A Royal Cast of Characters- (topless when applicable)

King Lear is chock full of deceit, greed and DEATH!

In all a Grand Total of 8 main characters die, I'll point them out for you...

Here are some celebrities to help you remember all of these characters:

 

 

 Marlon Brando as Lear

Lear is the King of Britain in the beginning, but by Act Three he is a raving madman, out of control, and by Act Five he's dead! You'll have to read the play or the summary to find out more...

 

 Catherine Keener as Goneril

Goneril is Lear's eldest daughter, and Albany's husband. She is an intolerant, selfish woman who, after several attempts to usurp the throne for her own gains, eventually commits suicide in the final scene.

 

 Mel Gibson as The Duke of Albany

Albany is essentially a good man who is married to a total shrew in Goneril. He controls half of Britain after Lear divides the kingdom.

 

 Lee Harvey Oswald as Oswald

Oswald is the steward to Goneril. He travels all over Britain for her, but he dies in a failed assassination attempt Regan send him on.

 

 Parker Posey as Regan

Regan is the middle daughter and is married to the Duke of Cornwall, but, along with sister Goneril falls for a complete bastard (see below). Eventually, along with the other nogoodnicks in this play, she is poisoned by her sister Goneril.

 

 

 David Hasselhoff as the Duke of Cornwall

Cornwall is married to Regan. He controls the other half of Britain. His demise comes early with an exit in Act Three.

 

 Natalie Portman as Cordelia

Cordelia is Lear's youngest daughter and the only one worthy of having a life. She is banished to France along with suitor turned husband, the King of France, and returns with an army when she learns that her sisters have been torturing her beloved father, but is hung by Edmund's cronies after the French are defeated.

 

 

 Jerry Lewis as the King of France

Cordelia's suitor and eventual husband. Thankfully, he does not appear after the first scene.

 

 The WB's Mr. G as The Duke of Burgandy

Another suitor of Cordelia's. He is also only in the first scene, he's never ever mentioned, and I don't think this guy's even got a line.

 

 

  

Gary Oldman as the Earl of Kent

Kent is one of Lear's most trusted advisers and friends. Lear banishes him for insubordination in the first scene put he puts on a disguise to fool Lear into thinking he is someone else, and Lear invites him into his party.

 

 

 Seth Gladstone as the Fool

The fool is Lear's jester and together they banter like nobody else, even though most of the jokes seem to come at Lear's expense. He sort of disappears after Act Three though.

 

 William Shatner as the Earl of Gloucester

The father of Edgar and Edmund, the bastard. Probably the most screwed over character in the play. He doesn't eat it until the end of the play. Gloucester's castle is the setting for most of the Acts Two and Three.

 

 Igor as Edgar

The elder son and Gloucester's heir. Second only to his father Gloucester, Edgar is the most tortured victim in this savage play, being forced into pretending to be a madman-beggar in order to escape an unjustified death sentence. But he get a great come back scene in the end.

 

  Holt Bailey as Edmund, the Bastard

Edmund is the bad guy in King Lear. He is upset that he was born illegitimately and will not be the heir to his father, Gloucester's, property. Through much subterfuge and treachery he gets as far as being named the new Earl of Gloucester and getting both Goneril and Regan to fall in love with his goofy charm before he is revealed and slain by his half-brother, Edgar.

 

 

 The Hells Angels as the Knights

Lear's 100 knights. Not the greatest picture to use, but nevertheless, they kick a lot of ass, only mostly offstage.

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