The Role of Disguises
As deception appears to be a prominent
theme in the plot of Shakespeare’s King Lear, one cannot evade the
disguises and the ideas and people behind them. The use
of disguises as a literary feature opens the door for new subplots
such as those of Kent and Edgar. Sometimes what you see is not what you get and
this is the case with Kent and Edgar as both characters disguise themselves as
people of lower social status in order to maintain a close relationship with
other characters in the story. Many
events throughout the play reinforce the negative intentions that so cunningly
dethrone Lear, exile Edgar and result in personal gains of wealth. The
disguises do not always apply to a character’s change of physical appearance
but also to a character’s change in personality during dialogues and
monologues. There exists a clear distinction between what a character states
and what their intentions really are and also who a character really is and who
they claim to be. The falsehood that arises due to this, leads to many
intriguing and sometimes utterly disturbing outcomes such as the blinding of
Gloucester who just like Lear has lost the generation war with his children. Gloucester’s
son Edmund and Lear’s two eldest daughters Regan and Goneril, have successfully
taken the commanding roles from their parents by the excessive use of
mendacities. The most obvious of the disguises are the changes in physical appearance. The characters that undergo these changes are Kent and Edgar. Kent was once a nobleman and an avid supporter of Lear. He was banished by Lear as he intervened while Lear disowned his youngest daughter Cordelia after she did not show the desired affection towards her father. Kent takes the role of a servant named Caius and continues to stay loyal to the king. The other character adopting a disguise in order to coexist is Edgar. He is Gloucester’s “good” son who is framed by his brother Edmund through a forged letter which claims that he, Edgar, intends to murder Gloucester and inherit his fortune. Edgar is stripped of everything and takes the role of a beggar named Poor Tom in order to try to get his revenge which contrast Edgar’s previous admirable character. The disguises of Kent and Edgar emphasize the deceitful nature of the play because even though their intentions are good for the most part, they lie about who they are in order to get closer to their goals.
Kent has been loyal to Lear his entire life and he plans to continue being loyal and help Lear save himself from himself. Although under the disguise his public appearance has changed, he remains true to his allegiance to Lear. As he cannot guide Lear while being Kent he is doing it while disguised as Caius. Kent’s devotion to Lear creates a very strong character dynamic but Lear fails to recognize this even though Kent is known to be blunt in his conversations stating things as they really are. “Royal Lear, Whom I have ever honoured as my king, Loved as my father, as my master followed, As my great patron thought on in my prayers-”(Shakespeare, Act I Scene I). In Scene V Act III, Kent tells Lear about his disguise and his efforts in helping Lear which further emphasizes Kent’s words in Act I Scene I. The disguise of Kent’s character positively represents the proverb “A wolf may change his coat but not his disposition” as Kent takes on a disguise and changes his appearance but he is still the same person on the inside.
The other character that changes his physical appearance is Edgar. He does this as he is victimized by his brother Edmund and outcast into someone of lower stature. While disguised as a beggar, the reader notices the dark side of Edgar as he plans to get his revenge. However he still helps his father who has so cruelly blinded. While still under disguise, Edgar refuses to confess to his blind father his true identity when Gloucester says “O dear son Edgar Might I but live to see the in my touch, I’d say I had eyes again.” (Shakespeare, Act IV Scene I). His refusal to make his father “say [he] had eyes again” might be a way of Edgar getting revenge on his father for all the trouble he went through. One might argue that by not immediately admitting to Gloucester that he is his son Edgar, he is depriving his father of sight and thus alluding to Gloucester’s blinding which makes the reader reminiscent about Gloucester’s pain, pain that his son Edgar is trying to spiritually evoke in his father. Edgar starts to feel that it is time to tell his father the truth and does reveal himself later to his father who “gains true sight after he is blinded” (Foakes, 23) which shows Gloucester that Edgar was the son who truly loved him.
Similarly, this can be said about Lear who learns that his daughter Cordelia was the one who did in fact love him the most. Coincidently or not, these discoveries on the part of Lear and Gloucester make their characters almost identical and expand these characters at the same rate. The use of disguises on the part of Edgar allows Gloucester to understand who really has his best interest in mind as well as the case for Kent and Lear.
Disguises play an important part in King Lear as they make tremendous contributions to the plot and subplot. They accentuate the theme of deception and alert the audience of potential outcomes through their deeper meanings. Shakespeare’s choice to have other characters in close relation to the Lear and Gloucester disguise themselves so that in the end they could help them shows the importance of disguise as a way to create more subplots in the story and also reinforce the theme of deception. While under disguise a character undergoes significant development as one sees in that character what society sees but at the same time has the advantage of hearing the character’s inner thoughts. The disguised characters also developed other characters especially the ones they had the closest connections to. On a final note, the use of disguises in the play creates a certain intrigue that fascinates many reading or watching the play.
Kent has been loyal to Lear his entire life and he plans to continue being loyal and help Lear save himself from himself. Although under the disguise his public appearance has changed, he remains true to his allegiance to Lear. As he cannot guide Lear while being Kent he is doing it while disguised as Caius. Kent’s devotion to Lear creates a very strong character dynamic but Lear fails to recognize this even though Kent is known to be blunt in his conversations stating things as they really are. “Royal Lear, Whom I have ever honoured as my king, Loved as my father, as my master followed, As my great patron thought on in my prayers-”(Shakespeare, Act I Scene I). In Scene V Act III, Kent tells Lear about his disguise and his efforts in helping Lear which further emphasizes Kent’s words in Act I Scene I. The disguise of Kent’s character positively represents the proverb “A wolf may change his coat but not his disposition” as Kent takes on a disguise and changes his appearance but he is still the same person on the inside.
The other character that changes his physical appearance is Edgar. He does this as he is victimized by his brother Edmund and outcast into someone of lower stature. While disguised as a beggar, the reader notices the dark side of Edgar as he plans to get his revenge. However he still helps his father who has so cruelly blinded. While still under disguise, Edgar refuses to confess to his blind father his true identity when Gloucester says “O dear son Edgar Might I but live to see the in my touch, I’d say I had eyes again.” (Shakespeare, Act IV Scene I). His refusal to make his father “say [he] had eyes again” might be a way of Edgar getting revenge on his father for all the trouble he went through. One might argue that by not immediately admitting to Gloucester that he is his son Edgar, he is depriving his father of sight and thus alluding to Gloucester’s blinding which makes the reader reminiscent about Gloucester’s pain, pain that his son Edgar is trying to spiritually evoke in his father. Edgar starts to feel that it is time to tell his father the truth and does reveal himself later to his father who “gains true sight after he is blinded” (Foakes, 23) which shows Gloucester that Edgar was the son who truly loved him.
Similarly, this can be said about Lear who learns that his daughter Cordelia was the one who did in fact love him the most. Coincidently or not, these discoveries on the part of Lear and Gloucester make their characters almost identical and expand these characters at the same rate. The use of disguises on the part of Edgar allows Gloucester to understand who really has his best interest in mind as well as the case for Kent and Lear.
Disguises play an important part in King Lear as they make tremendous contributions to the plot and subplot. They accentuate the theme of deception and alert the audience of potential outcomes through their deeper meanings. Shakespeare’s choice to have other characters in close relation to the Lear and Gloucester disguise themselves so that in the end they could help them shows the importance of disguise as a way to create more subplots in the story and also reinforce the theme of deception. While under disguise a character undergoes significant development as one sees in that character what society sees but at the same time has the advantage of hearing the character’s inner thoughts. The disguised characters also developed other characters especially the ones they had the closest connections to. On a final note, the use of disguises in the play creates a certain intrigue that fascinates many reading or watching the play.