King Lear

King Lear is set in the court of an ageing British monarch. Shakespeare probably wrote it in around 1604, sandwiched between two other great tragedies, Othello and Macbeth. Having reached the age of 80, the widowed King Lear calls his nobles together to announce his intention to pass on the cares and responsibility of monarchy to his three daughters, with whom he means to live on a rota basis. His eldest, Goneril, is married to the Duke of Albany and his middle child, Regan, is married to the Duke of Cornwall. At the court are the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, both hoping to marry Lear’s youngest (and favorite) daughter Cordelia. Before dividing his kingdom, however, Lear challenges his daughters to prove which of them loves him best. His two elder daughters play along, making passionate speeches about the depth of their love for him, but his youngest, horrified by their excesses, refuses to say anything. Her unwillingness to exaggerate her feelings enrages Lear and he banishes her forever. He divides his country between his elder daughters and their husbands. On learning that Cordelia will no longer inherit anything from Lear, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his proposal of marriage. She leaves with the King of France who loves her more now that she has proved her honesty. When Lear’s rash behavior is challenged by his most faithful servant, the Earl of Kent, he is banished too, but returns in disguise to serve his old master in secret, calling himself Caius. In a similar misunderstanding, the Earl of Gloucester is misled by his scheming illegitimate son, Edmund, into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, wishes to murder him in order to inherit his title and lands. Edgar escapes his father’s anger by running away and disguising himself as a mad beggar called ‘Poor Tom’. Lear soon discovers that, by passing his authority to his daughters, he has damaged his relationship with them so much that he is refused a home with either of them. He finds himself banished into a storm with only his Fool (a jester) and the disguised Kent for company. As he descends into madness he learns the error of his ways. Gloucester’s support for the displaced King angers Goneril and Regan and he too finds himself cast out and defenseless and in the care of Poor Tom, whom he still believes to be a beggar rather than his own son. As both Lear and Gloucester learn the true nature of their children, their hopes rest with Cordelia, newly returned to Britain in charge of a French army.