King Lear

• King Lear's use of Power

  • King Lear uses his power as monarch to divide his kingdom between his daughters
  • He also uses to power to banish both Kent and Cordelia
• Goneril and Regan


  Once Goneril and Regan were granted the power of owning their part of the kingdom, they turn on Lear and strip him of his remaining power
• Edmund's Manipulation


  • Edmund manipulates his brother and father in order to achieve his goal
  • Edmund attempts to gain power regardless of the consequences of his family
  • This proving just how important and valuable power was in the play
• Kent's Loyalty to Lear


  • Kent remains loyal to Lear despite his banishment
  • He disguises himself as Caius to continue serving the King
  • Kent is willing to risk his life simply to serve for the King
  • This not only highlighting Kent's loyalty but also the worshipping of Lear's power
• Cordelia's Loyalty


  • Unlike her sisters, Cordelia remains loyal to her father and chooses not to flatter him with false feelings of love, this ultimately leading to her disinheritance
  • She decides to remain loyal to him and helps him post his descent to madness
• Goneril and Regan's disloyalty


  • The disloyalty of Goneril and Regan to her father is ironic in comparison to Cordelia
  • Cordelia decides to remain loyal to Lear, despite her lack of inheritance. Whereas Goneril and Regan choose to betray their father having been provided with eternal riches
  • This also highlighting the greed to which power brings in the play
• The Fool's Loyalty


  • The Fool stays with Lear during his descent to madness, providing him with a companion and truth through his, seemingly, meaningless songs and jests
  • His role is to guide Lear through his difficult time, which is unlike the role of a fool during the times of the play (1600s), where the role of a fool was to simply provide entertainment
• Edgar's Loyalty to Gloucester


  • After being falsely accused of planning to kill his father, Edgar goes into hiding
  • He adopts the persona of 'Poor Tom' in attempt to protect and eventually save his father
• Lear's Loss of Power

  • Lear begins to spiral into madness once he realises he has been betrayed by Goneril and Regan and has lost all power
  • Lear can not live with himself after the mistake he made, this driving him to madness
• Lear's Madness During Storm


  • As Lear wanders through the storm, he begins to curse against the storms and his daughters, who are not present
  • Lear's speech shows just how deep he has descended into this pool of madness
• Cordelia's Injustice


  • Lear's decision to divide his Kingdom based on his daughter's love for him, leads to unjust consequences, in particular for Cordelia
  • Goneril and Regan are provided with equal shares of the land, whilst Cordelia is provided with none, despite the unknown truth that Cordelia is the only daughter that truly loves her father
• Gloucester's Punishment and Suffering


  • Gloucester is unjustly blinded for his loyalty to Lear
  • This act of cruelty shows the theme of human injustice, where the characters who are truthfully good, suffer due to the treachery, greed and malice of others
• Edgar's Sought for Justice


  • Edgar, who is wronged by his brother Edmund, seeks to restore justice and clear his name
  • Edgar's eventual victory over Edmund shows that there are some aspects of justice within the play
• Lear's Metaphorical Blindness


  • Lear is unable to see the true nature of his daughter's love
  • Lear fails to recognize the genuine love that Cordelia shows him
• Gloucester's Metaphorical Blindness


  • Gloucester is also unable to the truth of the situation between his sons
  • He is deceived by his son Edmund and fails to see Edgar's innocence
  • Gloucester is quick to believe Edmund's lies, showing his blindness as well as his gullibility
• Gloucester's Literal Blindness


  Gloucester is also literally blinded by Cornwall and Regan as punishment for his loyalty to Lear
• Lear's Insight Through Blindness


  • Ironically, as Lear descends into madness, he begins to gain clarification of his mistakes
  • He also sees the true nature of the people around him
• Lear's Treatment of Kent


  • In the early stages of the play, Lear is unable to recognise Kent's wisdom, as to his opinion of Cordelia's banishment
  • Lear's blindness towards Kent is shown a second time when he is unable to recognise that Kent has returned to his courtship and is operating as his servant in disguise
• King Lear was set and written during Elizabethan times. There was political uncertainty and concerns about succession. This is reflected in Lear's division of his kingdom to his three daughters.