Tragedies • c. 1605

King Lear: Modern English Translation & Study Guide

Name: King Lear
Author: William Shakespeare

An aging British monarch divides his kingdom among his flattering daughters while banishing the one child who genuinely loves him.

Read King Lear Side by Side

Every scene pairs the public-domain original with a line-matched, original modern-English paraphrase. Choose a scene below to begin reading.

Act 1, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. King Lear's palace.
Act 1, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. The Earl of Gloucester's castle.
Act 1, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. The Duke of Albany's palace.
Act 1, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. A hall in the same.
Act 2, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. GLOUCESTER's castle.
Act 2, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. Before Gloucester's castle.
Act 2, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A wood.
Act 2, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. Before GLOUCESTER's castle. KENT in the stocks.
Act 3, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. A heath.
Act 3, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. Another part of the heath. Storm still.
Act 3, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. Gloucester's castle.
Act 3, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. The heath. Before a hovel.
Act 4, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. The heath.
Act 4, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. Before ALBANY's palace.
Act 4, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. The French camp near Dover.
Act 4, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. The same. A tent.
Act 5, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. The British camp, near Dover.
Act 5, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. A field between the two camps.
Act 5, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. The British camp near Dover.

Extend this play’s ideas through a connected subject lens.

Justice, suffering & human worth — Shake Up Philosophy
Frame Lear’s collapse through questions about authority, suffering, and moral obligation.

Original text source: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, MIT HTML edition. MIT states that its HTML versions of the plays are placed in the public domain.