King Lear

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BBC Two - King Lear

Lear divides his kingdom with tragic consequences. Chaos descends on family and state.

Lear divides his kingdom among his daughters. Family and state collapse into chaos and warfare. Lear and his youngest, Cordelia, are reunited; love reigns, then tragedy descends.

The 80-year-old King Lear divides his kingdom among his daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, according to their affection for him. Cordelia refuses to flatter him, so he banishes her. Having acquired power, Goneril and Regan expel their father from their homes. At the same time, Lear's prime minister, Gloucester, is betrayed by his son Edmund and his other son, Edgar, is forced to go into hiding. Lear becomes mad, Gloucester is blinded: both the kingdom and the family collapse into chaos and warfare. Lear and Cordelia are reunited; for a brief moment love reigns, then tragedy descends.

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