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King Lear
King Lear

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of King Lear is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for King Lear
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Bast.
There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.
Enter a Herald.
Alb.
A Herald, ho.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

King Lear

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of King Lear is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Bast.
/bæst/
Line 2
There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.
Line 3
Enter a Herald.
/ˈentər ə ˈherəld/
Line 4
Alb.
Line 5
A Herald, ho.
/ə ˈherəld hoʊ/

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.

approach verb US /əˈproʊtʃ/

move towards

From this reading “There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.”

Bast noun US /bæst/

strong woody fibers obtained especially from the phloem of from various plants

From this reading “Bast.”

dares noun US /derz/

plural of “dare” — a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy

From this reading “There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.”

exchange noun US /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/

chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another

From this reading “There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.”

Herald verb US /ˈherəld/

foreshadow or presage

From this reading “Enter a Herald.”

lies noun US /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

From this reading “There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.”

Traitor noun US /ˈtreɪtər/

someone who betrays his country by committing treason

From this reading “There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.”

Trumpet verb US /ˈtrʌmpət/

proclaim on, or as if on, a trumpet

From this reading “There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.”

All words in this reading · 38

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Enter a Herald.

Albnoun

a white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves; worn by priests

From this reading Alb.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

approachverbUS /əˈproʊtʃ/

move towards

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

BastnounUS /bæst/

strong woody fibers obtained especially from the phloem of from various plants

From this reading Bast.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

CallverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

daresnounUS /derz/

plural of “dare” — a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

EnterverbUS /ˈentər/

to come or go into

From this reading Enter a Herald.

exchangenounUS /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/

chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

firmely

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

HeraldverbUS /ˈherəld/

foreshadow or presage

From this reading Enter a Herald.

hes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

honounUS /hoʊ/

a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs together with yttrium; forms highly magnetic compounds

From this reading A Herald, ho.

honornounUS /ˈɑːnər/

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

liesnounUS /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

maintaine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

namesnounUS /neɪmz/

verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

There's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

TraitornounUS /ˈtreɪtər/

someone who betrays his country by committing treason

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

TrumpetverbUS /ˈtrʌmpət/

proclaim on, or as if on, a trumpet

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

villain-like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading There's my exchange, what in the world hes That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by the Trumpet: he that dares approach; On him, on you, who not, I will maintaine My truth and honor firmely.

Chapter 11 of King Lear by William Shakespeare holds 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 11 of King Lear contain?

Chapter 11 holds 169 sentences of King Lear, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of King Lear by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 11 of King Lear?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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 11 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 11 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.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of King Lear to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. 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.