King Lear Cast

Here is the cast list for Shakespeare’s King Lear:

King Lear: Title character, he is the king of a mighty kingdom which is about to be split among his three daughters. He undergoes the most character development out of everyone in the play. Lear is planning to divide his kingdom among his three daughters: Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. When Goneril and Regan flatter for their piece of the kingdom, they stay in the kingdom; however, he banishes Cordelia. This is when we begin to see Lear undergo a major transformation which causes him to look inside himself not only as a king, but as a person. Despite this transformation and reconciling with Cordelia, he dies having lost everything.

Goneril: She is Lear’s eldest daughter. Goneril and her sister Regan conspire to take the kingdom away from their father. She is the main antagonist of the play along with Regan. Goneril’s lust for power knew no bounds in the play, she was willing to poison Regan in order to have the entire kingdom. After the banishment of her youngest sister Cordelia, Goneril and her middle sister Regan begin a conspiracy to take the kingdom from her father. By turning their father away during a storm, their actions cause him to go mad and run off into a the storm.  She dies at the end of the play.

Regan: Lear’s middle daughter. She, along with her sister Goneril, conspire to take the kingdom away from Lear. She and Goneril are the two main antagonists of the play. Regan’s lust for power was so great, she was willing to blind one of her father’s subjects. She dies at the end of the play.

Cordelia: Lear’s youngest daughter and the most pure of the sisters. She was exiled from the kingdom by Lear at the start of the play. She plays a major role in Lear’s transformation and in the play.

Kent: Lear’s royal subject. He is exiled from the kingdom after disagreeing with Lear about Cordelia’s banishment. Despite his banishment, he remains loyal to Lear; he displays his loyalty when he arrives in the storm to give Lear shelter. At the end of the play, he declines and leaves the kingdom forever.  King Lear Cast