King Lear vs The tragedy of Macbeth: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama
King Lear
More
Shakespeare’s King Lear challenges us with the magnitude, intensity, and sheer duration of the pain that it represents. Its figures harden their hearts, engage in violence, or try to alleviate the suffering of others.…
The tragedy of Macbeth
More
In “Macbeth”, witches, superstition and mysticism create one of  Shakespeare's more fantastical of plays. Add to it the very real, human elements of self-doubt, manipulation, betrayal and soul-tormenting regret and…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- King Lear has the widest readership — 243107 ratings behind its score.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.
How to choose
Scores by source
| King Lear | The tragedy of Macbeth | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (243107) | 3.8 (71) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (340) | 3.9 (1169) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (46) | — |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Reception
| King Lear | The tragedy of Macbeth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 243107 | 1169 |
| Editions | 113 | 67 |
| Citations | 10 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 119609 | 32 |
| Reading it now | — | 12 |
| Written reviews | 9325 | 9 |
| Wikipedia attention | 36748 | — |
| Pages | 188 | 180 |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: King Lear or The tragedy of Macbeth?
King Lear has the higher combined reader rating across sources (King Lear 3.9/5, The tragedy of Macbeth 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: King Lear or The tragedy of Macbeth?
The tragedy of Macbeth is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The tragedy of Macbeth (180 pages, ≈ 3 h 20 m); King Lear (188 pages, ≈ 3 h 29 m).
Which is harder to read: King Lear or The tragedy of Macbeth?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — King Lear: Moderate; The tragedy of Macbeth: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
King Lear: 5 film adaptations; The tragedy of Macbeth: no film adaptation on record.