King Lear

Season 3 - Episode 5: King Lear
Overview
King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.
Episode Information
TV Show
Great Performances
Season
Season 3
Episode Number
5
Air Date
February 20, 1974
Runtime
175 minutes
Guest Stars
Douglass Watson
Kent

Paul Sorvino
Gloucester

Raúl Juliá
Edmund

James Earl Jones
King Lear

Rosalind Cash
Goneril

Lee Chamberlin
Cordelia