Summary:
"Le roi Lear" by William Shakespeare is a tragedy written in the early 17th century. The play revolves around King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on their professions of love for him. This decision leads to tragic consequences as Lear's inability to discern true affection from flattery results in madness and ruin. At the start of the play, King Lear announces his plan to retire and divide his realm among his daughters: Gonerille, Regane, and Cordélia. He asks each daughter to declare how much she loves him, hoping to favor the one who loves him the most. Gonerille and Regane flatter him with extravagant declarations, while Cordélia, who truly loves him, offers a sincere but modest response, proclaiming that she loves him as a daughter should. Offended by her honesty, Lear banishes Cordélia and divides the kingdom between her deceitful sisters. As Lear's delusion and folly unfold, the stage is set for a tragic unraveling of familial relationships and personal identity, foreshadowing the chaos to come. (This is an automatically generated summary.)