# King Lear

**Author:** William Shakespeare
**Grade range:** Grades 11–12
**Age range:** 15–18
**First published:** 1606
**Page count:** 368
**Genre:** Drama
**ISBN-13:** `9780743482769`
**ISBN-10:** `074348276X`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/king-lear
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

Shakespeare's tragedy follows an aging king who divides his kingdom by how loudly his daughters profess their love, banishing the one who truly loves him. His error unleashes betrayal, madness, and ruin across two families. A standard grades 11-12 and AP text for studying tragedy, power, family, and the limits of authority.

## Themes

- family
- power
- betrayal
- madness
- aging

## Content notes

- violence

## Where this book is assigned

### AP English Literature & Composition

- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: AP Lit drama representative text](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-literature-and-composition)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: AP Lit drama representative text](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-literature-and-composition)

### IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature

- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: William Shakespeare is on the IB Diploma Programme English A: Literature Prescribed Reading List (author-eligible; schools select from the full PRL). Verified via independent author-roster cross-reference, 2026-09-04.](https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: William Shakespeare is on the IB Diploma Programme English A: Literature Prescribed Reading List (author-eligible; schools select from the full PRL). Verified via independent author-roster cross-reference, 2026-09-04.](https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/)

## Banned / challenged record

Documented removals or formal challenges in at least one school district in 1 state: TX. Source: [PEN America's Index of School Book Bans](https://pen.org/banned-book-list/) 2022-2024.

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_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. For the full HTML view with reading-list cross-references, see https://readinglist.school/book/king-lear._