William Shakespeare · 1606 · overland

Shakespeare's tragedy of an old king who gives away his kingdom for flattery and is undone by it. Lear divides Britain between two false daughters and banishes the true one, then descends through rage and madness on the storm-swept heath toward Dover, where the blind Earl of Gloucester seeks the cliff's edge and Cordelia lands too late to save him.

1. 1
   Leicester (the court)

   In his hall - by legend the city of King Leir himself - Lear divides his realm and banishes Cordelia, the daughter who loves him most.

2. 2
   Gloucester

   Turned out by Goneril and Regan, the old king is shut into the night; here the Earl of Gloucester is blinded for his loyalty.

3. 3
   The Heath

   Bareheaded on the wild heath, Lear rages against the thunder and slips into madness.

4. 4
   The Cliffs of Dover

   At the cliffs of Dover, Gloucester is led to seek death and Cordelia lands with an army, but the tragedy closes in grief.