The Importance Of Banishment In Shakespeare's King Lear

While nearly all aspects of Lear’s behavior in the initial scene of King Lear are far from respectable, it is his disregard for the two characters present who are arguably the most noble and well-intentioned that give him the honor of meeting his tragic fate. In short, the banishment of Cordelia and Kent act as the catalyst for Lear’s tragedy. In a way these two characters are vehicles for Lear’s mistakes; regardless of Cordelia’s actions, she live within Lear’s story, and while her father grows and learns from his errors throughout the entirety of the play, his actions cannot go without consequence. To reverse Lear’s fate because he learned he had done wrong would negate the fact that he’d learned anything in the first place. After all, nature …show more content…
Lear’s betrayal of Cordelia is what ultimately marks her for death. Kent doesn’t die because his passing would not teach Lear the lesson he needs to be faced with as the death of an advisor is far less impactful than the death of a family member. The question that remains is what the relevance of Kent’s banishment could possibly be, and the answer to as much is that his banishment is the catalyst itself. Kent’s attempt to overturn Lear’s judgment is the latter’s last chance to save himself and his daughter. Kent says it quite plainly himself, telling Lear to “reverse thy doom, / And, in thy best consideration, check / thy hideous rashness” (I.i. 150-153). In an almost unnatural event, Lear is given the unique chance to undo his wrongs. Rather than immediately be confronted with the consequence of his actions, Kent attempts to speak truth into his ear one last time and remind him that his “safety [is] the motive” for both him and Cordelia, but he turns a blind eye (I.i. 158). Now that both Cordelia and Kent are out of the picture, he is vulnerable, and when Lear is vulnerable, his greedy daughters and the surrounding folk can move in and take