Loyalty In King Lear

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From the banishment of Kent and Cordelia till his death King Lear in William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of King Lear is blind to the signs of loyalty. In the play, Lear has decided to step down from his throne and evenly distribute his kingdom to his three daughters : Goneril, Cordelia, and Regan. However, each of them must proclaim their love for him first, Goneril and Regan easily win Lear over by flattering and praising him. On the other hand Cordelia, Lear’s favorite, who truly loves him is left with a loss for words and he sees this lack of response as a sign of disrespect. His lack of judgment for her and others true loyalty leads to great torment throughout the development of the play. The recurring theme of loyalty in all aspects of the play is portrayed upon the characters of Kent, Cordelia and the Fool. …show more content…

The Fool uses humour to criticize Lear on his every decision and mistake. He aids Lear and helps him come to the reality of things. In act one the Fool explains to Lear the nonsense in his decision of splitting up the kingdom by stating, “..When thou clovest thy/ crown i’ th’ middle, and gavest away both parts,thou borest/ thy ass o’ tho’ back o’er the dirt..Thou hadst little wit in thy/ bald crown when thou gavest thy golden one away.”(1.4.143-146) Lear once again turns the blind eye on his truthful words and sticks with his stubborn peace of mind. Even through all the harsh words from Lear the Fool decides to stay with him and help guide him in his journey into madness.The fool gives a speech to Lear in Act Two he claims to him that, “That sir which serves for seek and gain, /And follows but for form, /Will pack when it begins to rain/And leave thee in the storm. /But I will tarry. The fool will stay.”(2.4.68-72) The fool acts and speaks with true intentions and it is only till the end when he is hung for being allies with Lear does Lear realize how much he did him

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