King Lear Group

Question:

amyklenz
amyklenz

Why does Albany cede the kingdom to Edgar and Kent at the end of the play?  Shouldn't he, by rights, be king?

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Posted by amyklenz on Wednesday February 18, 2009 at 5:50 AM and tagged with king lear, plot.

Answers:

  1. eltraylo
    eltraylo Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    I think part of it is that he did fight against Lear, and through his connection with Goneril, is somewhat guilty of treason. He also may not trust himself with power. At that point, I guess he would legally be king, but the whole court system is in a bit of confusion. 

    Also, it could be a dramatic element that Shakespeare added, to make his audience happy. It may have been more satisfactory to end with the restoration of power to characters who have been portrayed as "good" throughout the play, compared to a character that has just "become good" or that the audience has realized is actually a decent guy. 

    He is also dealing with the death of his wife, although he did not seem to like her all that much. 

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    Posted by eltraylo on Wednesday March 18, 2009 at 8:04 PM