In this essay I will analyze the friendships in Shakespeare's "King Lear" according to Aristotle's concepts of friendship. Although the play was a very dark and depressing one, I will use the few relationships that were truly friendships as well as those that were outright doomed to fail in order to explain Aristotle's views.
             In Shakespeare's "King Lear", death and killing are abundant. Friendships, perfect or imperfect are overshadowed by the destruction of relationship after relationship. King Lear is based on treason, jealousy, cruelty, betrayal, evil, love, forgiveness, and death. The final message of the play seems to be that in the end, the good or the virtuous are the victors, although it is hard to absorb that after such a display of wickedness. From the very beginning of the play King Lear himself unknowingly creates enemies. First he banishes Cordelia, the only daughter that is his true friend. Then he decides to split the kingdom between Reagan and Goneril, his two cunning other daughters who turn on him. Kent, Lear's loyal nobleman, is also a true friend. The two have a falling out because Kent is a wise man and he knows that what the king has done is a big mistake. He scolds the king and is sympathetic to Cordelia's position but he remains by King Lear's side, throughout the play. Their friendship is evident and is one of the longest and most faithful. Kent is not only loyal to the king, he is just as loyal to the kings daughter, Cordelia. Another friendship that is very important is that between Gloucester and his son, Edgar. This friendship is very similar to that of King Lear and his daughter, Cornelia. There is distrust and deep hurt in both of these relationships but since all of the parties involved are truly virtuous people, there is a solid display of love and forgiveness within them. To some extent, there is a strange form of friendship between Lear and ...