I decided to overcome longstanding feelings of inadequacy which had until now kept me away from Shakespeare's plays, which I had never studied in school and which seemed indecipherable to me. There is no particular reason why I chose to start with Lear, other than the fact that I had gotten my hands on an excellent audio version of a performance featuring John Gielgud as the king. One of Shakespeare most bleak and depressing, plays, it tells the story of how King Lear chose to divide his kingdom between his two eldest daughters because of their flattering words, disowning his most faithful daughter, Cordelia when she fails to shower him with compliments, and thereby bringing himself unending torment and sorrow. I've yet to listen to that performance, but I read the play first, and with SparkNotes helping me to decipher all the nuances of Shakespearean English, was surprised to find myself enjoying it to the point of laughter when the unremitting bleakness had one of the central characters putting it succinctly when he said: "Our present business is general woe". That's one Shakespeare quote I'm not likely to forget! ( )