Red bandReady now · Open and print today

King Lear

From Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E. Nesbit (1907) and William Shakespeare

This reader retells Shakespeare's King Lear, one of the great tragedies of English literature, through E. Nesbit's 1907 prose adaptation. The story examines misjudgement, ingratitude, loyalty and the catastrophic consequences of mistaking flattery for love. Lear's demand for public declarations of affection sets in motion a chain of betrayals that strips him of power, dignity and finally his life. The Earl of Kent's disguised service and Cordelia's steadfast love stand against the cruelty of Goneril and Regan, but the reconciliation comes too late. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. Shakespeare's original play was written around 1606, and Nesbit's retelling makes the essential arc and moral weight of the tragedy accessible while preserving the dignity and force of the language.

Band

Red · Complex language and analysisTypical starting range: ages 15–17

Length

long · about 1053 words in 5 sections · 2 pictures

Source

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, E. Nesbit and William Shakespeare

First published

1907

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

Report a concern about this reader · What’s in a HummingRead reader