Throughout the play, the charactersare led on a journey to find themselves through disguise and an evaluation oftheir status. By doing this, Shakespeare uncovers the superficial, yet fragilenature of human relationships. Shakespeare alludes to theatre, suggesting thatone’s identity is something that can be changed by acting. This theme ofidentity begins immediately when King Lear divides his kingdom.
When Cordeliadoes not give Lear the response that he wants, he asks her to “mend your speecha little” (I.i.88). This is a display of Lear’s disinterest in the truth, andhow he only wants Cordelia to play the role of an obedient daughter. Shakespeare’susage of the verb “mend” is interesting, implying that there’s something that canbe put back together easily. This shows how volatile and changeable Lear’s definitionof love is, as he thinks that it is something that can be instantly changed.
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Alternatively, the usage of the verb “mend” mirrors how the kingdom is beingdivided up. Gonerilproclaims in the court scene that “I love you more than word can wield thematter” (I.i.50) before using language to show how much she loves him. Thiscontradiction shows that the statements that she makes, and her true feelingsare inconsistent with each other. She is not using her own words, but the onesof the daughter that Lear desires.
This is revealed at the end of the scene,when the daughters stop using their fake personalities, and their realpersonalities are uncovered. The theme of emotion being covered by language isalso shown by Edmund, when he says that “It is his hand, my lord, but I hopehis heart is not in the contents” (I.ii. 62-63). Theuse of acting and false roles was an aid to Shakespeare making the audience realizemore about the staged world that they were watching.
Furthermore, it helped theaudience gain awareness on how the fabrication of identity was so easy toconstruct. This idea is further clarified later in the play when Lear says thatthe world is a “great stage of fools” (IV.v.
175), utilizing metaphor. The ideathat one plays many roles in their lives suggests that identity might be evenmore fragile than once thought and is an idea that can also be found in KingLear. Lear’s identity is based on the fact that he is the king and, when heinitiates the “division of the kingdom” (I.i.3-4), he divides himself, thus changinghis identity. The truth that one cannot be a King without a crown is not acknowledgedby Lear as he believes that he is “Ay, every inch a king” (IV.
v.103) despiteremoving himself from the throne. Kent andEdgar are both placed in a situation where they have to disguise themselves inan order to “preserve” (II.
ii.6) who they are. However, when they do this, theyeliminate most aspects of their characters. When Kent is asked who he is, Kentsimply replies with “A man, sir” (I.
iv.10). This shows that Kent eliminated somuch of who he is that he is only a mere human being. Edgar, on the other hand,takes “the basest and most poorest shape” (II.ii.
7), thus casting offeverything, including his humanity and saneness. The use of the word “base” isfamiliar, as Edgar’s half-brother Edmund uses that word several times duringhis soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 2. This shows that Edgar took a bit of Edmund’sidentity through his language. Edmund claimed that“Edmund the base/Shall to th’legitimate” (I.ii.
20-21), foreshadowing Edgar’sidentity crisis. Edmund used the word “base” again, displaying his malevolentdesire to take his brother’s place.However,while both Kent and Edgar disguise themselves, they don’t stay disguised for thesame time. When his disguise was unneeded, Edgar reinstates his identity.
Thiswas seen at the end of the play when he declares “My name is Edgar and thyfather’s son” (V.iii.159), which was a complete turnaround from “Edgar Inothing am” (II.iii.21). Edgar describes himself in terms of Gloucester,showing that family is central to his identity. This could be becauseGloucester’s title, and therefore his identity, will one day become his own. Onthe other hand, Kent feels reluctant in returning to his former self, waitingto reveal himself “till time and I think meet” (IV.
vii.11). This could bebecause Kent’s disguise was to protect Lear, as his servant.
Identityis presented as a tool for manipulation and deception. This suggests that rolesare constantly being assumed as a means of self-preservation. Lear, Gloucesterand Cordelia failed to disguise themselves, and so suffered the most out of allthe characters, bringing up the idea that the ability to disguise oneself was atool in protecting yourself against those with malevolent intentions. Throughoutthe play, a generational gap was visible among the characters. The oldercharacters, like Lear and Gloucester centered their lives around theirfamilies. The younger characters, like Goneril and Edmund were moreindividualistic in nature. However, even things that were seemingly set instone, like familial ties and royal titles, were easily undone.
This shows thatnothing that can hide the undertones of fragility from an identity.