Shakespeare's Tales: King Lear

By Samantha Newman and Ceej Rowland

King Lear demands that his three daughters tell him how much they love him. When his youngest, Cordelia, refuses, he casts her out and divides his kingdom between the other two. But when those two reject him, he descends into despair and madness...

This moving tragedy has been retold and adapted with new illustrations, making it perfect for younger readers. Adapted by Samantha Newman, it will enthral young readers of 7+.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Shakespeare's Tales brings the Bard's timeless stories to life for a younger generation, with wit and panache. Samantha Newman's cleverly reworked text retains many of Shakespeare's own inimitable turns of phrase, while simplifying and clarifying the language and plots to make stories accessible to children. Perfect for children aged 7+.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Release date: Jul 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781398818125

Book preview

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King Lear

A William Shakespeare Tale

Retold by Sam Newman

Illustrated by Ceej Rowland

Note to Parents

Shakespeare’s plays sometimes contain difficult themes. We have handled these sensitively, but would recommend that younger children in particular read the stories aloud with a trusted adult, so that they can discuss anything that causes them concern.

Titles in This Series:

1. The Comedy of Errors

2. Love’s Labour’s Lost

3. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

4. Romeo and Juliet

5. The Merchant of Venice

6. Much Ado About Nothing

7. As You Like It

8. Hamlet

9. Twelfth Night

10. Othello

11. All’s Well That Ends Well

12. King Lear

13. Macbeth

14. Antony and Cleopatra

15. The Winter’s Tale

16. The Tempest

Contents

Act One

Act Two

Act Three

Act Four

Act Five

Act One

Once, a very long time ago, the Kingdom of Britain was ruled by King Lear. He and his wife had three daughters named Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. The queen died when their girls were all quite young, so Lear raised them by himself. He doted on them a huge amount.

As King Lear grew old, he felt himself tiring. The business of ruling a kingdom was hard. He felt that he wanted to enjoy his last years by having fun with his friends, rather than reigning. He decided he would retire and hand his responsibilities to his daughters, splitting the kingdom into three so they could each have a part.

His daughters were quite grown up now. Goneril was married to the righteous Duke of Albany. Regan was married to the fierce Duke of Cornwall. Cordelia wasn’t married yet, but the princes of France and Burgundy both wanted to marry her and had been lurking around the court for weeks, trying to make her fall in love with them.

Daughters, gather round me, King