King Lear

The nexus between loyalty and betrayal

Thomas Dunbabin
Word Count: 1282

Ideas
Loyalty
Differing views of loyalty explored in the actions of
characters
Betrayal
Familial betrayal
Lear and Gloucesters families falls apart
Reality and illusion
Recurring motif of sight
Descent into madness
An agent of beneficial change
Nature, order and religion
The divine right of Kings to rule
Lear loves power, order and control
Upsetting of natural order by striving for power
Edmond
Regan and Gonerill
The storm mirrors Lears descent into madness

Characterisation
Protagonists
Eponymous protagonist- King Lear

Hamartia- fatal flaw, Lears pride and arrogance

Anagnorisis- Lear realises the truth at the end
Parallel protagonist- Edmond
Bastard child, betrays father
Antagonists
Regan and Gonerill
Static characters
Both fall in love with Edmond
Parallel characters
Edgar and Cordelia
Both rejected by their fathers unfairly
Gloucester and Lear
Easily persuaded old men
Both succumb to a type of madness
Both only see the truth when blind
Contrasting characters
Kent and Lear
Kent remains loyal always
Lear is quick to madden at Kent
Edmond and Edgar
Edmond is manipulative and has aspirations
Edgar is innocent, easily influenced
Minor characters

Lears Fool
Moral guidance
Lear remains loyal to Fool
Albany and Cornwall
Married to the two sisters
Violent, bad guys
Function of sexes
Men have all the power
Regan and Gonerill are strong characters
Their husbands have greater social standing
Context
Political
Jacobean Era
Primogeniture
Outrage at carving up kingdom
England moving towards cohesion of a single realm
Religious duty to keep realm intact
Historical
King Lear a mixture of myth and legend
Story told before Shakespeare was born
King Lear written around 1605
Several events at the time included father and daughters
Story of William Allen

Henry VIIIs decision to separate from Catholic church still

felt
Relationship between king and country like patriarch and
household
Cultural
People rising up against feudal system
Edmond example of man on the make
Changing social order, threatening underclass
Society still hierarchal
Enclosure of common fields provoked protest
Beggars roamed countryside
Religious
God gives kings their power
Aesthetic
Language
Motifs
Power
Sight (dramatic irony)
Illness/decay/madness
Nature/animals
Styles
Blank verse iambic pentameter
Prose

Soliloquys
Antithesis
Nothing will come of nothing

From the opening scene of Shakespeares intricate tragedy, King

Lear, the ideas of loyalty and betrayal are explored in the actions
and perspectives of the characters. Shakespeare highlights loyalty
as a force that drives the story, and within this concept explores
different interpretations of loyalty by different characters. For
example, King Lears definition of loyalty is shown to be very
different to the loyalty of Kent, just one example of juxtaposed views
on loyalty throughout the play. Betrayal is also a major theme in
King Lear, especially betrayal of familial connections. Characters
that seem loyal and of whom loyalty is demanded according to their
position break this loyalty. This nexus between loyalty and betrayal
is explored throughout King Lear as a driving force for the storyline.
Although often perceived as opposites, the act of loyalty can
sometimes involve an act of betrayal. Loyalty is developed as a
central theme from the very start of play. Cordelias loyalty and
definition of loyalty is contrasted to that of her two sisters at the
start of the first act, when Lear poses the question: Which of you
shall we say doth love us most? (Shakespeare 5). This question is
both a test of his childrens loyalty and, as Scott states in his
analysis of King Lear: The way this fictional king imposes his
authority (Scott 49), not a competition, as Lear has already decided
that they will all receive a share of the kingdom. Cordelias response
is one of familial loyalty, but Lear sees it as a betrayal of filial love
when compared to the contrived responses of her deceitful sisters.
Despite subsequently receiving shocking treatment, Cordelia
continues to display the same filial loyalty towards her father. Lear
and Cordelia have differing opinions of what loyalty is, and this leads
to the first complication in the play. Lear is so narcissistic that he
sees Cordelias actions as betrayal, not the expression of daughterly
loyalty that she considers them. Lear continues to misconstrue

peoples actions throughout King Lear, showing that his concept of

loyalty is based on his need to be loved and revered. It is not until
his anagnorisis in the last act that Lear realises the true loyalty that
Cordelia has for him. Shakespeare compares Lears loyalty to the
loyalty of Kent, who is loyalty personified, but a different loyalty to
Lears view of loyalty. Even after Lear treats him horrendously,
betraying his close friend, Kent still comes back to serve Lear in
disguise. He remains one of the only characters to be actively loyal
to Lear throughout the play, even though this loyalty entails a
betrayal of Lears trust as Kent pretends to be someone else. This
loyalty in the face of betrayal sets Kent apart from Lear, who is the
betrayer. Even at the end of the play, Kent remains loyal, stating
that after Lears death that: I have a journey, sir, shortly to go: / my
master calls me; I must not say no. (Shakespeare 199). Kent is loyal
to Lear to his deathbed; the loyalty of a man devoted to his king.
Through the characters of Kent and Lear we can see two very
different interpretations of loyalty, influenced by individual
perspectives.
Betrayal has a central role in King Lear, and goes hand-in-hand with
loyalty. Shakespeare uses the recurring theme of betrayal to convey
a moral lesson: those who stay true to their loved ones will live
happier lives than those who betray them. Several examples are
provided of those who betray their loved ones, starting with Lears
betrayal of Cordelia. In addition, the parallel plots between the two
families is a compositional feature used by Shakespeare to further
explore themes of betrayal in a familial context. As Scott writes:
Lear is clearly wrong in what he is doing. (Scott 48). Lear shuns
Cordelia on the spur of the moment, kicking her from the kingdom
and renouncing her, betraying his role as a father and the
responsibilities that it entails. Although Lear considers Cordelia to

have betrayed him, he is alone in this belief; it is really him who has
betrayed his own daughter. This is interesting when contrasted with
the relationship Lear has with his Fool. The Fool endlessly insults
Lear, but Lear is more loyal to him than to his own daughter. The
theme of familial betrayal is further explored through Edmond and
Gloucester. Gloucester is savagely betrayed by his son Edmond, who
is motivated by the deep sadness and the sense of inferiority that
being a bastard son brings. Edmonds deceitfulness and cunning is
second to none in King Lear, and he uses it to betray his brother and
father with the aim of gaining his fathers land, which he recognises
will bring him power. The dark extent of Edmonds betrayal is
explored through the soliloquys he gives; a compositional feature
that Shakespeare uses to broaden our understanding of his
character. One of these soliloquys highlights Edmonds total
awareness of the betrayal he is committing: That which my father
loses; no less than all: / The younger rises when the old doth fall.
(Shakespeare 107). Edmonds betrayal is not inadvertent, like Lears
betrayal of Cordelia, but is instead planned and orchestrated. This is
alike in nature to Regan and Gonerills planned betrayal of Lear, who
scheme to control him. Gonerill speaks to Regan: Pray you, let us
sit together. If our father carry authority / with such disposition as
he bears, this last surrender / of his will but offend us. (Shakespeare
19). The betrayals of Edmond, Regan and Gonerill explore the link
between betrayal and loyalty, as the people that they are betraying
are close family members- those to whom it is expected one should
have the most loyalty, and it makes the betrayals in King Lear even
more shocking to the audience.
The moral stance that Shakespeare assumes through King Lear is
clear. The tragedy influences its audience by giving its characters
endings they deserve, with the notable exceptions being Lears Fool

and Cordelia. The character who has objectively best ending is

Edgar, who remains one of the few left alive at the end of the play.
Edgar plays an interesting role in the story: loyal to his father who
shuns him, betrayed by his brother and at last his fathers eventual
saviour. Edgars story parallels that of Cordelias, as both remain
loyal to their fathers even after their fathers disown them, although
interestingly, Cordelia is not rewarded with a happy ending. Edgar is
a character of many faces and unclear motivations. As Greer writes
in her book Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction: [Edgar is] a
collection of masks rather than a character. (Greer 110). The reason
Edgar remains loyal to his father is unclear. Finding his father blind,
alone and desperate, Edgar has a perfect opportunity to exact
revenge upon Gloucester who has betrayed him, however he does
not, instead choosing to lead Gloucester to safety, albeit in a roundabout way. This element of humanity sets Edgar apart from his
disloyal brother Edmond, who acts without humanity. That it is
difficult to understand Edgars motivation throughout the play make
him one of the more confusing characters, but his loyalty in the face
of the ultimate betrayal is clear.
The nexus between loyalty and betrayal is explored in depth by
Shakespeare in King Lear, particularly in a familial context. Betrayal
drives the plot of King Lear, creating complications and developing
characters. The themes of loyalty and betrayal serve to reinforce a
moral lesson taught by King Lear: those who are disloyal and betray
their loved ones come to unfortunate endings. Through parallel
storylines and in-depth character analyses, Shakespeare explores
how people can have differing views of loyalty. Cordelia remains
loyal to her father even after he betrays his responsibility to her.
Likewise, Edgar remains loyal to his father after he is disowned.
Edmond serves as the main villain in King Lear, and his betrayal of

his family is calculated, cruel and entirely unnatural. In parallel,

Regan and Gonerills betrayal of their father is cruel, but can be
considered as more warranted by Lears cruel behaviour. The
character that Lear remains loyal to throughout the play is his Fool,
until his anagnorisis where after he finally sees Cordelias true
loyalty to him.
King Lear explores the complicated nexus between loyalty and
betrayal through contrasting characters and complex, intertwined
plots.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Scott, Michael. Shakespeares Tragedies. Hodder and Stoughton, 2015.
Greer, Germaine. Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford
University Press, 1986.