King Lear, in Modern English
The full play, original text on one side, plain modern English on the other — every scene, free.
- Year
- 1604
- Genre
- Tragedy
- Setting
- Ancient Britain
- Acts & scenes
- 5 acts · 26 scenes
- Reading time
- ~3 hours
- Audio runtime
- ~2h 45m (in app)
What it's about
King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm.
King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him.
Study guide
Everything we have for King Lear, all on one page.
Read
The full play, scene by scene, original beside modern English.
Characters
Who's who — and what each one wants.
Themes
What the play is about, beneath the plot.
Motifs & Symbols
Patterns Shakespeare keeps returning to.
Famous Quotes
The lines you know, paraphrased and explained.
Scene Summaries
What happens in each scene, and why it matters.
Quiz
Fifteen questions. No login.
About this Play
Year, setting, length, why people read it.
Read by scene
Tap any scene below to start reading.
Act I
- Scene 1. A Room of State in King Lear’s Palace
- Scene 2. A Hall in the Earl of Gloucester’s Castle
- Scene 3. A Room in the Duke of Albany’s Palace
- Scene 4. A Hall in Albany’s Palace
- Scene 5. Court before the Duke of Albany’s Palace
Act II
- Scene 1. A court within the Castle of the Earl of Gloucester
- Scene 2. Before Gloucester’s Castle
- Scene 3. The open Country
- Scene 4. Before Gloucester’s Castle
Act III
Hear every line of King Lear, narrated.
Common questions
Is the modern English translation accurate?
Yes — every line is matched to its original. Our translations preserve meaning over cleverness: where Shakespeare uses a metaphor, we keep it; where the wordplay turns on a sound that no longer exists, we explain rather than fake it. This is a translation, not a summary.
How long does King Lear take to read?
About 3 hours at a steady pace. With synced narration in the app, the runtime is roughly 2h 45m — and you can pause anywhere without losing your place.
Is the original text complete and unabridged?
Yes. We use the full public-domain First Folio text, with no cuts. The simplified column runs in parallel — every line of original Shakespeare has its modern English match.
Where can I listen to it?
Synced read-along narration is in the Fluid Shakespeare app on iOS and Android. Tap a line; press play; the words highlight as they're read. Get the app →