Nahum Tate may have rewritten Shakespeare's tragic ending in The History of King Lear in order to square offer a more hopeful and uplifing resolution that appealed to contemporary tas remove emotional complexity to make the story more action-driven further emphasize the inevitability of Lear's downfall and tragedy to highlight fal highlight the original focus on betrayal to preserve Shakespeare's intent For your souls' sakes dear sirs, and for the gods'.