Character Trait

King Lear was a vain and temperamental man. He asked his daughter to flatter him as the requirement of having his land and he was very angry when Cordelia told him she had nothing to say! He even drove his daughter away because of it. It also showed that how obstinate and impulsive he was. However, he had a enormous change after he realized Goneril and Regan were both evil, he has been transformed from a tyrant to a simple man who was clear-minded and love truly but not because of any gain.

Goneril was a cruel and vicious daughter. She pretended to be a good daughter in King Lear’s mind, but she was not. When King Lear had given all his lands out, she became rude and mean to his father and even asked King Lear to leave hers castle! Besides, she was disloyal to Duke of Albany, she tempted Edmund and rival her sister Regan. At last, love made her blind, she poisoned Regan and suicide herself at the end of the story.

Regan is the second daughter of King Lear. She is anungrateful and mean lady. Just like her elder sister Goneril, she provokes King Lear and told him he was old enough and should said sorry to Goneril. Besides, she was evil. When she knew Gloucester is a traitor, she laughed evilly and said to the servant don’t be kind to Gloucester. In addition, she even did not stop Cornwall to blind Gloucester and she also killed the servant who prevent Cornwall do not blind Gloucester without any regretful.

Cordelia is a kind, clear-minded, forgiving and caring person. She is kind to her father and the reason behind is during the King was dividing the land to his daughter, she doesn’t act like her sister to please the King, she told the truth. She is clear-minded because she said to Regan “I know what you are doing.” after the land division. She knew that her sister just wanted to please their father because they want to get the land and then her sister will treat their father in a bad way. She is forgiving because she doesn’t mind what her father said before (I will no longer be your father anymore). She is a caring person because she takes care of his father very well when she saw her father in his father own kingdom again. She is a girl who hates hypocrisy also. In addition, she doesn’t like her sister at all. She thinks them they are hypocritical.


Gloucester is a gullible and foolish man. He trusted people easily and lacked inside to Edmund truth nature. When Edmund gave a letter which about Edgar was betraying and wanting to kill him, he really trusted Edmund without any prove. So he paid dearly for his mistake. Besides, Gloucester also is loyal to King Lear. He was blinded by Cornwall because he didn’t tell Cornwall where did Lear go. In addition, he wanted to find King Lear and stayed beside him even through he was blinded.

Edgar is a brother noble. He spends most of the play disguised as the mad beggar Poor Tom. At the beginning, Edgar complete trust in Edmund seems rather foolish and naïve. Edgar has endured awful hardships and been misrepresented by one he trusted to one he loved. After he disguised as Poor Tom, he still care his father Gloucester and King Lear. He even bring them to Dover, kill Edmund for his father death.

Edmund was the most ambitious, evil and hypocritical man in the play. He wanted to be the Earl and all Gloucester’s money, so he lied to his father that he brother Edgar would like to killed him and successfully set Edgar against Gloucester. On the other hand, he pretended to be a good brother to Edgar and made Edgar fall into his artifice. Besides, he was very unscrupulous. He tempted Goneril and Regan, who already married with Duke of Albany and Duke of Cornwall and both Goneril and Regan died because of him at the end of story.

Albany is a just man because when his wife, Goneril did some bad behavior to King Lear, he did not approve Goneril and scolds her but dares not oppose her. He is also a person that treasure the relationship around all people, because he loves his wife dearly , and this makes him once blind to her evilness but his better side is revealed as just man a after his discovers Gooneril’s ture nature.

Cornwall is not a kind and gentle duke. He was a cruel violent and even evil-minded man. He blinded Gloucester without any thinking and feeling. When his kind servant, who served him for many years, try to prevent him to take out Gloucester’s eyes, Cornwall attacked the servant.

King of France is a very loving man. When he knew King Lear wanted to send Cordelia away because of her unkind words, he still asked Cordelia to go with him. This showsthat he is a faithful King to his beloved.