You can always ask me about Shakespeare!
Lear is a tragic, tragic character whose tragedy is a direct narrative consequence of his own flaws. Before he plans to retire, he wants his daughters to prove they love him best. In setting up this test of love, he winds up banishing the one daughter who actually loves him, because her proof of love wasn’t sufficient for him. In wanting to assure himself he was loved, he ensured he would wind up alone. Not only that, but in doing so he destroyed not just himself and his children, but his entire kingdom.
As a whole, Lear liked pomp and circumstance over actual responsibly governing (which sounds like a lot of politicians nowadays too). He chose Goneril and Regan specifically because of their lavish declarations instead of Cordelia’s quiet love.
But what I like about Lear is that he doesn’t sink even further into his tragic flaws. He recognizes them and while he cannot stop what he’s already set in motion, he does realize that Cordelia truly loved him and that the people you love and who love you are what matters, not power or a crown or adoration of the public. What good is a king if all he has is power and not love? That was the insecurity Lear wanted answered at the beginning, and in doing so he found himself surrounded by people who only wanted power. This conflicting theme also applies to Edgar and Edmund’s struggle with their dad, too.
hamliet 