King Lear, ruler of Britain, has decided that
he wants to retire and leave his kingdom to
his son-in-laws. The caveat is that his daughters
must declare their love for the king, and
he will carve up the kingdom based on the
strength of their flattery.
Goneril and Regan, Lear's older daughters,
profess their love in eloquent and evidently
well-learned ways. In response, Lear gives
to each of them and their husbands, a third
of the kingdom. When his youngest daughter,
Cordelia, who is yet unmarried, takes her
turn, she refuses to play the game and in
response to her father's question, she simply
replies, 'nothing'.
Furious at her ingratitude, Lear banishes
Cordelia from Britain and claims that he will
disown the man that marries her.
The King of France isn't bothered by this
and he offers Cordelia marriage, leading her
away without Lear's blessing.
Goneril and Regan begin to despair of their
father's decision-making powers, and slowly
undermine him, eventually casting him out
into a storm in the middle of the night.
Unable to believe that his beloved daughters
have treated him with such disrespect, Lear
slowly begins to lose his faculties.
Meanwhile, the Earl of Gloucester is dealing
with family issues of his own. His illegitimate
son, Edmund, makes him believe that his legitimate
son, Edgar, is trying to kill him!
Edgar flees from his father, disguising himself
as a mad beggar called Poor Tom.
Gloucester decides to help Lear by sending
assistance. When Regan and her husband, Cornwall,
discover this, they accuse Gloucester of treason,
pluck out his eyeballs and send him out into
the storm to find the king.
Cornwall accidentally gets killed during this
bloody episode.
Unknowingly, Gloucester bumps into Edgar,
still disguised as Poor Tom. He leads his
father to Dover where they meet the now severely
deteriorated King Lear.
At the same time, the French army - led by
Cordelia - arrives in Dover to rescue the
king and challenge Goneril and Regan. They
manage to find Lear and reconcile him with
Cordelia before the pair is captured by Goneril
and Regan's armies and imprisoned.
The sisters both fancy Gloucester's illegitimate
son, Edmund. Now single, Regan decides that
she wants to marry him. Out of jealousy, Goneril
poisons Regan and then takes her own life.
Eventually, Edgar challenges and kills Edmund.
Edmund dies just after he admits to having
Cordelia executed and Lear dies out of sorrow
at Cordelia's passing.
Albany and Edgar are left in charge of a broken
Britain.
