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Cover of King Lear

Drama · Fiction

King Lear

by William Shakespeare

A king’s disastrous division of power exposes loyalty, cruelty and the need for care.

2 hr estimatedB2–C1 Linden levelRead now availability5 chapters
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Overview

About this book

Lear divides his kingdom according to public declarations of love and unleashes a struggle over family, authority and care. The tragedy contains extreme cruelty, torture, suicide and bleak depictions of age and mental distress.

First published
1606
Language
English
Copyright status
Public domain

English level

B2–C1 · Deep reading

King Lear is calibrated from 27,545 sampled words across 5 chapters: sentences average 7.9 words, 7% exceed 24 words and 4% of words are nine letters or longer.

Explore the B2–C1 level →

Sentence rhythm

What the prose asks

Mostly compact sentences averaging 7.9 words in the sampled text

Vocabulary

What may slow you down

4% of sampled words contain nine or more letters and about 29.95 marked archaic terms per thousand words; names and period vocabulary still vary by chapter

Reading rhythm

Short commitment

A few long sections make advance stopping points useful. About 5 calm 30-minute sessions.

Suggested approach

Read with momentum

Read in planned sessions and keep short notes on voice, structure and recurring images

Best starting point

Begin with chapter one

The full text is ready with speech, lookup and saved progress.

CEFR-aligned Linden estimate · high confidence · sampled full text · Calibrated 2026-09-08 · Provisional, not an exam certification.

Table of contents

5 chapters

  1. 01King Lear · Part 125 min
  2. 02King Lear · Part 225 min
  3. 03King Lear · Part 325 min
  4. 04King Lear · Part 425 min
  5. 05King Lear · Part 525 min
Portrait of William Shakespeare

Related author

William Shakespeare

An English playwright and poet whose comedies, histories and tragedies combine theatrical momentum with exceptional verbal range.

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