Crossword Genius

In play, he madly swilled ink and lager (4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

king lear

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'in play' is the definition.
'King Lear' can be an answer for 'play' (Shakespeare play). I'm unsure of the 'in' bit.

'he madly swilled ink and lager' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'he' could be 'king' and 'king' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'lear' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for king lear that I've seen before include "Tragic Shakespearean monarch" , "Shakespearean tragedy" , "Tragic hero" , "drama" , "Shakespeare's foolish tragic monarch" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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