King Lear

Act One

In the courtroom of King Lear, the Earl of Gloucester and the Earl of Kent discuss whether the king favors the Duke of Albany (husband to his eldest daughter, Goneril) or the Duke of Cornwall (husband to his middle daughter, Regan). As they wait for the arrival of their King, Gloucester introduces Kent to his bastard son, Edmund, joking that he had quite a lot of fun when Edmund was made. Gloucester seems a little uncomfortable about Edmund’s colorful background, but insists that the “whoreson… be acknowledged.” The King enters, along with the rest of his court, including his three daughters: Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Cordelia, Lear’s youngest daughter, is about to be married to one of two suitors: the King of France or the Duke of Burgundy. Before she is married, however, King Lear wants to divide up his kingdom. In a non-traditional step for a British monarch, Lear has chosen to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom between his three daughters. Before