The opening scene in any play is always a crucial one; this is especially true in
William Shakespeare's King Lear. The opening scene in King Lear serves to introduce
the characters and the plot line, and to show disorder in the Elizabethan order which is a
In the first scene of King Lear all of the main characters are introduced beginning
with Kent and Gloucester, King Lear, Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, Albany and Cornwall
soon follow. Shakespeare informs the audience of who the daughters are at the same
point that he reveals his intentions to divide the kingdom "Tell me, my daughters, (since
now will we divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state), Which of you shall
we say doth love us most?" (Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 1, Scene 1, 47-50) This is one
of Shakespeare's abilities, not to squander time in explaining who the characters are,
instead he provides information as the play continues; not interrupting the natural flow of
the play. The plot of Lear dividing the kingdom is also presented in the first scene.
This has many effects, to modern readers it sets the plot, but for the audience of
Shakespeare's time it had a more profound effect. The division of the kingdom would
be horrifying for the Elizabethan audience to witness. They would see this as a direct
cause of the disorder that is evident in subsequent scenes.
Disorder is a main theme in King Lear and its seeds are sewn in the first scene of
the play. When Lear divides the kingdom he causes the natural order that the
Elizabethan audience hold as a means of living their lives. Disruption of this magnitude
would surly upset and distress the audience, which is what Shakespeare was attempting to
do. This engrossed the audience and ensured he (Shakespeare) would have their full
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