King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, considered one of his greatest works, and is based on the legend of King Leir of Britain. The part of Lear has been played by many great actors.

There are two distinct versions of the play: The True Chronicle of the History of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters, which appeared in quarto in 1608, and The Tragedy of King Lear, which appeared in the First Folio in 1623, a more theatrical version. The two texts are commonly printed in a conflated version, although many modern editors have argued that each version has its individual integrity.

After the Restoration the play was often modified by theatre practitioners who disliked its nihilistic flavour, but since World War II it has come to be regarded as one of Shakespeare's supreme achievements. The tragedy is particularly noted for its probing observations on the nature of human suffering and kinship.

King Lear is a 1983 videotaped production that was directed by Michael Elliott. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was shown on British television in 1983 and in the U.S. in 1984.

Elliott set his Lear in a Stonehenge-like environment, although no location filming was used. The somewhat out-of-focus effect that one sees at certain moments is because mist pervades the setting in several scenes.

Laurence Olivier played Lear in this production to great acclaim, winning an Emmy for his performance. It was the last of Olivier's appearances in a Shakespeare play. At 75, he was one of the oldest actors to take on this enormously demanding role. (He had previously played it in 1946 at the Old Vic, without much success.)

A notable cast was assembled for this production, including, in addition to Olivier, John Hurt, Diana Rigg, Leo McKern, Dorothy Tutin, Anna Calder-Marshall, and Colin Blakely. It was telecast in syndication in the United States, and is available on DVD.

King Lear is a 1987 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Located in Nyon, Vaud, Switzerland.

The Shakespeare tragedy that gave us the expression "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." King Lear has not one but two ungrateful children, and it's especially galling because he turned over his entire kingdom to them. Paul Scofeld is an ancient, imposing shell of a Lear tormented by his too-long life as well as by daughters he calls "untatural hags." At one point, the king looks his eldest daughter, Goneril (Ireme Worth), straight in the eye and declares, "Thou art a boil, a plague-sore, of embossed carbuncle in my corrupted blood." These are the troubles not even the best-trained family counselor could ever hope to resolve. Written by alfiehitchie

Aging King Lear decides to surrender his throne to his three daughters and solicits comments from them about their devotion and love to him. Gonreril and Regan, the elder married daughters, flatter their father with profusely exaggerated declarations of filial devotion, but Goneril, his unmarried youngest, refuses to try to outdo her sisters in insincerity and declares her loyalty to her father in more subdued terms. The egocentric king disinherits her it a fit of pique and banishes her, as well as Kent, one of his most loyal ministers, who had the temerity to criticize the king's actions. The aging Lear is not happy in retirement as first one, and then both, of his daughters turn their backs on their now powerless father. Cordelia, now married to the King of France, remains loyal to her father despite his treatment of her and invades England with the French army in hopes of restoring her father to the throne. In the meantime, the Duke of Glouchester's illegitimate son Edmund plots to have his half-brother Edgar, his father's legitimate heir, discredited, so that he inherits his father's estates. The unscrupulous Edmund's avarice drives him to seduce both Cordelia and Regan in his ambitious quest for power. Written by Gabe Taverney (duke1029@aol.com)

Everything returns to normal after Chernobyl. That is, everything but art. Most of the great works are lost, and it is up to people like William Shakespear Junior the Fifth to restore the lost artwork of the human race. He finds strange goings-on at a resort enough to remind him of all the lines of the play, dealing with mob boss Don Learo and his daughter Cordelia, a strange professor named Jean Luc-Godard (sic), who repeatedly xeroxes his hand for no particular reason. He is followed by four humanoid goblins that keep tormenting Cordelia. There is also the gentleman whose girlfriend, Valerie, isn't always visible. Then the film is sent off to New York for Mr. Alien to edit. Written by Scott Hutchins

Lear is an aging King who wants to retire by abdicating to his three daughters. However, in an act of petty ego stroking, he asks them who among them loves him most. While two daughters eagerly toady to him, his one loving daughter, Cordelia, refuses play along with this foolish charade. In a rage, Lear exiles her along with his one loyal aide who dares to stick up for her. This foolish move works to Lear's sorrow as his two remaining daughters cruelly and gradually strip him of his status and possessions until he is rendered an insane hermit attended only by his fool. All the while, the illegitimate son of another lord is plotting his own ambitions while contributing to this tragic tale of ego and familial cruelty. Written by Kenneth Chisholm

Based on Shakespeare's play: King Lear of Britain has decided to divide his kingdom into three parts, and to hand over the responsibilities of ruling to his three daughters. The two oldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, flatter their father insincerely, and are rewarded. Cordelia, the youngest, sincerely loves her father, but she cannot match her sisters' skill at false adulation - so Lear takes away her portion of the kingdom, despite the pleadings of some of his most loyal nobles. It is not long before Goneril and Regan reveal their deep ingratitude, and soon the old king finds himself in a confusing and desperate position. Written by Snow Leopard

Originally broadcast on "Great Performances" (1972).