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Glite Dictionary
Leir of Britain

Leir of Britain

9.9
A legendary British king whose daughters betray him and who appears in Shakespeare's tragedy
  • proper noun
  • Literature
translation icon : Leir de Bretaña
  • The legend of Leir of Britain inspired Shakespeare's famous tragedy.

Examples

  • King Leir of Britain is a tragic figure in literature.

  • Literary scholars often compare the story of Leir of Britain to other tales of familial betrayal.

  • Early chronicles describe Leir of Britain as a wise ruler undone by his own daughters.

  • Did you read about Leir of Britain in Shakespeare's play?

  • Early chronicles describe Leir of Britain as a wise ruler undone by his own daughters.

  • The legend of Leir of Britain inspired Shakespeare's famous tragedy.

  • Literary scholars often compare the story of Leir of Britain to other tales of familial betrayal.

Synonyms

Lear
vsLeir of Britain
  • Literature
28 8.9

A king in Shakespeare's play whose two daughters betray him

is the wider legendary king not only the play's named role
King Lear
vsLeir of Britain
  • Literature
1 7.0

An old king in a play by Shakespeare who loses his mind after his daughters betray him

is the broader legendary figure rather than only the play's character

Surface Forms

Leir of Britain main

Morphology

Leir + of + Britain

This is a proper name (an archaic spelling of King Lear) whose literary and historical significance cannot be derived from the parts 'Leir' + 'of' + 'Britain'. Knowing 'Britain' and the preposition 'of' only signals a geographic/possessive relation; the specific sense 'legendary king betrayed by his daughters' is cultural knowledge, so a B1 learner would not infer it from the constituents alone.

Etymology

Leir of Britain comes from an old legend about a king who gave land to his daughters and was later 'betrayed' by them and lost his crown. That strong picture of a ruler left alone is why his name is used for a 'tragic' king who is undone by his family.