The plot in six lines
King Lear divides his kingdom according to his daughters' declarations of love, rewarding Goneril and Regan while rejecting Cordelia's honesty.
Lear banishes the Earl of Kent for defending Cordelia, who marries the King of France, while Kent returns in disguise to serve Lear.
Edmund deceives the Earl of Gloucester with a forged letter against Edgar, forcing his brother to flee and disguise himself as Poor Tom.
Goneril and Regan strip Lear of his remaining authority and challenge his need for knights, driving him into the rising storm.
On the heath, Lear begins to recognise the suffering of the poor, while Edmund betrays Gloucester, who later meets Edgar without recognising him.
Cordelia returns with a French army and reunites with Lear, but defeat leads to her hanging and his death from grief, while Goneril, Regan and Edmund also die, leaving Albany and Edgar to rule.
Themes
Appearance and reality: Lear and Gloucester trust deceptive children, while the honesty of those they reject becomes clearer through suffering.
Power and identity: Lear gives away his kingdom but expects royal honours, then confronts what remains of a person without rank.
Truth and flattery: Cordelia and Kent suffer for plain speaking, while Goneril, Regan and Edmund gain power through deceptive words.
Suffering and compassion: Exposure to the storm makes Lear recognise the hardships of poor people whom he scarcely considered as king.
Family and loyalty: The two family stories contrast children's betrayal with loyalty that survives rejection, disguise and the loss of power.
Characters
- King LearThe aging king of Britain, proud and quick to anger, who gives up his crown and wants to be loved without question.
- CordeliaLear's youngest daughter, honest and loyal, who refuses to flatter her father even when it costs her a kingdom.
- GonerilLear's eldest daughter, married to the Duke of Albany, who flatters him for land and soon grows hard and impatient with him.
- ReganLear's second daughter, married to the Duke of Cornwall, who echoes her sister's flattery and is as ready to turn against her father.
- Earl of KentLear's loyal nobleman, banished for speaking plainly, who returns in disguise to serve his king.
- FoolLear's jester, who tells the king hard truths in riddles and songs and stays with him as his world falls apart.
For the A level English Literature exams, summer 2027
- The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027.
- AQA (Literature B): Paper 1 (7717/1), Aspects of tragedy (Shakespeare), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 30 minutes.
- Pearson Edexcel: Paper 1 (9ET0/01), Drama (Shakespeare), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 15 minutes.
- OCR: Paper 1 (H472/01), Section 1 (Shakespeare), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 30 minutes.
- WJEC Eduqas: Component 2, Section A (Shakespeare), Thursday 20 May 2027, morning, 2 hours.
A two-week plan
- Day oneRead the 15-minute summary of King Lear from start to finish, then tell the story back to yourself in five sentences.
- Days two to threeA king trades his crown for flattery: Notice how Lear treats declarations of love as evidence, rather than questioning what his daughters mean.
- Day fourTruth-tellers are punished, flatterers rewarded: Watch how plain speech brings punishment, while disguise allows Kent to continue his loyal service.
- Day fiveA second family breaks in parallel: Follow the parallels between the fathers' mistaken judgements and the children forced into exile.
- Day sixLear learns what his daughters really are: Mark how the argument over knights exposes the difference between possessing power and expecting respect.
- Day sevenThe storm on the heath strips everyone bare: Notice how the storm shifts Lear's attention from his own injuries to the suffering of others.
- Day eightWhat the play is about and how it is told: Trace the language of sight and blindness alongside the contrasting voices of Lear, the Fool and Edgar.
- Day nineThe cast: King Lear, Cordelia, Goneril, Regan and Earl of Kent. Write one line on what each of them wants.
- Day tenThemes: Appearance and reality; Power and identity; Truth and flattery; Suffering and compassion; Family and loyalty. Pick one moment in the story for each.
- Day elevenForm: study how the play is built: its scenes, its speeches and its turning points.
- Day twelvePractice: plan and write an essay on one theme, then read your argument back and test it against the story.
- Day thirteenPractice: try a second question with a different focus, such as a character or the form.
- Day fourteenRecap: reread your notes and the summary, say the plot out loud once, then rest.
From the boards' published specifications and final summer 2027 timetables, read on 23 October 2026. Ask your school which board and papers you sit.
Questions
What is King Lear about?
King Lear is about an aging king whose demand for declarations of love leads him to mistake flattery for loyalty. The parallel story of Gloucester and his sons explores the same failure to recognise truth within a family.
Who are the main characters in King Lear?
The main characters are King Lear and his daughters Cordelia, Goneril and Regan, whose contrasting responses to him set the tragedy moving. The Earl of Gloucester and his sons Edgar and Edmund form the parallel family story. The Earl of Kent and the Fool serve Lear while exposing the mistakes he struggles to recognise.
What are the main themes of King Lear?
The main themes are power, family loyalty, truth and flattery, mistaken judgement, and the relationship between suffering and understanding. Both fathers learn through loss, while Lear's exposure to poverty challenges his earlier sense of what makes a person valuable.
Is King Lear a set text for A level English Literature?
Yes. AQA (Literature B) lists it in Paper 1 (7717/1), Aspects of tragedy (Shakespeare). Pearson Edexcel lists it in Paper 1 (9ET0/01), Drama (Shakespeare). OCR lists it in Paper 1 (H472/01), Section 1 (Shakespeare). WJEC Eduqas lists it in Component 2, Section A (Shakespeare).
When are the A level English Literature exams in 2027?
The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027. AQA (Literature B): Paper 1 (7717/1), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning. Pearson Edexcel: Paper 1 (9ET0/01), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning. OCR: Paper 1 (H472/01), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning. WJEC Eduqas: Component 2, Thursday 20 May 2027, morning.