King Leir

"King Leir" is presumed to be a prime source for Shakespeare, who may have seen this play when it was performed at the Globe Theater in 1605. The anonymously authored play tells the same story as Shakespeare's "King Leir," but its ending is happy. Cordelia marries the King of France, reconciles with her father, and reclaims the English crown from Gonorill (so spelled here) and Regan. This rare Stewart play offers a unique glimpse into the theatrical world of Shakespeare's England and is here published for the first time in a single-play edition.