directory
home contact

Examination Questions on King Lear

Question: How do the original stories differ in conclusion from Shakespeare's play?

Answer: The story of King Lear, as given by Holinshed, is as follows:
Lear governed his kingdom in great wealth and power. His wife had died, leaving him three daughters, but no son. When he became old and unwieldy, he called his children to him, to divide his kingdom according to the measure of their love. Having asked Gonorilla how much she loved him, she called her gods to witness that she loved him more than all things. When he questioned Regan, she too swore great oaths that she loved him more than her life.

Well pleased with these answers, Leir married one to Henninus, Duke of Cornewale, and the other to Maglanus, Duke of Albania. When he had asked Cordelia how much she loved him, she replied that as a child should love a father, and as he deserved, so much she loved him. Leir disinherited Cordelia; but Aganippus, one of the twelve kings of France, had heard of her beauty and goodness, and he now sends a proposition for her hand, notwithstanding Leir's refusal to give her a dowry. Leir divided his kingdom between the Dukes of Cornewale and Albania, one-half to become theirs then, the remainder at his death. But they, becoming tired of doing without their inheritance, soon reduced Leir to such dire distress that he fled to Gaul, stung by the unkindness of his daughters more than by the wicked treatment of his sons-in-law.

Cordelia, hearing of his coming, sent him money and servants, so that he might come to the French court as became a king. She and Aganippus received him cordially, raised an army, and passed over to Britain in a great navy. A battle is fought in which the Dukes of Cornewale and Albania are slain. Leir is replaced on his throne and rules for two years. At his death Cordelia ascends the throne, and reigns for five years, when her sisters' sons rise and drive her from the throne. She is captured and imprisoned. Being a woman of manly courage, she commits suicide.

The story of Gloucester follows the episode in Sidney's Arcadia until we come to the part where Edgar deceives his father about the cliff. In the original, Leonatus refuses to lead his father to the cliff at all, and, unlike Shakespeare's version, the unfortunate father is restored to happiness and power. The wicked son is overthrown, and the blind king again takes possession of his throne.


Back to the King Lear Examination Questions main page.


How to cite this article:
Williams, Maggie. Shakespeare Examinations. Ed. William Taylor Thom, M. A. Boston: Ginn and Co., 1888. Shakespeare Online. 10 Aug. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/kinglear/examq/msix.html >.
______________

Related Articles

 The Four Periods of Shakespeare's Life as a Writer
 Dating King Lear
 King Lear Overview
 King Lear: Analysis by Act and Scene
 Blank Verse in King Lear

 King Lear Lecture Notes and Study Topics
 Difficult Passages in King Lear
 King Lear Summary

 King Lear Character Introduction
 King Lear Study Questions
 Sources for King Lear

 Representations of Nature in Shakespeare's King Lear
 King Lear: Questions and Answers
 Famous Quotations from King Lear

 Pronouncing Shakespearean Names
 Shakespeare's Language
 Shakespeare's Metaphors and Similes

 Shakespeare's Reputation in Elizabethan England
 Shakespeare's Impact on Other Writers
 Why Study Shakespeare?

 What is Tragic Irony?
 Characteristics of Elizabethan Drama
 Shakespeare Quotations (by Theme and Play)

 Why Shakespeare is so Important
 Shakespeare's Language
 Shakespeare's Influence on Other Writers