Character Analysis Of King Lear

Early in Shakespeare’s play, King Lear, the main character King Lear can be described as a negatively one-dimensional fool. He is materialistic, physically abusive, childish, and egotistical. The comedic ‘rhythm’ that is shown is when the daughters work around Lear’s character to gain power with land he gifts to them. Shakespeare then introduces a transitional period, and uses the Fool as the comedic relief. The Fool works towards changing Lear into a complex person whom we can admire. (Person who doesn’t take things for granted) Lear decides to divvy up his land to his daughters, and he asks them, “Which of you shall say doth love us most, that we our largest bounty may extend?” Act1 Sc1 lines56-57. Lear uses his daughters’ frilly words of

Oswald, Goneril’s steward, calls Lear the “father of the lady of the house” and essentially says Lear is not the boss of him. In response to this, Lear strikes Oswald. Lear could have punished Oswald in another way, but he impulsively chose to physically abuse his daughters’ servant. Lear can be characterized as childish as well. After Goneril complains about how Lear lets his knights be so disrespectful, Lear asks rhetorically, “Your name, fair gentlewoman?” Act1 Sc4 Line 243. Instead of directly addressing Goneril’s complaint, Lear mocks it and pretends like he doesn 't know who Goneril is. This is an incredibly childish thing to do coming from a King. Lastly, Lear, driven by entitlement, shows his egotistical nature. When Regan advises Lear to go to Goneril and ask for forgiveness, Lear completely denounces the idea. He says, “Ask her forgiveness? Do you but mark how this becomes the house: [He kneels] ‘Dear daughter, I confess that I am old. Age is unnecessary. On my knees I beg that you 'll vouchsafe me raiment, bed, and food.’” Act2 Sc4 Lines172-176. Lear retorts that he would not ask his daughter for forgiveness because that isn 't something a royal family should do. His own ego is too large to admit he did something wrong to Goneril.

In acts one to three, Shakespeare has deliberately built up a list of negative traits in Lear. His purpose in this is to set up the climactic point in which Lear realizes

The King Lear plotline and Gloucester plotline are very similar in characters and events, as well as the overall outcome at the end of Act 3. Both King Lear and Gloucester have offspring that want inheritance from them, which causes controversy. Eventually, this lands both Lear and Gloucester in a state of despair caused by their own children. Ultimately, the two suffer some form of blindness. Lear loses his sight metaphorically, while Gloucester loses his sight literally. Shakespeare uses this parallelism to highlight the amoral nature of both Lear’s and Gloucester’s children. Goneril and Regan deceived Lear when they went along with his words of love competition. Edmund created an entire scheme to get rid of Edgar and get Edgars inheritance