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In its poignant depiction of the tragic downfall caused by human nature, ''King Lear'' is considered by some to be Shakespeare's finest artistic achievement.  Everything in this play is perfectly woven together, such that nothing can be removed without detracting significantly from it.

In its poignant depiction of the tragic downfall caused by human nature, ''King Lear'' is considered by some to be Shakespeare's finest artistic achievement.  Everything in this play is perfectly woven together, such that nothing can be removed without detracting significantly from it.

One ranking puts it at #5 of Shakespeare's greatest plays.<ref>https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/the-ten-best-shakespeare-plays-of-all-time</ref>  Its performance length is about 3 hours, reflecting its word length of 26,145.  At 250 words per minute, it can be read in less than 6 hours.

One ranking puts it at #5 of Shakespeare's greatest plays.<ref>https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/the-ten-best-shakespeare-plays-of-all-time</ref>  Its performance length is about 3 hours, reflecting its word length of 26,145.  It can be read in less than 6 hours, at an average reading rate of 250 words per minute.

Betrayal and lies permeate ''King Lear'', and its tale includes women ungrateful to their generous father.  But modern adaptations of ''King Lear'' give it a happy ending, and thereby make it more popular, including ''The History of King Lear'' (1681) by the English poet Nahum Tate.

Betrayal and lies permeate ''King Lear'', and its tale includes women ungrateful to their generous father.  But modern adaptations of ''King Lear'' give it a happy ending, and thereby make it more popular, including ''The History of King Lear'' (1681) by the English poet Nahum Tate.