Why does burgundy reject cordelia

He undergoes great suffering that opens his eyes and ennobles his character. Whether there was a historical Lear is uncertain. Goneril, Regan : Selfish, greedy daughters of Lear who pretend to love him when he announces that he will gives them shares of his kingdom.

Later, they treat him cruelly. Cordelia : Loyal and unselfish daughter of Lear. He disowns her after confusing her honesty with insolence. She continues to love her father in spite of his rejection of her. Duke of Burgundy : Suitor of Cordelia. He decides to reject her after Lear disowns her. King of France : Suitor of Cordelia. He marries her even though Lear has disowned her. Duke of Cornwall : Regan's husband, who is just as cruel as she is. Duke of Albany : Goneril's husband. He turns against her when he realizes that she is an evil schemer.

Earl of Kent : True and honest friend of Lear who remains loyal even after the king banishes him. Like Lear, he is old and self-important; like Lear, he misjudges his children and undergoes suffering that makes him a better man. However, Gloucester is less forceful and demanding than Lear and more given to compromise. Gloucester then leaves and returns home. Meanwhile, Edmund is employed as a messenger between the sisters and is courted by each in turn.

He persuades Cornwall that Gloucester his father is an enemy because he has been in touch with France and helped Lear and when they are turned away by Regan. As punishment for Gloucester's seeming betrayal, Cornwall and Regan pluck out his eyes and abandon him.

During the act of blinding Gloucester, a servant stabs Cornwall, who dies. But Regan continues to rule with Edmund's help. Out in the storm, Lear finds shelter where Edgar has also taken refuge, still disguised as the beggar. The Fool, the mad king, and the disguised "insane" beggar become unlikely companions before they are separated.

Edgar finds Gloucester wandering the heath alone and in agony. Since his father is blind, Edgar leads the despairing man to the coast and helps him along the journey to come to an acceptance of his life.

Gloucester later meets the mad Lear on Dover beach, near Cordelia's camp. With Kent's aid, Lear is rescued and re-united with Cordelia. Gloucester, now reunited with Edgar, dies quietly alone. Goneril has already poisoned Regan in their jealous rivalry over Edmund's attention.

Edgar, disguised now as a loyal knight, challenges Edmund to a duel and wounds him mortally. Seeing no way out, Goneril kills herself, and the dying Edmund confesses his misdeeds and releases Cordelia. However, it is too late to save Cordelia from the hangman. Gloucester accuses Regan of cruelty in how she has treated her father. Gloucester receives a message in the production of King Lear. Edmund, Gloucester and Kent in the production of King Lear.

Gloucester in the production of King Lear. Kent and Gloucester talk in the production of King Lear. The Earl of Gloucester is a rich, powerful and loyal subject of King Lear. Gloucester says he loves both sons the same, but it is only Edgar who will inherit his wealth and title.

Gloucester is tortured and has his eyes gouged out because of this. He then learns that it is Edgar who is loyal to him, not Edmund.

He tries to throw himself off a cliff but Edgar, in disguise, cares for him until Gloucester finally dies near the end of the play. Gloucester tells Regan that his heart is broken by the discovery that his son Edgar has been plotting against him. Gloucester feels a strong sense of duty and loyalty to the old king which is stronger than his sense of duty to obeying the new rulers when their commands seem cruel.

Gloucester realises that he was blind to the truth when he still had his eyes and was mistaken in how he judged his sons. Gloucester has been proclaimed as a traitor by the lawful leaders of the country. Edmund in the production of King Lear. Edmund, Regan and Gloucester in the production of King Lear. Edmund flirts with Goneril in the production of King Lear.

Edmund is the younger and illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. He resents being treated differently to his older, legitimate half-brother Edgar and secretly plots against both his father and his brother in order to gain their lands and title. He impresses the Duke of Cornwall when he shows his father up as a traitor for secretly receiving letters about the French invasion. Cornwall rewards Edmund by making him Duke of Gloucester in place of his father. Edmund swears his love to both Goneril and Regan and, when Cornwall dies, Regan puts him in charge of her troops and intends to marry him.

After the battle against the French, because of all his betrayals, Edmund is challenged to a duel by Edgar, who kills him. Edmund does not believe in the superstitions of astrology that say he should be a certain way because of the position of the stars when he was born. Edmund seems to believe that when the old behave foolishly, the young should take their place. This might suggest it is the first time he has felt loved.

Edgar in the production of King Lear. Edgar and Edmund in the production of King Lear. Edmund warns Edgar in the production of King Lear.

Edmund tells Edgar to flee in the production of King Lear. He has a younger half-brother called Edmund who is illegitimate. Edmund tricks their father into believing that Edgar is plotting against his life. He then meets his father when Gloucester is turned out of his own home, blinded. While there, in order to try and give his father hope, Edgar tricks Gloucester into believing he has thrown himself from the top of a cliff.

Gloucester later dies and Edgar challenges Edmund to a duel and he defeats Edmund. Edgar is trying to encourage his father to keep going but this also seems to suggest something about his beliefs — that we must be ready to deal with whatever life sends us and keep going. Edmund regards his brother as honest, trustworthy and someone easy to fool because he believes that everyone else is as honest and trustworthy as him. Albany sensed that Edgar was a gentleman of royal blood by the way he walked and presented himself.

The Fool in the production of King Lear. The Fool and Lear in the production of King Lear. In the six scenes in which he appears, the Fool uses his wit and his songs to help Lear realise what he has lost. The Fool is loyal to Lear and stays with him despite understanding that others are abandoning him because of his change in fortunes. As the Fool sees Lear and Poor Tom behaving and speaking as though they have lost their minds, his own comments become more straightforward.

Lear allows the Fool to get away with behaviour that other servants would not get away with. Kent in the production of King Lear.

Lear, Kent and the Fool in the production of King Lear. The Earl of Kent is a rich and powerful man who is loyal to King Lear. When Lear disinherits Cordelia , Kent tries to step in and advise the King but Lear banishes him from the kingdom. Kent stays loyal to Lear during the storm and helps Lear to escape to Dover. In Dover, Kent is reunited with Cordelia and they both continue to support the King.

Kent is fiercely loyal to Lear and his loyalty includes speaking up when he feels the king needs advice. Kent seems to be regarded by other courtiers, such as Gloucester, as a good man who is loyal to the king.

Because of his insults, attitude, and insistence on fighting , Oswald, Cornwall and Regan regard the disguised Kent as an old thug. Cordelia is deeply grateful to Kent for looking out for her father at such risk to himself.

Albany in the production of King Lear. Albany and Goneril receive news in the production of King Lear. When the kingdom is divided between Goneril and Regan , it is their husbands, the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall, who rule half the kingdom each.

Throughout the play, rumours abound and grow about division between the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall.