King Lear is widely regarded as Shakespeare's crowning artistic achievement. The scenes in which a mad Lear rages naked on a stormy heath against his deceitful daughters and nature itself are considered by many scholars to be the finest example of tragic lyricism in the English language. Shakespeare took his main plot line of an aged monarch abused by his children from a folk tale that appeared first in written form in the 12th century and was based on spoken stories that originated much further into the Middle Ages. In several written versions of "Lear," the king does not go mad, his "good" daughter does not die, and the tale has a happy ending.

This is not the case with Shakespeare's Lear, a tragedy of such consuming force that audiences and readers are left to wonder whether there is any meaning to the physical and moral carnage with which King Lear concludes. Like the noble Kent, seeing a mad, pathetic Lear with the murdered Cordelia in his arms, the profound brutality of the......

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Title: King Lear
Approximate Word Count: 1638
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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1. Madness In King Lear: Act 4
   

   Madness in King Lear: Act 4. Madness in King Lear: Act 4 In Shakespeare's
   play King Lear, Shakespeare introduces many themes. The ... ...

2. Madness In King Lear: Act 4
   

   Madness in King Lear: Act 4. Madness in King Lear: Act 4 In Shakespeare's
   play King Lear, Shakespeare introduces many themes. The ... ...

3. The Fool And Cordelia: Opposing Influences On King Lear
   

   The Fool And Cordelia: Opposing Influences On King Lear. ... However, the Fool
   speaks to the king candidly, a rare occasion in Lear's life. ... ...

4. The Fool And Cordelia: Opposing Influences On King Lear
   

   The Fool And Cordelia: Opposing Influences On King Lear. ... However, the Fool
   speaks to the king candidly, a rare occasion in Lear's life. ... ...

5. King Lear's Madness
   

   King Lear'S Madness. In a writing of Shakespeare’s play “King Lear”, the main character
   is King Lear who starts off as a respected and powerful king. ... ...