In the meantime, he is on the way to Regan, who, no less vile than Goneril, orders to seize Kent and put him in stocks. And her husband, just like her sister, could not calm her down. Regan does this to humiliate his father and show that he is powerless.

When Lear arrived, he, not knowing about the meanness of his second daughter, tries to find solace from her. But he sees his servant in the stocks, the king is furious. Then he understands what his daughters really are, and Goneril’s jester said correctly in this situation: a rich father is always nicer and has a different account. Both daughters begin to put pressure on their father, deciding how much retinue Lear needs. And in the end, despite the storm and wind, the women push their father out of the gate.

Meanwhile, on the steppe, where a storm is raging, Kent meets with the king's courtier, from whom he learns that war is approaching. Kent asks to inform Cordelia about the king and his misfortune. He hides the king in the hut where Edgar is hiding. Gloucester, not abandoning his king in trouble, decides to hide him and tells Edmund about it. And the latter decided to take advantage of this, thereby getting rid of his father.

Gloucester takes Lear and everyone who was with him to the refuge. While Gloucester has gone to the castle, Lear says that he wants to open Regan's chest and see if she has a heart of stone. They put him to bed with difficulty, after which Gloucester offers to go to Dover to protect the King, because he heard about a conspiracy against the King.

Duke of Cornwall, Regan's husband learns of the landing French troops. He sends her and Edmund with this news to the Duke of Albany, Goneril's husband. And Gloucester is captured, tied up and mocked, because it became known from Goneril’s messenger that the earl had sent the king to Dover, contrary to orders. And when Gloucester says to Regan that she is like a predator, her husband plucks out his eye, for which Gloucester’s servant stabs the Duke with a sword and is wounded in return. The Duke of Cornwall dies, but before his death he tears out his second eye. Blind and helpless Gloucester was pushed out into the street, but not before he learned that Edmund was a traitor and Edgar was in fact innocent.

Gloucester, not knowing what to do, says that he was blind even then, because he believed Edmund. When he spoke these words, Edgar came to him, who became Gloucester’s guide. The Count asks his son to take him to a cliff to throw himself off it. Edgar agrees, but leads him simply to an ordinary plane, and when Gloucester falls and hits the ground, Edgar is able to convince him that he fell from a cliff and survived.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Albany is trying to get his wife to come to her senses and stop doing evil. He condemns her and her sister for committing crimes against their father. But Goneril has nothing to do with it. She says goodbye to Edmund, who has returned with her, and then they swear their love to each other. The messenger informs the Duke about the death of the Duke of Carnival, and then Goneril's husband began to condemn his wife again. He wants to thank Gloucester for such devotion to the king.

Goneril is more concerned that Edmund might move on to her widowed sister.

Meanwhile, Gloucester is attacked by Goneril's messenger Oswald, Edgar fights with him and kills him. In Oswald's pocket he finds a note that is proof of Goneril's betrayal with Edmund. Also in it, Goneril invites Edmund to kill her husband and take his place.

Meanwhile, Lear has gone mad, his speech is not connected. Doctors save him, putting him to sleep, and meanwhile his third daughter Cordelia comes to him, who prays for her dad’s salvation. After awakening, Lear asks his daughter for forgiveness, kneeling.

Goneril, seeing Edmund next to his sister, decides to poison her. And Edgar, in disguise, shows the Duke of Albany a letter found on Oswald. They agree that if they win, Albansky will have to call Edgar to take revenge.

And it turned out that the French won. Edmund captured Lear and Cordelia and gave secret orders to kill them. The Duke of Albany orders Edmund to give him the prisoners, which he refuses. Then the Duke accuses the vile sisters and Edmund of treason and declares that he knows about his wife’s betrayal. Edgar appears and fights his brother without showing his face or giving out his name. He kills Edmund, who before his death repented and asked to hurry to save King Lear and Cordelia. Meanwhile, Goneril stabbed herself and poisoned her sister before her death. Unfortunately, Edmund's confession could not save Lear and Cordelia, who were inseparable.

Great literary works, like their authors, will never become outdated, and will remain loved for many, many years to come. One such author is William Shakespeare. "King Lear", a summary of which is given below, is one of the most famous tragedies written by him back in 1606.

So, the action takes place in Britain in the 15th century. Basic characters: King Lear of Britain; the king's daughters - Goneril, Regan and Cordelia; Earl of Gloucester; Earl of Kent; Edgar is the natural son of the Earl of Gloucester; Edmond - illegitimate son Earl of Gloucester; Dukes of Burgundy, Albany and Cornwall; Next we will describe a brief summary of “King Lear”.

The old king feels that he does not have long to live, so he decides to divide his kingdom between his three beloved daughters. He calls them to him and asks them to tell him how much they love him. Goneril and Regan are scattered in sweet but deceitful speeches, and the younger, simple-minded Cordelia honestly answers that she loves her father as her duty as a daughter tells her. King Lear, a summary of the tragedy about which we are retelling to you, is not satisfied with this answer. So he disinherits Cordelia and gives her share to Goneril and Regan.

The king's friend, the noble Earl of Kent, is outraged by this behavior of the ruler, which is why he is expelled. The Duke of Burgundy, who claimed Cordelia's hand, refuses to marry her, since she is now without a dowry. However, the king of France takes her as his wife. Cordelia, leaving her home, asks her sisters to take care of their father.

The Earl of Gloucester is also puzzled by the current situation. He is so upset and amazed that King Lear (the summary does not allow revealing all the details) did this to his own daughter and close friend that he does not suspect that Edmond, his illegitimate son, is weaving an intrigue around him. He wants to take possession of part of the inheritance of Edgar, his legitimate son, so he “frames” him. Edgar had to flee.

Meanwhile, King Lear (a brief summary will not convey the full atmosphere of this tragedy) is visiting eldest daughter Goneril, who married the Duke of Albany. She treats her father disrespectfully. She even ignores her husband's reproaches. Lear then goes to visit Regan, who has become the wife of the Duke of Cornwall. The king hopes that his middle daughter is more friendly, but soon realizes that she is even worse than Goneril. The Earl of Kent is always next to Lear: he is devoted to the king, so he dressed himself beyond recognition and hired himself into his service.

Further, in the tragedy "King Lear", a brief summary of which does not allow a detailed description of all the events, it is narrated that the king, realizing that he had betrayed Cordelia, the daughter who truly loved him, the Duke of Cornwall before his death at the Earl of Gloucester, who, in in turn, understands that his son Edgar is not to blame for anything. It turns out that Edmond is a real traitor, and also the lover of Goneril and Regan. Goneril, having learned that Edmond has decided to stay with the widowed Regan, poisons her sister and then stabs herself. Cordelia, having learned that a misfortune has happened to her father, rushes to his aid. Both she and the king are captured. The tragedy ends with Cordelia being hanged, Edgar killing Edmond, and Lear dying of grief.

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 big 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 close to the king in difficult moment. 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 to Regan eternal love. 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.

William Shakespeare

"King Lear"

The location is Britain. Time period: 11th century. The powerful King Lear, sensing the approach of old age, decides to shift the burden of power onto the shoulders of his three daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, dividing his kingdom between them. The king wants to hear from his daughters how much they love him, “so that during the division we can show our generosity.”

Goneril speaks first. Scattering flattery, she says that she loves her father, “as children / Until now have never loved their fathers.” She is echoed by the sweet-tongued Regan: “I don’t know other joys other than / My great love for you, sir!” And although the falseness of these words hurts the ear, Lear listens to them favorably. It’s the turn of the youngest, beloved Cordelia. She is modest and truthful and does not know how to publicly swear her feelings. “I love you as duty dictates, / No more and no less.” Lear can’t believe his ears: “Cordelia, come to your senses and correct the answer so that you don’t regret it later.” But Cordelia cannot express her feelings better: “You gave me life, good sir, / Raised and loved. In gratitude / I pay you the same.” Lear is furious: “So young and so callous in soul?” “So young, my lord, and straightforward,” Cordelia replies.

In a blind rage, the king gives the entire kingdom to Cordelia's sisters, leaving her only her integrity as a dowry. He provides himself with a hundred guards and the right to live with each of his daughters for a month.

The Earl of Kent, a friend and close associate of the king, warns him against such a hasty decision and begs him to cancel it: “Cordelia’s love is no less than theirs.”<…>Only that which is empty from within thunders...” But Lear had already bitten the bit. Kent contradicts the king, calls him an eccentric old man - which means he must leave the kingdom. Kent answers with dignity and regret: “Since there is no rein on your pride at home, / Then exile is here, but freedom is in a foreign land.”

One of the contenders for Cordelia's hand - the Duke of Burgundy - refuses her, who has become a dowry. The second contender, the King of France, is shocked by the behavior of Lear, and even more so by the Duke of Burgundy. Cordelia’s whole fault “is the timid chastity of feelings that are ashamed of publicity.” “A dream and a precious treasure, / Be a beautiful queen of France...” he says to Cordelia. They are removed. In parting, Cordelia turns to her sisters: “I know your properties, / But, sparing you, I will not name you. / Look after your father, Him with anxiety / I entrust to your ostentatious love.”

The Earl of Gloucester, who served Lear for many years, is upset and puzzled that Lear “suddenly, on the spur of the moment” made such a responsible decision. He does not even suspect that Edmund, his illegitimate son, is weaving an intrigue around him. Edmund planned to denigrate his brother Edgar in the eyes of his father in order to take over his part of the inheritance. He, having forged Edgar's handwriting, writes a letter in which Edgar allegedly plots to kill his father, and arranges everything so that his father reads this letter. Edgar, in turn, he assures that his father is plotting something evil against him; Edgar assumes that someone has slandered him. Edmund easily wounds himself, and presents the matter as if he was trying to detain Edgar, who had attempted to kill his father. Edmund is pleased - he deftly entwined the two honest people slander: “The father believed, and the brother believed. / He is so honest that he is above suspicion. / It’s easy to play with their simplicity.” His machinations were a success: the Earl of Gloucester, believing in Edgar’s guilt, ordered to find him and capture him. Edgar is forced to flee.

For the first month Lear lives with Goneril. She is just looking for a reason to show her father who is boss now. Having learned that Lear killed her jester, Goneril decides to “restrain” her father. “He himself gave up power, but wants to rule / Still! No, old people are like children, / And a lesson in rigor is required.”

Lyra, encouraged by her mistress, is openly rude to Goneril's servants. When the king wants to talk to his daughter about this, she avoids meeting with her father. The jester bitterly ridicules the king: “You cut off your mind on both sides / And left nothing in the middle.”

Goneril arrives, her speech is rude and impudent. She demands that Lear dismiss half of his retinue, leaving a small number of people who will not “be forgotten and riotous.” Lear is smitten. He thinks that his anger will affect his daughter: “Insatiable kite, / You lie! My Bodyguards / Tried People high quality…” The Duke of Albany, Goneril’s husband, tries to intercede for Lear, not finding in his behavior what could have caused such a humiliating decision. But neither the father’s anger nor the husband’s intercession touches the hard-hearted woman. The disguised Kent did not leave Lear, he came to hire himself into his service. He considers it his duty to be close to the king, who is obviously in trouble. Lear sends Kent with a letter to Regan. But at the same time Goneril sends her messenger to her sister.

Lear still hopes - he has a second daughter. He will find understanding with her, because he gave them everything - “both life and the state.” He orders the horses to be saddled and angrily says to Goneril: “I’ll tell her about you. She / With her nails, she-wolf, will scratch / your face! Don’t think, I will return / To myself all the power / Which I lost, / As you imagined...”

In front of Gloucester Castle, where Regan and her husband arrived to resolve disputes with the king, two messengers collided: Kent - King Lear, and Oswald - Goneril. In Oswald, Kent recognizes Goneril's courtier, whom he punished for disrespect to Lyra. Oswald screams. Regan and her husband, the Duke of Cornwall, come out to hear the noise. They order Kent to be put in stocks. Kent is angry at Lear’s humiliation: “Even if I were / Your father’s Dog, and not an ambassador, / You wouldn’t need to treat me like that.” The Earl of Gloucester unsuccessfully tries to intercede on Kent's behalf.

But Regan needs to humiliate his father so that he knows who has the power now. She is cut from the same cloth as her sister. Kent understands this well; he foresees what awaits Lear at Regan’s: “You were caught in the rain and under the drops...”

Lear finds his ambassador in the stocks. Who dared! It's worse than murder. “Your son-in-law and your daughter,” Kent says. Lear does not want to believe, but understands that it is true. “This attack of pain will suffocate me! / My melancholy, don’t torment me, go away! / Don’t approach your heart with such force!” The jester comments on the situation: “A father in rags on his children / Brings blindness. / A rich father is always nicer and has a different attitude.”

Lear wants to talk to his daughter. But she is tired from the road and cannot accept him. Lear screams, is indignant, rages, wants to break down the door...

Finally Regan and the Duke of Cornwall come out. The king tries to tell how Goneril kicked him out, but Regan, not listening, invites him to return to his sister and ask her for forgiveness. Before Lear had time to recover from his new humiliation, Goneril appeared. The sisters vied with each other to defeat their father with their cruelty. One proposes to reduce the retinue by half, the other - to twenty-five people, and, finally, both decide: not a single one is needed.

Lear is crushed: “Do not refer to what is needed. The poor and those / In need have something in abundance. / Reduce all life to necessity, / And man will become equal to an animal...”

His words seem capable of squeezing tears from a stone, but not from the king’s daughters... And he begins to realize how unfair he was to Cordelia.

A storm is coming. The wind howls. Daughters abandon their father to the elements. They close the gate, leaving Lear on the street, “...he has science for the future.” Lear no longer hears these words of Regan.

Steppe. A storm is raging. Streams of water fall from the sky. Kent, in the steppe in search of the king, encounters a courtier from his retinue. He confides in him and tells him that there is “no peace” between the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany, that in France it is known about the cruel treatment “of our good old king.” Kent asks the courtier to hurry to Cordelia and tell her “about the king, / About his terrible fatal misfortune,” and as proof that the messenger can be trusted, he, Kent, gives his ring, which Cordelia recognizes.

Lear walks with the jester, beating the wind. Lear, unable to cope with mental anguish, turns to the elements: “Howl, whirlwind, with might and main! Burn lightning! Let down the rain! / Whirlwind, thunder and downpour, you are not my daughters, / I do not blame you for heartlessness. / I didn’t give you kingdoms, I didn’t call you children, I didn’t oblige you with anything. So let it be done / All your evil will is done to me.” In his declining years, he lost his illusions; their collapse burns his heart.

Kent comes out to meet Lear. He persuades Lear to take refuge in the hut, where poor Tom Edgar is already hiding, pretending to be crazy. Tom engages Lear in conversation. The Earl of Gloucester cannot abandon his old master in trouble. The sisters' cruelty disgusts him. He received news that there was a foreign army in the country. Until help arrives, Lear must be covered. He tells Edmund about his plans. And he decides to once again take advantage of Gloucester’s gullibility to get rid of him too. He will report him to the Duke. “The old man is missing, I’ll move forward. / He’s lived and that’s enough, it’s my turn.” Gloucester, unaware of Edmund's betrayal, searches for Lear. He comes across a hut where the persecuted have taken refuge. He calls Lear to a refuge where there is “fire and food.” Lear does not want to part with the beggar philosopher Tom. Tom follows him to the castle farm where their father is hiding. Gloucester goes to the castle for a while. Lear, in a fit of madness, arranges a trial of his daughters, inviting Kent, the jester and Edgar to be witnesses and jurors. He demands that Regan's chest be opened to see if there is a heart of stone... Finally, Lyra manages to be put to rest. Gloucester returns, he asks the travelers to quickly go to Dover, since he “overheard a plot against the king.”

The Duke of Cornwall learns of the landing of French troops. He sends Goneril and Edmund with this news to the Duke of Albany. Oswald, who spied on Gloucester, reports that he helped the king and his followers escape to Dover. The Duke orders the capture of Gloucester. He is captured, tied up, and mocked. Regan asks the earl why he sent the king to Dover, contrary to orders. “Then, so as not to see / How you tear out the old man’s eyes / With the claws of a predator, like a boar’s tusk / Your fierce sister will plunge / into the body of the anointed one.” But he is sure that he will see “how thunder will incinerate such children.” At these words, the Duke of Cornwall tears out an eye from the helpless old man. The earl's servant, unable to bear the sight of the old man being mocked, draws his sword and mortally wounds the Duke of Cornwall, but is also wounded himself. The servant wants to console Gloucester a little and encourages him to look with his remaining eye at how he is avenged. The Duke of Cornwall, before his death, in a fit of anger, tears out his second eye. Gloucester calls on Edmund's son for revenge and learns that it was he who betrayed his father. He understands that Edgar has been slandered. Blinded and grief-stricken, Gloucester is pushed out into the street. Regan sees him off with the words: “Drive him to the neck! / Let him find his way to Dover with his nose.”

Gloucester is escorted by an old servant. The Count asks to leave him so as not to incur anger. When asked how he will find his way, Gloucester bitterly replies: “I have no way, / And I don’t need eyes. I stumbled / when I was sighted.<…>My poor Edgar, unfortunate target / of blind anger / of a deceived father...” Edgar hears this. He volunteers to become a guide to a blind man. Gloucester asks to be taken to a cliff “large, hanging steeply over the abyss” to commit suicide.

Goneril returns to the palace of the Duke of Albany with Edmund; she is surprised that the “peacemaker-husband” did not meet her. Oswald talks about the Duke’s strange reaction to his story about the landing of troops and Gloucester’s betrayal: “What is unpleasant makes him laugh, / What should please him makes him sad.” Goneril, calling her husband “a coward and a nonentity,” sends Edmund back to Cornwall to lead the troops. Saying goodbye, they swear their love to each other.

The Duke of Albany, having learned how inhumanely the sisters acted with their royal father, meets Goneril with contempt: “You are not worth the dust / Which the wind showered you in vain... Everything knows its root, and if not, / It dies like a dry branch without juice " But the one who hides “the face of an animal under a woman’s guise” is deaf to her husband’s words: “Enough! Pathetic nonsense! The Duke of Albany continues to appeal to her conscience: “What have you done, what have you done, / Not daughters, but real tigresses. / An aged father, whose feet / A bear would reverently lick, / Driven to madness! / Satan’s ugliness / Nothing compared to an evil woman’s ugliness...” He is interrupted by a messenger who reports the death of Cornwall at the hands of a servant who came to the defense of Gloucester. The Duke is shocked by the new atrocities of the sisters and Cornwall. He vows to repay Gloucester for his loyalty to Lear. Goneril is concerned: her sister is a widow, and Edmund stayed with her. This threatens her own plans.

Edgar leads his father. The Count, thinking that there is a cliff edge in front of him, throws himself and falls in the same place. Comes to his senses. Edgar convinces him that he jumped off the cliff and miraculously survived. Gloucester henceforth submits to fate until she herself says: “Go away.” Oswald appears and is tasked with taking out old man Gloucester. Edgar fights him, kills him, and in the pocket of the “flatterer, servile evil mistress” he finds a letter from Goneril to Edmund, in which she offers to kill her husband in order to take his place herself.

In the forest they meet Lear, intricately decorated with wildflowers. His mind left him. His speech is a mixture of “nonsense and sense.” A courtier appears calling for Lear, but Lear runs away.

Cordelia, having learned about her father's misfortunes and the hard-heartedness of her sisters, rushes to his aid. French camp. Lear in bed. The doctors put him into a life-saving sleep. Cordelia prays to the gods for the “father who fell into infancy” to return his mind. In the dream, Lyr is dressed again in royal robes. And then he wakes up. Sees Cordelia crying. He kneels in front of her and says: “Don’t be strict with me. / I'm sorry. / Forget. I'm old and reckless."

Edmund and Regan are at the head of the British army. Regan asks Edmund if he is having an affair with his sister. He pledges his love to Regan. The Duke of Albany and Goneril enter with the beating of drums. Goneril, seeing his rival sister next to Edmund, decides to poison her. The Duke proposes to convene a council in order to draw up a plan of attack. Edgar, in disguise, finds him and gives him a letter from Goneril that was found on Oswald. And he asks him: in case of victory, “let the herald<…>He will call me to you with a trumpet.” The Duke reads the letter and learns about the betrayal.

The French are defeated. Edmund, who came forward with his army, takes King Lear and Cordelia prisoner. Lear is happy that he has found Cordelia again. From now on they are inseparable. Edmund orders them to be taken to prison. Lear is not afraid of imprisonment: “In a stone prison we will survive / All the false teachings, all the greats of the world, / All their changes, their ebb and flow<…>We will sing like birds in a cage. You will stand under my blessing, / I will kneel before you, asking for forgiveness.”

Edmund gives a secret order to kill them both.

The Duke of Albany enters with an army, he demands that the king and Cordelia be handed over to him in order to decide their fate “in accordance with honor and prudence.” Edmund tells the Duke that Lear and Cordelia have been captured and sent to prison, but refuses to hand them over. The Duke of Albany, interrupting the sisters' obscene squabble over Edmund, accuses all three of treason. He shows Goneril her letter to Edmund and announces that if no one comes to the call of the trumpet, he himself will fight Edmund. At the third call of the trumpet, Edgar comes out to duel. The Duke asks him to reveal his name, but he says that for now it is “contaminated with slander.” Brothers fight. Edgar mortally wounds Edmund and reveals to him who the avenger is. Edmund understands: “The wheel of fate has completed / Its turn. I am here and defeated.” Edgar tells the Duke of Albany that he shared his wanderings with his father. But before this fight he opened up to him and asked for his blessing. During his story, a courtier comes and reports that Goneril stabbed herself, having previously poisoned her sister. Edmund, dying, announces his secret order and asks everyone to hurry up. But it’s too late, the crime has been committed. Lear enters carrying the dead Cordelia. He endured so much grief, but he cannot come to terms with the loss of Cordelia. “My poor girl was strangled! / No, he’s not breathing! / A horse, a dog, a rat can live, / But not you. You are gone forever...” Lear dies. Edgar tries to call the king. Kent stops him: “Don’t torture me. Leave his spirit alone. / Let him go. / Who do you have to be to yank him again / onto the rack of life for torment?”

“No matter how much melancholy the soul is struck by, / Times forces us to be persistent” - the final chord is the words of the Duke of Albany.

The British King Lear, in his old age, decides to place the burden of the throne on his daughters: Regan, Cordelia and Goneril. In return, their father wants to hear how much they love him.

Goneril is the first to say the word, showering her father with flattery, and behind her, Regan, it seems, repeats her sister’s words. But Lear was really looking forward to the words of the third, youngest Cordelia: “I love you as duty dictates,” she said, which greatly shocked his father. For such straightforwardness of the youngest, the father gives the kingdom only to her older sisters, taking for himself a hundred guards and the right to visit each of the daughters for one month. The king's friend Earl of Kent asked him to change his mind about the younger one, but Lear did not want to change his decision. The King of France is flattered by Cordelia's words and proposes to her to be queen. They leave together.

Lear chooses Goneril's first home. In the house, the servants who were ordered by the mistress are openly rude to him; the daughter does not want to talk to him, avoiding the meeting. Thus, the daughter wants to show her father who is in charge now. Goneril's husband, the Duke of Albany, comes to Lear's defense, but this did not stop his daughter, and the father leaves for the second - Regan, to whom he had already sent a messenger from Kent.

At Gloucester Castle, Kent meets Goneril's messenger, Oswald, who recognizes Kent and meets Regan and the Duke of Cornwall, who order the messenger Lear to be put in shackles. When Lear comes to his second daughter, he receives the same attitude as from the first. Regan, too, along with Goneril, who has arrived, are trying to show their father who is in charge now. Now he understands that he senselessly offended his youngest daughter then, and leaves his daughters.

Kent sends an envoy to France to the king's youngest daughter, and he himself goes in search of him. The Earl of Gloucester respects the old king and also goes to look for him. Kent finds a hut where Lear and the beggar philosopher Tom were sitting, where Gloucester soon comes. Gloucester takes everyone to his farm, and he himself goes into the castle. Everyone settled down to rest, when Gloucester returns with information about a conspiracy against the king, and insists that they immediately set off on the road to Dover. A spy who was nearby the king told everything to the Duke of Cornwall, who orders Gloucester to be captured and the king to be spied on further. Gloucester is cruelly mocked, he is deprived of one eye, but the old man is saved by Edgar.

When the Duke of Albany finds out how his daughters behaved with their father, he is filled with contempt for his wife when she returned from her sister. Goneril learns that Gloucester is alive. Realizing that she needs to kill her husband, she sends the messenger Oswald to find and kill old man Gloucester, and convey a secret message to Edmund that he must kill the Duke. The messenger finds the old man, fights Edgar and dies.

At this time, Cordelia finds out about everything that is happening to her father and immediately goes to his aid. Edmund and his army capture Cordelia and Lear in the French camp, and secretly give the order to kill them. Then the Duke of Albany appears with an army. He demands that the captive king and his daughter be given to him, but Edmund refuses. Based on the letter that Goneril wrote, which Edgar intercepted and gave to the Duke, Albansky accuses the sisters and Edmund of conspiracy and high treason. The sisters commit suicide, but then the king appears with the dead Cordelia in his arms. He endured so much humiliation and grief, but the death of his daughter broke him.

Essays

The tragic humanism of Shakespeare's King Lear Lear - characteristics of a literary hero Lear The plot of Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear"

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 has supplemented the famous legend with one more storyline- relationships in the family of the Earl of Gloucester, whose illegitimate heir 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 in no way giving away proper 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.