King Leir - Definition

King Leir is an anonymous Elizabethan play published in 1605 but believed to have been written before 1594. It has been variously attributed to Thomas Kyd and Robert Greene.

The full title is The true Chronical History of King Leir and his three daughters, Gonorill, Ragan and Cordella.

The "source" of William Shakespeare's play, King Lear, it differs in having a happy ending. In this respect it more closely follows Holinshed's Chronicle.

External link

• The text of King Leir: http://www.unibas.ch/shine/kingleir.html

• For comparisons of "Leir" with "Lear" as well as the full text of both: http://users.bigpond.net.au/catchus/chapters.html