King Lear

King Lear is generally regarded as one of William Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. It is believed to have been written in 1605 and is based on the legend of Leir, a king of pre-Roman Britain. His story had already been told in chronicles, poems and sermons, as well as on the stage, when Shakespeare undertook the task of retelling it.

Characters

• King Lear is ruler of Britain. He's a patriarchal figure whose misjudgement of his daughters brings about his downfall.
• Goneril is Lear's treacherous eldest daughter and wife to the Duke of Albany.
• Regan is Lear's treacherous second daughter, and wife to the Duke of Cornwall.
• Cordelia (poss. "heart of a lion" ¹) is Lear's youngest daughter.
• The Duke of Albany² is Goneril's husband. Goneril scorns him for his "milky gentleness". He turns against his wife later in the play.
• The Duke of Cornwall² is Regan's husband. He has the Earl of Kent put in the stocks, leaves Lear out on the heath during a storm, and gouges out Gloucester's eyes. After his attack on Gloucester, one of his servants attacks and mortally wounds him.
• The Earl of Gloucester² is Edgar's father, and the father of the illegitimate son, Edmund. Edmund deceives him against Edgar, and Edgar flees, taking on the disguise of Tom of Bedlam.
• The Earl of Kent² is always faithful to Lear, but he is banished by the king after he protests against Lear's treatment of Cordelia. He takes on a disguise and serves the king without letting him know his true identity.
• Edmund is Gloucester's illegitimate son. He works with Goneril and Regan to further his ambitions, and the three of them form a romantic triangle.
• Edgar is the legitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. Disguised as Tom of Bedlam, he helps his blind father. At the end of the play, he assumes reign of the kingdom.
• Oswald is Goneril's servant, and is described as "a serviceable villain". He tries to murder Gloucester, but is instead murdered by Edgar.
• The Fool is a jester who is devoted to Lear and Cordelia.