李尔王是一位悲剧英雄。他在剧一开始就表现得鲁莽而不负责任。作为父亲和统治者，他是盲目和不公平的。他渴望权力的所有装饰，而不是责任，这就是为什么被动和宽容的科迪利亚是继任者的完美选择。

性格动机与行为

考虑到他自私而粗暴地对待他最爱的女儿，观众在剧中一开始可能会对他感到疏远。雅各布派的听众可能会对他的选择感到不安，因为他们想起了围绕伊丽莎白女王一世继任者的不确定性。

作为一名观众，我们很快就对李尔王感到同情，尽管他很自负。他很快就对自己的决定感到后悔，并且可以原谅他在自尊心受到打击后的鲁莽行为。李尔王与肯特和格洛斯特的关系表明他能够激发忠诚，他与傻瓜的交往表明他富有同情心和宽容。

随着Goneril和Regan变得更加纵容和卑鄙，我们对李尔王的同情进一步加深。李尔王的愤怒很快变得可怜，而不是强大和专制。他的权力无能保持了我们对他的同情。当他遭受痛苦并暴露在他人的痛苦中时，观众可以感受到更多对他的爱。他开始理解真正的不公正，当他的疯狂开始时，他开始了一个学习过程。他变得更加谦逊，从而实现了他的悲剧英雄地位。

然而，有人认为，李尔王在反刍自己对里根和戈内里的复仇时仍然自恋和复仇。他从不为女儿的天性负责，也从不为自己有缺陷的行为感到后悔。

李尔王最大的救赎来自于他对科迪利亚和解的反应，他对科迪利亚谦卑，以父亲而不是国王的身份对她说话。

两篇经典演讲

O, reason not the need: our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous: Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man's life's as cheap as beast's: thou art a lady; If only to go warm were gorgeous, Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st, Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need,— You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need! You see me here, you gods, a poor old man, As full of grief as age; wretched in both! If it be you that stir these daughters' hearts Against their father, fool me not so much To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger, And let not women's weapons, water-drops, Stain my man's cheeks! No, you unnatural hags, I will have such revenges on you both, That all the world shall—I will do such things,— What they are, yet I know not: but they shall be The terrors of the earth. You think I'll weep No, I'll not weep: I have full cause of weeping; but this heart Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws, Or ere I'll weep. O fool, I shall go mad! (Act 2, Scene 4) Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drench’d our steeples, drown’d the cocks! You sulphurous and thought-executing fires, Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder, Smite flat the thick rotundity o’ the world! Crack nature’s moulds, an germens spill at once, That make ingrateful man!... Rumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! spout, rain! Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire, are my daughters: I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness; I never gave you kingdom, call’d you children, You owe me no subscription: then let fall Your horrible pleasure: here I stand, your slave, A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man... (Act 3, Scene 2)