King Lear

King Lear, the ruler of Britain, had three daughters. Goneril, who was married to the Duke of Albany; Regan, the wife of the Duke of Cornwall; and Cordelia, who was not yet married. Both the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy wanted to marry her, and they were at Lear’s court for this reason.

Lear was very old, over eighty, and he was tired. He didn’t want to be king anymore. He wanted to enjoy his remaining time and prepare for his death, which he knew was not far away. So, he asked his daughters how much they loved him. He wanted to divide his kingdom among them based on their love for him.

Goneril, the oldest, said that she loved her father more than she could express. She claimed that he was more important to her than her own life. These were just words, but Lear believed them. Happy and convinced of her love, he gave her and her husband a third of his kingdom. Then, it was Regan’s turn. Regan, like her sister, made big promises of love. She even said she loved him more than Goneril did. Lear was very pleased to hear this and gave her and her husband a third of his kingdom, the same as Goneril.

Finally, he turned to his youngest daughter, Cordelia. He expected her to express her love just like her sisters. But Cordelia, who knew her sisters were lying, chose to be honest. She said she loved him as a daughter should, not more, not less. Lear was hurt by what seemed like her lack of love. He asked her to think about her words because they could ruin her future. Cordelia replied that she loved and respected him because he was her father. She couldn’t lie and say she loved him more than anything else in the world.

She questioned her sisters’ claims of total devotion to their father, asking how they could do so when they were married. She added that if she ever married, her husband would also deserve her love and attention. She wouldn’t be like her sisters who claimed to love only their father.

Cordelia truly loved her father, much more than her sisters pretended to. She usually showed her love in a quiet and sincere way, but after hearing her sisters’ fancy words, she decided to stay silent. This showed that she loved him not for his wealth but because he was her father.

Her honest words made Lear very angry. The old king was known for his quick temper, and his age had made him even more unpredictable. He couldn’t tell the difference between true words and flattery. In his anger, he took back the part of the kingdom he had kept for Cordelia and divided it between her sisters and their husbands, the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall.

In front of all his followers, he gave them the power to rule. He kept the title of king for himself and asked for a place to live with a hundred knights in each of his daughters’ houses by turns. His decision to divide his kingdom in such a way was shocking and sad for everyone, but none of them were brave enough to speak up.

Only the Earl of Kent tried to defend Cordelia, but Lear threatened him with death if he did not stop. But Kent, who had always been loyal to Lear, did not back down. He loved Lear like a father and had always served him faithfully. He was not afraid to risk his life for the king, and even now, when Lear was his own worst enemy, Kent stood up to him for his own good. He had always given the king good advice, and he begged Lear to listen to him now.

He said that Cordelia truly loved him, and that her quiet words were not a sign of lack of love. He said he was ready to risk his life on this truth. But his honest words only made Lear angrier. Just like a sick person who hurts the doctor trying to cure him, Lear punished Kent. He gave him five days to leave the country, threatening to kill him if he stayed longer.

Kent said goodbye to the king. He said staying there felt like being sent away, and before leaving, he asked the gods to protect Cordelia. He wished that her sisters would show their love with actions, not just words. Then he left to find a new home.Now, it was time for the King of France and Duke of Burgundy to hear Lear’s decision about his youngest daughter. Lear wanted to know if they still wanted to marry Cordelia, even though she was no longer his favorite and didn’t have any wealth.

The Duke of Burgundy said no, he wouldn’t marry her without any fortune. But the King of France knew that Cordelia had only lost her father’s love because she didn’t use fancy words like her sisters.

He held her hand and said her good heart was worth more than a kingdom. He asked Cordelia to say goodbye to her sisters and her father, and come with him to be the queen of France. He said that Cordelia would rule a better kingdom than her sisters. He even mocked the Duke of Burgundy for his quick change of heart.

Cordelia said goodbye to her sisters with tears in her eyes. She asked them to take good care of their father and be true to their words. But her sisters replied that she should focus on pleasing her new husband. Feeling sad, Cordelia left, knowing her sisters were not as caring as they seemed.

Once Cordelia was gone, her sisters showed their true nature. Even before the first month was over, Goneril, who was hosting their father, started to treat him badly.

She had already received everything from him, including his crown, but now she seemed to dislike even the small signs of his past kingship. She looked unhappy whenever she saw him and tried to avoid him whenever possible. She seemed to consider him and his knights a burden.

She not only became less respectful to him herself but also encouraged her servants to do the same. Lear noticed these changes but didn’t want to admit that his favorite daughter was treating him poorly. He didn’t want to face the consequences of his own decisions.

True love doesn’t change because of bad treatment, just like dishonesty and insincerity can’t be won over by kindness.

The best example of this is Earl of Kent. Even though Lear had banished him, threatening him with death if he stayed, Kent didn’t leave. He wanted to help Lear, his king. So, he disguised himself as a common man and offered his service to Lear. Lear didn’t recognize Kent in this disguise. But he liked the way this man, who called himself Caius, spoke. He was straightforward, not like the false praises of his daughters. So, Lear quickly hired him.

Caius found a way to prove his loyalty to Lear. When Goneril’s steward acted rudely to Lear, Caius couldn’t stand it. He knocked him down, which made Lear like him even more. But Kent was not the only friend Lear had. The king’s jester also stayed loyal to him.

The jester used to entertain Lear when he was a king. Now, he still tried to make Lear happy with his jokes, even though he sometimes teased Lear for giving everything to his daughters. He made fun of Lear, saying that Lear was like a small bird who raises the baby of a cuckoo, only to be killed by it later. He also said that the cart was pulling the horse, meaning Lear’s daughters were leading him. He even said that Lear was just a shadow of himself.

These jokes made Goneril angry, and she threatened to punish him. But the lack of respect was not the only thing Lear had to face. Goneril told him directly that he couldn’t stay in her palace with his hundred knights.

She said they were causing trouble and wasting money. She asked him to keep only a few old men like himself. Lear couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He couldn’t understand how his daughter, to whom he had given a crown, could be so rude to him.

She kept demanding that he reduce his knights. Lear got so angry that he called her a terrible bird and said she was lying. His knights were not causing trouble as she claimed. They were good men. He decided to leave with his knights and go to his other daughter, Regan.

He cursed Goneril, wishing that she would know the pain of having an ungrateful child. When Goneril’s husband tried to explain, Lear didn’t listen. He left in anger and headed for Regan’s home. He started to realize that Cordelia’s mistake was nothing compared to Goneril’s actions. This made him cry.

Regan and her husband were living in their palace with much splendor. Lear sent his servant, Caius, to tell her of his arrival. But it seems Goneril had already sent a letter to Regan. She had complained about Lear and asked Regan not to allow Lear’s knights. The messenger arrived at the same time as Caius.

Caius recognized him as the man he had punished for being rude to Lear. He didn’t trust him and started an argument which led to a fight. When Regan and her husband heard about this, they punished Caius by placing him in the stocks. This was a shocking sight for Lear when he arrived.

Things got worse when he asked to see Regan and her husband. He was told they were tired and couldn’t meet him. But he insisted. When they finally came, Goneril was with them. She had come to tell her side of the story and turn Regan against their father, Lear.

Lear was very upset to see Regan siding with Goneril. He asked Goneril if she felt any shame looking at his white beard. Regan suggested that he should return home with Goneril and live with her peacefully. She said that he should let go of half his knights and ask Goneril for forgiveness.

Regan said that he was old and needed people with better judgement to guide him. Lear was shocked at this. He could not imagine begging his own daughter for things he needed.

He insisted that he would stay with Regan and his knights. He said that he would rather live in France and ask the king there for help than return to Goneril.

But Lear was wrong.

Regan treated him as badly as Goneril did. She even said that fifty knights were too many for him and he only needed twenty-five. Lear was heartbroken. He decided to go back to Goneril, thinking that she loved him twice as much as Regan did. But Goneril said that he didn’t even need twenty-five knights.

He could be served by her or Regan’s servants. These two daughters were so cruel to their father. They wanted to take away everything he had, even his respect. It was their lack of gratitude that hurt Lear the most.

This, along with the regret of giving away his kingdom, made him lose his mind. He started making threats he couldn’t carry out.

As Lear was making these threats, a storm started. His daughters still refused to let his knights stay. Lear decided to face the storm rather than stay with his daughters. His daughters let him leave, saying that he deserved what he got. As Lear went out into the storm, it got worse.

There was nothing for miles around. Lear was out in the storm, alone in the dark. He yelled at the storm to destroy the earth, so that there would be no trace of ungrateful humans left.

The old king was left with only the jester for company. The jester tried to make light of the situation with his jokes.

The jester said it was a bad night to go swimming, and that Lear should go ask his daughter for her blessing. He also said that those with a little sense must accept their fate, even if it rains every day. He also said it was a good night to reduce a lady’s pride.

The good Earl of Kent, who was now disguised as Caius, found Lear in this condition. Kent was always near Lear, even though Lear didn’t know who he really was. Kent was upset to see Lear in the storm.

He said that the storm was so bad that even animals had gone into hiding. But Lear said that when a person is in great pain, they don’t feel small discomforts. He said that when a person is at peace, they can worry about small things. But his mind was in such turmoil that he only felt the pain in his heart. He talked about his daughters’ ungratefulness, comparing it to a mouth biting the hand that feeds it.

Despite the storm, Kent managed to persuade Lear to take shelter in a small hut. The jester went in first and quickly ran out, scared, saying that he had seen a ghost. It turned out that the “ghost” was actually a poor man who pretended to be mad to get charity.

Lear, seeing the poor man, thought that he must be a father who had given everything to his daughters, just like him. Kent realized from Lear’s words that he had lost his mind because of his daughters’ cruelty. Kent, being loyal to Lear, did his best to help him.

He managed to move Lear to the castle of Dover, where he had friends and influence. Kent then went to France to tell Cordelia, Lear’s youngest daughter, about Lear’s situation.

Cordelia was so moved by Kent’s words that she asked her husband, the king, for permission to go to England with an army. She wanted to defeat her sisters and their husbands, and help her father. The king agreed and Cordelia set off for England with a royal army.

Lear, having somehow got away from the helpers Kent had arranged for him, was found by some of Cordelia’s people. He was wandering in the fields near Dover, completely mad. He had made a crown from wild plants he had found and was singing to himself.

Cordelia wanted to see her father immediately, but the doctors said it was better to wait until he had slept and had some medicine to calm him down. Thanks to the doctors’ help, Lear was soon well enough to see Cordelia.

The meeting between Lear and Cordelia was a touching sight. Lear was both happy and ashamed. He was happy to see his beloved daughter again, but ashamed that he had treated her so badly.

Sometimes he was not sure if Cordelia was really his daughter, because he was still not well. He asked people not to laugh if he was wrong.

He also begged Cordelia to forgive him, while she asked him to bless her. She told him that it was her duty to kneel, not his, because she was his daughter. She kissed him and said she was doing it to make up for her sisters’ unkindness. She told him she had come from France to help him.

Lear said he was old and foolish, and didn’t know what he was doing. He also said that she had a reason to be upset with him, but her sisters did not. Cordelia disagreed, saying she had no reason to be upset, just like her sisters.

Now we’ll leave Lear with his loving daughter. With rest and medicine, she and the doctors managed to help him recover.

Now let’s talk about Lear’s other daughters, Goneril and Regan. These ungrateful daughters had been cruel to their father, and now they were not kind to their husbands either. They didn’t even pretend to care about them anymore.

They had both fallen in love with the same man, Edmund. Edmund was the illegitimate son of the late Earl of Gloucester. He had tricked his brother Edgar and taken his title. Edmund was a bad man, a perfect match for Goneril and Regan.

Around this time, the Duke of Cornwall, Regan’s husband, died. Regan immediately said she wanted to marry the Earl of Gloucester, Edmund.

This made Goneril, her sister, jealous. Edmund had said he loved both sisters, so Goneril decided to get rid of her sister with poison. But Goneril was caught and put in prison by her husband, the Duke of Albany, for what she had done and because he found out about her love for Edmund. Filled with anger and disappointment, Goneril ended her own life. This was the end of these wicked sisters.

People were amazed by the fate of the sisters, but then they were shocked by what happened to the young and good daughter, Cordelia. She had been so kind, but her end was not a happy one. This showed that sometimes, good and innocent people do not have happy lives. The forces sent by Goneril and Regan, led by Edmund, won the fight.

When Cordelia’s soldiers lose the fight, she and her dad are captured. Cordelia is ordered to be hanged by Edmund.

Even though the Duke of Albany sends people to tell others right away, he is too late to stop the order for Cordelia’s death. The old King, looking weak, walks into the Duke of Albany’s tent. He is carrying his loved daughter Cordelia in his arms.

Not long after, saying loving words about her, he drops to the ground with Cordelia still in his arms, and dies. Cordelia’s death was a great loss, but she had been a great example of a loving daughter.

Before Lear died, the Earl of Kent tried to tell him that he was the man who had been helping him all along, the one who called himself Caius. But Lear, whose mind was not clear, did not understand. So Kent decided not to explain further. And Kent, who was old and sad about his master’s troubles, died too.

As for Edmund, he was found guilty of treason and killed by his brother. Goneril’s husband, the Duke of Albany, became the king after Lear’s death. Albany had not been involved in Cordelia’s death and had not supported his wife in her cruel actions. But that’s another story. The important thing is what happened to Lear and his three daughters.

THE END