In Act 1 of King Lear, Lear decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on their declarations of love, leading to his disownment of Cordelia, who only offers a genuine, modest expression of love. Meanwhile, the illegitimate son Edmund plots against his legitimate brother Edgar, while Goneril and Regan begin to conspire against their aging father, revealing their true natures. The act highlights themes of betrayal, the consequences of vanity, and the complex dynamics of familial relationships.

1. Act 1 Summary

2.  Kent
 Gloucester
 Edmund
 King Lear
 Goneril – oldest, married to Albany
 Regan – middle, married to Cornwall
 Cordelia – youngest, unmarried
 Burgundy
 France
 Cornwall and Albany (non-speaking)

3.  Kent and Gloucester discuss how Lear has been
planning to split his kingdom.
 Gloucester’s illegitimate (bastard) son, Edmund, has
come back into his life.
 Lear and his daughters and their husbands enter. Lear
explains his plan:
 Desire to retire and still have the trappings of being king
but not the work.
 Split the kingdom, giving the best land to the best
public declaration of love.

4.  Goneril goes first, says she loves him more than words, no
less than life.
 Regan goes next, says she loves him more than “all other
joys” – including her husband.
 Cordelia, Lear’s favorite, says “nothing,” that she loves him
as a daughter should – “no more, no less” – and that
whoever she weds will be the other focus of her love.
 Lear is angered, disowns Cordelia in every respect – care,
dowry, any familial bond.

5.  Lear leaves Cordelia’s fate to her suitors – the Princes
of Burgundy and France, says he will split his time
between Goneril and Regan and must have 100 knights
with him.
 Kent intercedes on Cordelia’s behalf, urges Lear to not
act rashly, says he is behaving like an old fool in
listening to flattery instead of true actions.
 Lear banishes Kent, gives him five days to get his
affairs in order and leave.

6.  Gloucester brings in France and Burgundy. Lear tells
them of Cordelia’s fate.
 Burgundy says Cordelia is beautiful but he’s not
interested without the dowry.
 France is impressed by her integrity and virtue and
agrees to marry her, says “she herself is a dowry.”
 They all leave. Cordelia warns her sisters to love Lear
as they have sworn.

7.  Goneril and Regan recognize their father is getting old
and foolish in disowning Cordelia.
 They are nervous of taking care of him as he is
becoming more erratic and finicky.
 They agree to discuss it later when they have more
insights.

8.  Edmund – bastard son, Malicious
 Gloucester
 Edgar – legitimate son, Good

9.  Edmund is alone, soliloquizing about why he is considered
the lesser son just because he’s a bastard, reveals his
intention to betray Edgar (“I will top the legitimate
brother.”) through a forged letter.
 Enter Gloucester. He fills Edmund in on Kent’s fate.
 Edmund gives Gloucester the forged letter concerning
taking Gloucester’s land and money, implies it’s from
Edgar.
 Gloucester gets angry, but Edmund swears to look into it
for his father to make sure it’s not true. He will confront
Edgar where Gloucester can hear him but secretly plans to
frame Edgar.

10.  Edmund soliloquizes about his bitterness over being
ignored.
 Edgar enters, chats amiably with Edmund.
 Edmund asks when Edgar last spoke with their father
as Gloucester seems offended (lie). Edgar says he
hasn’t done anything to offend, that someone is doing
him wrong.
 Edmund says Edgar should be armed and recommends
he avoid Gloucester, implying he will help Edgar.

11.  Goneril
 Oswald – her servant
 Steward (no lines)

12.  Goneril asks whether reports of Lear’s men attacking
hers are true.
 Lear’s knights have been carousing and roughhousing.
 Goneril vents about Lear’s behavior – how he expects
all the perks of being king without having the
authority anymore.
 When he returns, she is going to give him the cold
shoulder and write to her sister, urging Regan to do the
same.

13.  Kent (disguised as Caius)
 Lear
 Oswald
 Knight
 The Fool
 Goneril
 Albany

14.  Kent returns in disguise as Caius, entreats Lear to be
his servant.
 Lear asks after Goneril, but Oswald ignores him,
angering Lear.
 Lear sends a Knight to find out what’s going on. The
Knight reports Oswald rudely told him that Goneril is
“sick” and that Oswald is ignoring Lear’s commands.
 Lear is angry at being neglected and wants to talk to
Goneril, asks for his Fool to come to him.

15.  Oswald enters and Kent (as Caius) and Lear proceed to
berate him, calling him names and abusing him.
 The Fool enters and entertains Lear. His jokes are crass
and vulgar, but his words are severely critical of Lear’s
actions. He speaks truths to Lear that would get other men
in trouble, calling Lear a fool since Lear has given away all
his other titles.
 The fool tells Lear he would rather be anyone other than
Lear as Lear has “pared thy wit o’ both sides and left
nothing in the middle” – a pun on Lear’s wisdom and
splitting the kingdom between Goneril and Regan.

16.  Goneril finally enters. She is irritated by the Fool and
Lear’s knights’ behavior. She blames Lear for their
behavior and blames Lear’s behavior on his changing
disposition.
 Lear is confused by Goneril’s claims, that she would
speak thusly to him if she loved him as a daughter
should.
 Goneril chastises Lear for hanging out with ill-
behaved, immature knights and says he must get rid of
half of them, keeping only those who are as old as he.

17.  After being censured by Goneril, Lear asks for his horse
and plans to go to Regan’s home where he expects to be
treated better.
 Albany enters, asks Lear to be patient.
 Lear calls Goneril names, rages against her claims, defends
his men as good, curses Goneril’s lady parts so that she be
barren.
 Albany is genuinely confused. Lear and his men leave.
 Goneril tells Albany to stay out of it, that it’s just Lear’s old
age, the ranting of an old fool.

18.  Lear and the Fool enter again. He rages against Goneril,
claiming she has emasculated him. He says Regan will be
better to him and that he will be return to his former glory.
He leaves.
 Goneril complains about how unreasonable Lear’s request
for 100 knights is. She will write to her sister and make sure
they are on the same page about Lear and his knights.
 Albany tries to be sympathetic to his wife, but she rebuffs
him, saying she “knows [Lear’s] heart.”
 She sends Oswald with the letter, encouraging him to add
his own embellishments to make Lear look worse.

19.  Lear
 Kent (as Caius)
 Fool

20.  Lear sends Kent ahead to Regan’s with letters
explaining his version of what happened with Goneril.
 The Fool tells Lear that Lear would have made a good
fool, again admonishing his lack of wisdom in
disowning Cordelia.
 Lear begins to question whether he was right to cast
out Cordelia.
 Lear begs the heavens that he not go mad, that he get
his temper under control.