Disguises play an important part in King Lear as they make tremendous contributions to the plot and subplot. 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 and reinforce the theme of deception. Deception is both a positive and a negative force in King Lear. 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, this allows for one to make some assumptions of the intentions of the characters who chose to disguies them selves or whom chose the path of deception. One example of disguise as a method of positive deception is Kent, who disguises himself for the benefit of Lear. Kent has been loyal to Lear his entire life and he plans to continue being loyal and help Lear save himself from himself even after being banished from Lear’s kingdom. Since he can no longer serve Lear while being Kent he does so by disguising himself as Caius. Kent’s devotion to Lear creates very strong character similarities between Kent and Caius but Lear fails to notice this even though Kent is known to be blunt in his conversations stating things as they really are. 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 deception, as Kent deceives Lear in order to benefit Lear compared to Goneril and Regan who deceive Lear for their own benefit. Kent may have taken on a disguise and changes his appearance but he is still the same person on the inside.

In Shakespearean terms, blind means a whole different thing. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. Shakespeare’s most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are three prime examples Shakespeare incorporates this theme into. Each of these characters’ blindness was the primary cause of the bad decisions they made; decisions which all of them would eventually come to regret. The blindest bat of all was undoubtedly King Lear. Because of Lear’s high position in society, he was supposed to be able to distinguish the good from the bad; unfortunately, his lack of sight prevented him to do so. Lear’s first act of blindness came at the beginning of the play. First, he was easily deceived by his two eldest daughters’ lies, then, he was unable to see the reality of Cordelia’s true love for him, and as a result, banished her from his kingdom with the following words:<br> Lear’s blindness also caused him to banish one of his loyal followers, Kent. Kent was able to see Cordelia’s true love for her father, and tried to protect her from her blind father’s irrationality. After Kent was banished, he created a disguise for himself and was eventually hired by Lear as a servant. Lear’s inability to determine his servant’s true identity proved once again how blind Lear actually was. As the play progressed, Lear’s eyesight reached closer to 20/20 vision. He realized how wicked his two eldest daughters really were after they locked him out of the castle during a tremendous storm. More importantly, Lear saw through Cordelia’s lack of flattering’s and realized that her love for him was so great that she couldn’t express it into words. Unfortunately, Lear’s blindness ended up costing Cordelia her life and consequently the life of himself.

The dauphin of France and King Henry seem to be quite similar in age yet the Dauphin of France seems to describe King Henry V as he was before the death of his brother. This could be the dauphin personifying himself and possible fears he has for when he would be to take over the thrown of France; or it could be a political statement by shakespeare about kings that ascend to the thrown before they are supposed to or when they aren't supposed to, making them seem like they don't take kingship seriously or that they may eve be under-prepared to take the thrown causing them to make bad decisions to try and prove their worth to their nobles and subjects.

This section reminds me of a religious concept that no matter how far one may stray from god's path one would be welcome back with love and grace.This could also relate to how many people continue to love their spouse abundantly even though they may abuse or cheat on them.