Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. He is often called England's national poet and the 'Bard of Avon' (or simply 'The Bard'). William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play The authoritative edition of King Lear from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes: We also see old age portrayed in all its vulnerability, pride, and, perhaps, wisdom-one reason this most devastating of Shakespeare’s tragedies is also perhaps his most moving. Emotions are extreme, magnified to gigantic proportions. The play tells us about families struggling between greed and cruelty, on the one hand, and support and consolation, on the other. What, then, keeps bringing us back to King Lear? For all the force of its language, King Lear is almost equally powerful when translated, suggesting that it is the story, in large part, that draws us to the play. Lear himself rages until his sanity cracks.

Its figures harden their hearts, engage in violence, or try to alleviate the suffering of others. Shakespeare’s King Lear challenges us with the magnitude, intensity, and sheer duration of the pain that it represents.

Kral lear william shakespeare