Chapter III
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 of King Lear is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lear. Who wouldst thou serue? Kent. You Lear. Do'st thou know me fellow?
King Lear
Chapter III · Chapter 3
Chapter 3 of King Lear is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
Lear.
Who
wouldst
thou
serue?
Kent.
You
Lear.
Do'st
thou
know
me
fellow?
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
King Lear
Chapter III · Chapter 3
Chapter 3 of King Lear is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
Lear.
/lɪr/
Line 2
Who
wouldst
thou
serue?
Line 3
Kent.
/kent/
Line 4
You
Lear.
/juː lɪr/
Line 5
Do'st
thou
know
me
fellow?
Learner Dictionary
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
fellow
noun
US /ˈfeloʊ/
a boy or man
From this reading “Do'st thou know me fellow?”
Kent
noun
US /kent/
a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans
From this reading “Kent.”
know
verb
US /noʊ/
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Do'st thou know me fellow?”
Lear
noun
US /lɪr/
British artist and writer of nonsense verse (1812-1888)
From this reading “Lear.”
thou
pronoun
US /ðaʊ/
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “Who wouldst thou serue?”
wouldst
modal verb
US /wʊdst/
an old form of “would”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Who wouldst thou serue?”
All words in this reading · 11
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Do'st
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Do'st thou know me fellow?
fellownounUS /ˈfeloʊ/
a boy or man
From this reading Do'st thou know me fellow?
KentnounUS /kent/
a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans
From this reading Kent.
knowverbUS /noʊ/
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Do'st thou know me fellow?
LearnounUS /lɪr/
British artist and writer of nonsense verse (1812-1888)
From this reading Lear.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Do'st thou know me fellow?
serue
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who wouldst thou serue?
thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Who wouldst thou serue?
WhopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading Who wouldst thou serue?
wouldstmodal verbUS /wʊdst/
an old form of “would”, used with “thou”
From this reading Who wouldst thou serue?
YoupronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You Lear.
Chapter 3 of King Lear by William Shakespeare holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
What does chapter 3 of King Lear contain?
Chapter 3 holds 177 sentences of King Lear, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of King Lear by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
How do I study chapter 3 of King Lear?
Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Questions about reading King Lear
Common questions about reading King Lear by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of King Lear?
Yes. All 1952 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1128 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of King Lear is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #1128, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does King Lear take to read?
About 162 minutes of reading across 391 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read King Lear section by section
How to work through King Lear section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 11 chapters of King Lear to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in King Lear
Words and structures a reader meets early in King Lear, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Addition
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Lear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Notes
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Lear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Below
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Lear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Think
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Lear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.