King Lear :: Essays Papers

pouf LearThere are really two plots in King Lear, a main plot and a fully certain subplot. Each has its own set of characters. In the main plot, there is the doubt of the family, the80-plus-year-old king of Britain, Lear. He has three daughters,Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. The Duke of Albany is married tothe oldest, Goneril, and the Duke of Cornwall is married toRegan, the lay daughter. Cordelia has two suitors, the Dukeof Burgundy and the King of France. The court jester, the Fool,is by extension a extremity of the Lear family and part of the mainplot, as is the Earl of Kent, Lears loyal follower. The Earl of Gloucester, also a portion of Lears court, is thehead of another family and the focus of the subplot. He has twooffspring, an older, legitimate tidings named Edgar and a younger,illegitimate or bastard son named Edmund. Various pocketable characters appear from time to time. They areeasily identified by their connections with whatever maincharacter they serve or speak of. As the goldbrick opens, Lear has decided to retire and divide hiskingdom among his three daughters. Cordelias husband provide bechosen for her immediately after Lear executes this living give. Before he allots the shares, Lear asks each daughter tomake a profession of her bop for him in order to receive herentitlement. Goneril and Regan waste no time professing lovefor their father, but Cordelia is speechless. She loves herfather as any daughter should, no much and no less. Lear isoutraged by what he sees as her lack of devotion. He cutsCordelia out of her share and banishes her. Her share isdivided between Goneril and Regan. Lear gives them everythingbut keeps a retinue, a following of 100 knights who willaccompany him as he alternates monthly visits between his twodaughters. Cordelias suitors are called in. Without a dowry,Burgundy rejects her but the King of France sees her true worthand leads Cordelia off to marriage and his protection. At Gloucesters cas tle, Edmund reveals that he will not let hisillegitimate birth and older brother keep open him from inheritinghis fathers estate. He devises a plan to convince Gloucesterthat Edgar is secretly be after to kill his father to get hishands on the family property and ravish it while hes stillyoung. Edmund then tells Edgar that their father is after himfor some false notion of a reported crime.