King Lear vs Timon of Athens: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama
King Lear
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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.…
Timon of Athens
“Timon of Athens is the bitterest and most negative of all Shakespeare's tragedies.”
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This book demonstrates events in the life of Timon, a man known for his great and universal generosity, who spends his fortune and then is spurned when he requires help.
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate King Lear highest: King Lear 3.9 · Timon of Athens 3.5.
- King Lear has the widest readership — 243107 ratings behind its score.
- King Lear reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 10 times.
How to choose
Scores by source
| King Lear | Timon of Athens | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (243107) | 3.5 (8186) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (340) | 3.4 (15) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (46) | 4.5 (5) |
Reception
| King Lear | Timon of Athens | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 243107 | 8186 |
| Editions | 113 | 404 |
| Citations | 10 | 2 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 119609 | 6392 |
| Reading it now | — | 152 |
| Written reviews | 9325 | 745 |
| Wikipedia attention | 36748 | 4143 |
| Pages | 188 | 101 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: King Lear or Timon of Athens?
King Lear has the higher combined reader rating across sources (King Lear 3.9/5, Timon of Athens 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: King Lear or Timon of Athens?
Timon of Athens is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Timon of Athens (101 pages, ≈ 1 h 52 m); King Lear (188 pages, ≈ 3 h 29 m).
Which is harder to read: King Lear or Timon of Athens?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — King Lear: Moderate; Timon of Athens: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
King Lear: 5 film adaptations; Timon of Athens: no film adaptation on record.