The cast of King Lear
The people who make King Lear move — what they want, who they love, who they hate, and how each one fits the story. Tap any name to read more.
King Lear
Tragic protagonist; an aging monarch undone by vanity, misjudgment, and the loss of everything · Eighty years old or more
Kent
Loyal earl and voice of honest counsel; Lear's truest friend
Gloucester
Deceived nobleman and moral touchstone; victim of catastrophic blindness—literal and metaphorical · Elderly
Edgar
Gloucester's loyal son, hunted fugitive, and agent of divine justice
Edmund
Bastard schemer and Machiavellian villain
Regan
Elder daughter of Lear; cruel flatterer turned ruthless conspirator
Duke of Albany
Conflicted nobleman and voice of moral authority
The Fool
Lear's court jester and truth-teller
Goneril
Elder daughter of Lear; ruthless schemer who orchestrates her father's downfall
Duke of Cornwall
Ruthless antagonist; Regan's husband and co-conspirator in Lear's downfall
Oswald
Goneril's steward; instrument of cruelty toward King Lear
Gentleman
Loyal attendant and messenger; witness to the king's suffering and madness
Cordelia
The youngest daughter of King Lear; embodiment of filial love and honest truth · youngest daughter
Old Man
Faithful tenant and witness to suffering · eighty
Doctor
Physician attending King Lear's recovery
Messenger
Herald of political upheaval and military consequence
Hear every line of King Lear, narrated.
