essay

• In a play where true loyalty is rare, Kent is loyalty personified. In Act 1, kent tells us how he 'held [his] life but as a pawn to wage against thy enemies' suggesting that he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his lord and that his life is of insignificance to his.
• Kent warns lear 'thou dost evil' upon his banishment of Cordelia, this risky action - given lear's state of mind - portrays the extent to which kent views his role as a servant to be the protector of his Lord's morality as opposed to unquestioningly following his master's order. This aligns him with servant 1 in 3.7 opposed to the odious Oswald and readers cannot help but commend kent for choosing to do what is right, not what is most convenient.
• Kent's unfailing allegiance to his master and attempt to punish anyone who dares violate the sanctity of his king establishes him as a protector of the divine right of kings and while the play is set in a pre-christian, pagan world - shakespeare's audience were christian and would have believed in their monarchs divine right.
• In this way, Kent represents a comforting order and stability in a world where this is flouted.
• His insult of oswald ('a traitor made thee') may therefore be argued to be a projection of the audience's feelings on stage
• Disgusted by Oswald's depiction as a subservient lackey, we cheer on kent as he draws his sword against villainy and the line 'a base football player' often draws a laugh and cheer.
• His defiance of Cornwall and Regan ('I have seen better faces') and the stoicsm shown during his imprisonment (he will 'whistle' and console himself) casts Kent to be of a balanced and calm disposition during his misfortune. This is further shown when he calls upon 'fortune' to 'once more: turn thy wheel' for the suggestion is that he perceives his abasement to be temporary and potentially the disorder of the play.
• The instance when he is placed in the stocks and Lear defends him provides an opportunity for Lear to become an admirable character the audience comes to respect for protecting his men.