King Lear
King of Britain. At the beginning of the play Lear wilfully demands a show of parental loyalty, in exchange for a share of his divided kingdom. In choosing this forced way of dividing his realm between his three daughters, Lear prevents truthful and spontaneous responses. He receives dutiful assurances from two of his children, but the youngest refuses to participate and Lear angrily sends her away. This act sets in motion a chain of events that result in Lear's fall from his royal position, the loss of his beloved daughter Cordelia and the mistreatment of the King and his knights by the other daughters, Regan and Goneril. The journey of the play takes Lear from his arrogant kingly status to the lowliest beggar and finally to understanding, compassion and self-awareness. At the end of the final act, Lear has momentarily regained his crown, his truthful daughter and his sanity, only to lose them all. He dies in an agony of grief and joy, thinking Cordelia is still alive, but also aware that he has caused so much misery