King Lear vs The Iliad: Which Should You Read?
King Lear
“King Lear is widely regarded as Shakespeare's most intense, profound and powerful tragedy.”
More
King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm. His…
The Iliad
More
A strikingly illustrated retelling of Homer’s classic from the team who brought us The Odyssey—Carnegie Medalist Gillian Cross and illustrator Neil Packer. After nine years of war between the Greeks and Trojans,…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Iliad has the widest readership — 532979 ratings behind its score.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.
Scores by source
| King Lear | The Iliad | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (243115) | 3.9 (532979) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (340) | 5.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 1.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (47) | — |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Reception
| King Lear | The Iliad | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 243115 | 532979 |
| Editions | 1614 | 7 |
| Citations | 10 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 119559 | — |
| Written reviews | 9312 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 42705 | 1116819 |
| Pages | 183 | 188 |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: King Lear or The Iliad?
The Iliad has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Iliad 3.9/5, King Lear 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: King Lear or The Iliad?
King Lear is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: King Lear (183 pages, ≈ 3 h 23 m); The Iliad (188 pages, ≈ 3 h 29 m).
Which is harder to read: King Lear or The Iliad?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — King Lear: Demanding; The Iliad: Light.
Have both books been made into films?
King Lear: 5 film adaptations; The Iliad: no film adaptation on record.