Deception in King LearIn King Lear, the characters constantly deceive each other. Most of them are deliberately misrepresented, but others are naturally difficult to understand. Some seek to gain power while others protect themselves. There is an extreme contrast between reality and what each character appears to be to the other characters. This quality of the characters fuels the plot, leading it to its final conclusion. The Fool is ironically different from his title. Although the fool is commonly an idiot, Lear's fool seems to understand the political situation better than the king himself. His jokes and songs seem aimed at teaching Lear the mistakes he has made rather than making him laugh. In the song he states that perhaps Kent and the king could take his place, since they act like better fools than him. He admonishes Lear because he was old before he became wise. The Fool displays a deep understanding of corruption. His night speech "to cool a courtesan" depicts priests not following their own sermons and nobles serving their servants. Unlike a madman, the Fool understands the complexity of the politics at play in the play. When Kent is in disguise, it is only his physical appearance that is false. Unlike the other characters who wear disguises, he does not change his actions to deceive Lear. Just as he was before Lear banished him, Kent is a loyal servant. Disguised as Gaius, he is willing to follow the king through his ordeal. Kent remains a devoted servant, despite his attire. It seems to Lear that Kent is gone and has a new confidant. However, the reality is that Kent never really left him. King's main conflict... half of the card... full force. Gloucester believes that Edgar is a farmer instead of "poor Tom" who led him to the cliff. Directly before the battle, Edgar delivers Goneril's letter to Albany to save him from his deception. Edgar only reveals himself at the end. He spent most of the play pretending to be someone else. Each of the characters seems to be something else. If all the sisters had told the truth, the play couldn't have progressed, so there's something each main character has to understand. Lear must learn the true nature of his daughters and that a good king will not allow his people to have terrible living conditions when he has superb ones. Gloucester must learn loyalty, and Edgar must uncover his brother's deceptions. Once the characters recognize something they didn't understand before, the tragedy of King Lear is complete.