King Lear as a Changed Character at the End of Shakespeare's Play

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King Lear as a Changed Character at the End of Shakespeare's Play

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King Lear was written in 1605-1606, the exact date is unknown. It was

performed at the Globe theatre on 26 December 1606 and was first

published in 1608. The play was written by William Shakespeare who has

written 37 other plays for Elizabethan and Jacobean audiences. William

Shakespeare wrote the play for King James 1. King James had sons in

mind as heirs and not daughters and he might have thought it foolish

and stupid to have daughters as heir to the throne as it is in king

Lear. King Lear was written for the Jacobean audience.

There are two plots in King Lear, both plots are not linked at the

beginning but they link at the end when the characters in the two

plots get together. The two plots are the main plot and the sub plot.

The main plot is about Lear's madness and the sub plot is about

Gloucester, Edmund and Edgar the bastard. Edmund writes a letter that

he pretends is from his brother about how he wants all his fathers

money. He writes the letter because he wants his father to think he is

better than his brother and he wants all the money. He also wants his

father to fight and break up with his brother.

In Act1 Scene1 the 'love test' takes place. This is when Lear wants

his three daughters to confess who loves him the most to claim there

share of kingdom. Lear wanted to split his kingdom between his three

daughters. He expected himself to still be king but his daughters to

rule the kingdom whilst he does nothing. Lear knew his youngest

daughter Cordelia, who is kind, honest and sometimes naïve, was his

favourite and Cordelia loved Lear the most but he still wanted a love

test in which Cordelia says:

"I love you majesty according to my bond, no more nor less" (Cordelia)

Lear banishes Cordelia from the kingdom because he is vain and

selfish. He expects Cordelia to say the same as his other two

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