History YMMV / KingLear

* CondemnedByHistory: While the play remains one of Shakespeare's most acclaimed works, the same cannot be said for the infamous HappilyEverAfter version by Nahum Tate. The 1681 rewrite (which Tate boasted "rectifies what was wanting in the Regularity and Probability of the Tale") ends with the good guys surviving, Lear regaining his throne, and Edgar and Cordelia marrying. It proved popular with Restoration audiences, who ''hated'' Shakespeare's KillEmAll DownerEnding. The ending was purely Shakespeare's invention and diverged drastically from his source material, the ''Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae''. The legendary king's story had a cheerful conclusion. Tates's version completely eclipsed Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' for the next 150 years, enjoying hundreds of productions. The original ''Lear'' languished in obscurity and went all but unperformed. In the 1830s reverent fans of the Bard began to restore Shakespeare's original ending to performances, and the Tate version gradually fell out of favor. It was increasingly derided by Victorian critics as sentimental and trite. Since the start of the twentieth century, the Tate play has only been revived a few times. It is seen as a quaint historical curiosity.

** There is a massive amount of debate over Lear's line "my poor fool is hanged". Some assume it means that [[spoiler: The Fool who disappeared after Act III has been executed too. Others point to the lower case f - and that an upper case one would have been used if Lear had been referring to The Fool. 'Fool' was also another word for child, and he could be referring to Cordelia in this case]].

* EndingAversion: This was so strong that for centuries a slightly happier ending was written where [[spoiler: Cordelia survives and marries Edgar]].

** The Fool has been portrayed this way. Behind all of his jokes is a man desperately trying in vein to help his king and friend. And then there's the number of productions that kill him off.

** The Fool steals the show, more so than usual in this type of play.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Edmund these days is viewed far more sympathetically than he was in Shakespeare's day. Given that he's snubbed for being an illegitimate child, his villainy comes across as more of a ThenLetMeBeEvil situation. He was expected to be nothing but trouble since he's illegitimate - so he's just doing what's expected of him.

* Edmund as well - to the point of being WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds. It's not difficult to see that much of his evil was motivated by years of resentment of having the fact that he's the unfavored bastard son rubbed in his face (Gloucester openly jokes about it right in front of Edmund in one scene).

** Edmund (like Richard III) appears to be inherently [[BastardBastard evil as a result of his illegitimacy]].

* Edmund as well. It's not difficult to see that much of his evil was motivated by years of resentment of having the fact that he's the unfavored bastard son rubbed in his face (Gloucester openly jokes about it right in front of Edmund in one scene).

** At least one critic has wondered if a few particular lines in the play indicate that Lear has sexually abused his two oldest daughters. He refers to Goneril's 'dishonoured body' and the specific wording the two use to lay on the flattery in the love test is rather sketchy. This idea formed the basis for the adaptation ''A Thousand Acres''.

** Oswald's FamousLastWords? "Slave, thou hast slain me". Well yeah.

** One of Lear's insults to his eldest daughter involves calling her a "detested kite".

* HilariousInHindsight:
** "What, art thou mad, old fellow?" [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/u-mad Sound familiar?]]
** The most kind-hearted person in the play is called Cordelia, which becomes hilarious to ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' fans; the show's resident AlphaBitch is Cordelia Chase. Even more hilarious with the spin-off ''{{Series/Angel}}'' where Cordelia TookALevelInKindness to become TheHeart in the same way that this Cordelia is.

** Edmund (like Richard III) appears to be inherently evil as a result of his illegitimacy.

* MagnificentBastard: Edmund of Gloucester, the literal bastard son of the Duke of Gloucester, executes a plan to consolidate power and play even his own family as pawns while vowing to make the gods themselves "stand up for bastards." A ruthless but deeply charismatic schemer who plays everyone for his own benefit, Edmund frames his brother for treason and convinces him to flee into exile while manipulating his father into granting him Edgar's legitimate birthright, before exposing Gloucester's sympathy for King Lear and handing him off to the Duke of Cornwall. As the Duke of Gloucester, Edmund schemes for the throne of Britain itself and seduces Lear's own ambitious daughters to further his own power. Even on his deathbed, Edmund finally finds the grace to defy his own bastardly nature and rescinds the order he had previously given to execute Lear and Cordelia--a sentiment which, tragically, is too late.

--> "''Some good I mean to do, despite mine own nature.''"

** Oswald's FamousLastWords? "Slave, thou hast slain me". Well [[CaptainObvious yeah]].

* DesignatedHero: Lear for the first half of the play before Goneril and Regan drive him out during the storm. Lear throughout the beginning is an unlikable asshole who's introduced exiling his daughter and adviser, and treats the other two daughters like servants.

* {{Fanon}}: A lot of productions will show [[spoiler: Goneril giving Regan the poison]] in Act V, Scene I. In the original text it's merely implied to happen offstage while Scene II is going on. But as it does come out of nowhere, it's prone to {{Foreshadowing}}.

* SpiritualLicensee: The Manga Shakespeare adaptation of King Lear is the best graphic novel adaptation of TheLeatherstockingTales you will ever see.
* TearJerker: [[TearJerker/KingLear Has its own page]].

** Some have suggested that Goneril and Regan are children from a previous marriage, while Cordelia is the daughter of TheLostLenore. A lot of productions will give the elder two the same hair colour to highlight this idea. Ian [=McKellen=] chose to wear two wedding rings when he played Lear, also claiming that he felt Cordelia's mother died in childbirth - and that she is now the same age as her mother was when she died. This adds [[IncestSubtext a new layer to his love for Cordelia]]. ''Series/ShakespeareUnwrapped'' - featuring a twenty-something as Lear - played the reunion scene between them this way.

* MagnificentBastard: Edmund is up there with Iago and Richard III. "Now Gods, stand up for bastards!" Particularly of the magnificent variety.

** Some have suggested that Goneril and Regan are children from a previous marriage, while Cordelia is the daughter of TheLostLenore. A lot of productions will give the elder two the same hair colour to highlight this idea.

** It's notable that Regan appears to be the more bloodthirsty of the sisters. She's the one that turns Lear out into the storm and takes part in Gloucester getting his eyes gouged out. How much of the sisters' scheming is the result of Goneril simply going along with her sociopathic younger sister - possibly realising it's better to have Regan as an ally than an enemy? Goneril's eventual [[spoiler: suicide after poisoning Regan]] suggests that she feels more remorse for what's happened than she lets on. Another of Regan's key characteristics is that she is able to bring out the evilness in others - further supporting the theory that Goneril is heavily under her influence. As for Goneril's [[spoiler: suicide - is it MyGodWhatHaveIDone or BetterToDieThanToBeKilled]]?

** It's notable that Regan appears to be the more bloodthirsty of the sisters. She's the one that turns Lear out into the storm and takes part in Gloucester getting his eyes gouged out. How much of the sisters' scheming is the result of Goneril simply going along with her sociopathic younger sister - possibly realising it's better to have Regan as an ally than an enemy? Goneril's eventual [[spoiler: suicide after poisoning Regan]] suggests that she feels more remorse for what's happened than she lets on. Another of Regan's key characteristics is that she is able to bring out the evilness in others - further supporting the theory that Goneril is heavily under her influence.

* JerkassWoobie: Lear is a haughty tyrant at the start of the film who banishes Cordelia for not flattering him. He endures a massive BreakTheHaughty and is reduced to hiding out on the moors in the middle of a storm. It's hard not to feel sorry for him when [[spoiler: he reappears holding Cordelia's dead body]].