Comparison between A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley and King Lear by William Shakespeare Jane Smiley's novel A Thousand Acres is a modern version of King Lear by William Shakespeare. The tragic ideas brought forth by King Lear are revisited in A Thousand Acres, both containing universal themes that societies from past to present can identify with. Tragedy is a form of drama that depicts the suffering of a heroic individual who is often overwhelmed by the very obstacles he is struggling to remove. The novel and the play each contain distinct tragic elements that lead to similar character, plot, and image development, but both have distinct themes. A Thousand Acres provides a new interpretation of Shakespeare's classic tragedy allowing the reader to put a unique spin on their views on the Lear family. William Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear begins with the king's decision to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. He gathers them all together and tells them that he will divide the kingdom according to who has the most love for him. Goneril and Reagan, the two eldest daughters, make grand declarations of love to get the parts of the kingdom they want. The youngest daughter, Cordelia, tells Lear that she loves him, as a daughter should love a father. Lear becomes angry and disappointed by Cordelia's response, feeling that she has shown a lack of devotion, so he takes action and banishes her. When Kent, a close friend of Lear, attempts to defend Cordelia, but is also banished by Lear. Cordelia marries the king of France and goes to live there. The kingdom is equally divided between Goneril and Regan. These two daughters are evil and decide that if Lear became too much of a problem then they would get a... middle of paper... that would avoid this tragedy. The blinding Gloucester becomes ironic because when he is blinded he can see that he has misjudged his son Edgar and that it is Edmund who is evil. Similarly, in A Thousand Acres Loren the faithful son is the cause of his own tragedy. Both Lear and Larry go mad after giving up their power too soon. When Lear gives up his kingdom to his daughters, he loses respect and power which drives him mad. When Larry hands the farm over to his daughters, he loses control of the land and goes mad. Works Cited and Consulted Bradley, AC "King Lear". 20th century interpretations of King Lear. Ed. Jane Adelmann. New Jersey; Prentice-Hall, 1978.Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of King Lear. Ed. Russell Fraser. New York: Penguin, 1998. Smiley, Jane. A thousand acres. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1991.