A battle is fought (Act V), in which the French army is defeated and Cordelia and Lear are taken prisoners. Cordelia is hanged, and the old king dies of a broken heart. Goneril poisons Regan through motives of jealousy, and afterward stabs herself.

SOURCES

The story of King Lear' probably dates back to the remotest times. It belongs to the realm of Celtic tradition, or the even earlier nature myths where the winds were personified. It is told in the Gesta Romanorum' of the Emperor Theodosius; but British chroniclers make it antedate the Roman Empire by a thousand years. Holinshed says: Leir, the son of Baldub, was admitted ruler over the Britains in the of the world 3105. year At what time Joas reigned as yet in Judea.' The story's earliest printed appearance was in the Historia Britonum,' written in Latin about 1130 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Other works about the sixteenth century in which it might be found were Warner's 'Albion's England,' Holinshed's 'Chronicles,' the chronicles of Fabyan, Rastell, and Grafton, the Mirrour for Magistrates,' Camden's Brittania,' Spenser's Faerie Queene' (a brief mention, Canto X, Book 2), and finally the important pre-Shakespearian drama entered in the Stationers' Register,' May 14, 1594: The moste famous Chronicle historye of Leire, Kinge of England, and his Three Daughters.' This play was seemingly not printed until 1605, perhaps being brought out by the popularity of the Shakespeare version. It was entitled in book form: The True Chronicle History of King Leir and his three daughters, Gonorill, Ragan, and Cor

della. acted.'

As it hath bene divers and sundry times lately The author's name was not given. Shakespeare was doubtless acquainted with several of the sources above cited, and perhaps best of all with the drama. But his debt to it, or to any other source, is very slight. Beyond the use of the same leading situation, the two plays show little resemblance. Shakespeare may have obtained a hint for the figure of Kent in the earlier Perillus. The counter-plot of Gloster and his two sons is not found in the earlier play or other Lear stories. The idea for this was probably obtained from Sidney's Arcadia,' and skilfully interwoven with that of Lear to intensify the tragedy by means of parallel

woe.

The two plays need no further comparison here. The earlier, humbler attempt, a conventional comedy in rhymed couplets, could hardly merit consideration by the side of one of the noblest pieces of dramatic writing in literature.

DURATION OF THE ACTION

The duration of time is something less than one month. The period represented on the stage covers ten days, with intervals, as follows: Day 1, Act I, scene i. Day 2, Act I, scene ii. Interval. Day 3, Act I, scenes iii and iv. Day 4, Act II, scenes i and ii. Day 5, Act II, scenes iii and iv, Act III, scenes i-vi. Day 6, Act III, scene vii, Act IV, scene i. Day 7, Act IV, scene ii. Interval (?). Day 8, Act IV, scene iii. Day 9, Act IV, scenes iv-vi. Day 10, remainder of play.

The historic period is indeterminable.

DATE OF COMPOSITION

Practically all authorities agree in ascribing King Lear' to the year 1605. It was entered for publication in the Stationers' Register,' November 26, 1607, 'as yt was played before the King's Majestie at Whitehall, upon St Stephen's night, at Christmas last, by his Majesties Servants playing usually at the Globe on the Bank-side.' This would make it antedate December, 1606. We know also that it was written after 1603, for Shakespeare's names for the devils spoken of by Edgar in his pretended madness were taken from Bishop Harsnet's Declaration of egregious Popish Impostures,' which first appeared in 1603.

We have already noticed that the earlier play on the same subject was published in 1605, perhaps to take advantage of the popularity of Shakespeare's tragedy. This earlier play was entered as a tragedy, though really a comedy. And when Shakespeare's version appeared, the title-page began: M. William Shak-speare: HIS True Chronicle Historie,' etc., emphasizing by capital letters the possessive pronoun before the same general title employed by the rival book. This lends weight to the belief that the two versions appeared in the same year, 1605.

The references to the late eclipses' in Act I, scene ii, have been held to allude to an eclipse of the sun which occurred in October, 1605.

EARLY EDITIONS

Two Quarto editions appeared in 1608. The one now generally accepted as the First bears the following title:

'M. William Shak-speare: His True Chronicle Historie of the life and death of King Lear and his three

Daughters. With the unfortunate life of Edgar, sonne and heire to the Earle of Gloster, and his sullen and assumed humor of Tom of Bedlam: As io was played before the Kings Majestie at Whitehall upon S. Stephans night in Christmas Hollidayes. By his Majesties Servants playing usually at the Gloabe on the Banckeside. London, Printed for Nathaniel Butter, and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Pide Bull neere St Austins Gate, 1608.'

The Second Quarto had two impressions. Its title is almost identical with the foregoing, but lacks the words, at the signe of the Pide Bull.' The text is so nearly the same as that of the other edition that editors were for a long time puzzled to determine which had the priority, but finally accepted them in the above order.

A Third Quarto came out in 1655, following the

same text.

The First Folio of 1623 gives a different text from the Quartos. It seems derived from an author's manuscript curtailed, in some respects, for acting purposes, but correcting and adding to the former reading. The Quartos, however, remain the longer of the two versions, giving some two hundred and twenty lines not found in the Folio, while the Folio contributes fifty independent lines. The Quartos contain many printer's errors, the Folio being marred in somewhat less degree. By the aid of these parallel texts a reading may be obtained which is nearly perfect.

The First Folio editors placed 'King Lear' well toward the last of the tragedies. It occupies twentyseven pages, from page 283 to page 309, inclusive. The acts and scenes are given, but the Dramatis Personæ is omitted, being later supplied by Rowe.