Eventually, his sons-in-law band together and overthrow him, so Leir is forced to flee to France. Leir also only asks for 100 knights for his entourage, which his wicked daughters reduce to zero after a couple of years. The primary plot of the play follows the history closely: King Leir has three daughters, two of whom flatter him to receive their shares of the kingdom, and one who truly loves him but refuses to play his games. These coinciding milestones may contribute to why Shakespeare peppered the play with so many references to Roman gods and goddesses. Supposedly, King Leir of the Britons ruled in the 8th century B.C., which is also about the time that Rome was being founded. The inspiration for Shakespeare’s play comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s book, published in 1136, called History of the Kings of Britain.
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