King Lear was one of Shakespeare's popular plays and one of his most powerful works. Many people believe that they were the best Shakespeare tragedies ever committed. In this article I will provide a brief summary of the story as it unfolds; and an analysis of the main characters will also be presented. King Lear of Great Britain has decided to step down from the throne, leaving his kingdom to his three daughters. Before the king divides his kingdom, the king tests. The three daughters had to express their love for the king; his two eldest daughters Goneril and Regan speak sweetly to the king for a part of the kingdom. Cordelia, the youngest and Lear's favorite, remained silent and told the king that no words can express her love for the king. King Lear becomes angry at not hearing the sweet words he expected and disowns Cordelia. She then leaves the country to marry the king of France. (Mabillard) Even Lear's most trusted advisor, the Earl of Kent, is banished for defending Cordelia. Kent seeing danger in the king's eldest daughters leads him to disguise himself as a servant. He stays close to King Lear to protect him from Goneril and Regan who decide to usurp their father's kingdom. Meanwhile, the Earl of Gloucester is also dismayed by the events happening in his family. Edmund, his illegitimate son, has told Gloucester that Edgar, his legitimate son, is trying to kill him. This is a lie by Edmund to gain his brother's birthright. (Mabillard)When Gloucester realizes that Lear's daughter has turned against him he decides to help him. Regan and her husband Cornwall discover that Gloucester is helping Lear and accuse him of treason, adorning him and making him wander the countryside. He is later found by his son in disguise... middle of paper... by his father and turns against him. They plotted their father's death with Edmund. He was the son of Gloucester; he was evil and wicked. He not only plots the death of the king, but also that of his father, blaming his brother. Edgar was the opposite of his brother Edmund. She is similar to Cordelia; both suffer greatly from the story. Unlike Cordelia, Edgar remains alive in the end and ends up being king of England with Kent and Albany. Kent was King Lear's faithful companion and advisor. He remains incognito to be with the king. Kent remained loyal to his king after realizing the ruthless actions of the king's daughter. These were the conflicts that King Lear faced throughout the story. Many of the conflicts stem from love, power, loyalty and family. At the end of all this the king died of pain that he could have avoided in the first place.