18 books like King Lear

What to read after King Lear — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

A Wizard of Earthsea Ursula K. Le Guin · 1968 · ★ 4.0 · 191p · ≈ 6h · Moderate The first novel of Ursula K. Le Guin's must-read Earthsea Cycle. "The magic of Earthsea is primal; the lessons of Earthsea remain as potent, as wise, and as necessary as anyone could dream." (Neil Gaiman) Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible… Shares: Community pick

Love's Labour's Lost William Shakespeare · 1891 · ★ 3.5 King Ferdinand and his three friends, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain, plan to study philosophy for the next three years. During their academic pursuits, they must vow to sleep only three hours a night and not let any woman within a mile of court. These strict rules will prevent any distractions from their work—but their promises are soon put to the test when a princess and her three companions… Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

Henry IV, Part 1 William Shakespeare · 1598 · ★ 3.8 · 122p · ≈ 4h · Demanding Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theater of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities. Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

Candida George Bernard Shaw · 1905 · ★ 3.7 · 42p · ≈ 1h · Challenging The Reverend James Mavor Morell, a respectable socialist clergyman, spends his days giving lectures and sermons while his wife, Candida, sees to his comfortable London home. That home is disrupted by the arrival of the poet Eugene Marchbanks, who is in love with Candida and determined to rescue her from what he sees as an unromantic life. Shaw wrote Candida as a reaction to Henrik Ibsen’s social… Shares: British and irish drama, Drama

Henry V William Shakespeare · 1800 · 130p · ≈ 4h · Challenging Written by William Shakespeare around 1599, The Life of Henry the Fifth, more commonly known as Henry V, chronicles the later history of King Henry the Fifth of England and his efforts during Hundred Years’ War to reclaim disputed territories in France. The play starts with Henry’s claims to be the rightful heir to the French throne and, after his invasion of France, culminates with his famous… Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

King Henry VIII William Shakespeare · 1670 · ★ 3.5 · 136p · ≈ 4h · Demanding "This is the first fully annotated and comprehensive modern-spelling edition of King Henry VIII - known in its early performances as All is True - for over ten years. It makes full use of current scholarship on the dating, authorship, printing, and sources of the play, as well as critical interpretations, and includes an up-to-date survey of the play in performance. It is the first edition to… Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

Coriolanus William Shakespeare · 1734 · ★ 3.7 · 198p · ≈ 6h · Demanding A proud Roman general conquers the Volscians, leads them against Rome in revenge for his banishment, and is killed by the Volscian general when Coriolanus is persuaded to spare the city. Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

Othello William Shakespeare · 1794 · 274p · ≈ 9h · Demanding Othello, a successful Moorish general in the service of Venice, elopes with Desdemona, the daughter of a Venetian noble. His evil lieutenant Iago works on his jealousy and persuades him that his wife is unfaithful. Overwrought, Othello strangles her then kills himself in grief after the truth is revealed. Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

King Henry VI. Part 2 William Shakespeare · 1600 · ★ 3.6 · 158p · ≈ 5h · Demanding King Henry VI by William Shakespeare Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

Macbeth William Shakespeare · 1821 · 238p · ≈ 7h · Challenging An Apple Books Classic edition.Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most tragic works, a drama so steeped in legend that actors won’t even say its name for fear of bringing bad luck. The Bard’s shortest tragedy is a tale of murder, madness, and ambition full of iconic speeches. It’s been adapted countless times during its 400 years—and now director Joel Coen has created a bold and fierce… Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

The comedy of errors Robert S. Miola · 1997 · 592p · ≈ 19h · Moderate This collection of essays and reviews represents the most significant and comprehensive writing on Shakespeare's AComedy of Errors. Miola's edited work also features a comprehensive critical history, coupled with a full bibliography and photographs of major productions of the play from around the world. In the collection, there are five previously unpublished essays. The topics covered in these… Shares: Shakespeare, Drama

Henry VI, Part 3 William Shakespeare · 1600 · ★ 3.7 · 156p · ≈ 5h · Demanding Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

Two Gentlemen of Verona William Shakespeare · 1632 · ★ 3.4 · 160p · ≈ 5h · Demanding "Professor Schlueter approaches this early comedy as a parody of two types of Renaissance educational fiction: the love-quest story and the test-of-friendship story, which by their combination show high-flown human ideals as incompatible with each other and with human nature. A thoroughly researched, illustrated stage history reveals changing conceptions of the play, which nevertheless often fail… Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

William Shakespeare Brian Vickers · 2002 · 564p · ≈ 18h · Moderate The Critical Heritage gathers together a large body of critical sources on major figures in literature. Each volume presents contemporary responses to a writer's work, enabling students and researchers to read for themselves, for example, comments on early performances of Shakespeare's plays, or reactions to the first publication of Jane Austen's novels. The carefully selected sources range from… Shares: Shakespeare, Drama

Love's Labour's Lost William Shakespeare · 1598 · ★ 3.5 Love's Labour's Lost by William Shakespeare Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

The tragedy of Macbeth William Shakespeare · 1790 · 180p · ≈ 6h · Demanding 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 you get one of the most enjoyable, poignant pieces of literature of all time. One of the things that furthers the play's legend is that many believe it to be cursed. All kinds of… Shares: Shakespeare, British and irish drama, Drama

Romeo and Juliet (adaptation) William Shakespeare · 1748 · 158p · ≈ 5h · Demanding Presents in graphic novel format an adaptation of Shakespeare's play of the tragic consequences of a deadly feud between two rival families in Renaissance Verona. Shares: Shakespeare, Comics & graphic novels

Post-colonial Shakespeares Ania Loomba · 1998 · 320p · ≈ 10h · Moderate This collection of new essays explores the multiple possibilities for the study of Shakespeare in an emerging post-colonial period. Post-Colonial Shakespeares examines the extent to which our assumption about such key terms as 'colonization', 'race' and 'nation' derive from early modern English culture. It also looks at how such terms are themselves affected by what were established subsequently… Shares: Shakespeare, Drama

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