King Lear

American

[leer] / lɪər /

noun

a tragedy (1606) by Shakespeare.

King Lear Cultural

A tragedy by William Shakespeare about an old king who unwisely hands his kingdom over to two of his daughters. The daughters, who had flattered Lear while he was in power, turn on him; their actions reduce him to poverty and eventually to madness. His youngest daughter, Cordelia, whom he had at first spurned, remains faithful to him.

Example Sentences

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Pope Francis, Prince Phillip, King Lear - only some of the iconic figures actor Sir Jonathan Pryce has played on-screen and on-stage during career spanning more than 50 years.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

Young Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is burdened with self-reproach, while old King Lear suffers from narcissism, vanity and madness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

The actor also played the doomed warlord who divides his kingdom between his sons in "Ran", Kurosawa's 1985 film based on the Shakespeare play "King Lear".

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

Since then, the actor has been in productions like "Othello," "King Lear," and "The Last Five Years" and even won a Laurence Olivier Award for his performance in the West End revival of "Company."

From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024

King Lear loses his mind with what we, in modern times, would call Alzheimer’s.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023