Character Summary

CHARACTERS

King Lear: Britain's King and father to Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, whose moment of mental blindness costs him his kingdom

Goneril: Lear's eldest daughter and wife of Albany who poisons his own sister, Regan, and conspires with Edmund to kill Albany

Regan: Lear's middle daughter and wife of Cornwall who covets Edmund and is poisoned for it by Goneril

Cordelia: Lear's youngest daughter who is rendered dowerless for refusing to flatter her father

Duke of Albany: Goneril's husband who opposes Goneril, Regan, and Cornwall for their draconian policies with respect to Lear

Duke of Cornwall: Regan's husband who in a fit of rage renders Gloucester blind by applying the heel of his shoe on the old man's eyes

Earl of Kent: Lear's loyal, plain-speaking servant who is banished by the King only to continue serving his King by returning incognito as Caius

Earl of Gloucester: Lear's loyal servant and father to both Edgar and Edmund

Edgar: Gloucester's elder son who assumes the role of poor Tom when he is framed as his father's enemy

Edmund: Gloucester's younger son who conspires against his own brother and father for material gain which his bastard status denies him

Oswald: Goneril's steward and an obsequious opportunist

Knight: Lear's servant who notices the general slackening of duties that are owed Lear

Fool: Lear's irreverent court jester

Curan: Gloucester's household servant who informs Edmund of the rumor of Albany and Cornwall being at odds

Gentleman: the man whom Caius (a.k.a. Kent) relies on to deliver a message to Cordelia and to look after Lear

Old Man: a tenant of Gloucester who attends to Gloucester subsequent to Gloucester being turned out of his own house blind and bleeding

Doctor: Lear's physician

Herald: the man who announces Edgar's armed opposition vis-a-vis Edmund