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Themes of Identity in King Lear's Speech

Regan asks why he even needs any knights around him anymore, which spurs Lear's emotional speech. Through his speech, Lear expresses to his daughters that he needs his knights like other people need their things even if it is not physiological need to survive. .
             In the beginning of his speech, Lear is addressing his daughter Regan who has just asked why he even needs one knight to follow him around. He replies she shouldn't ask him why he actually "needs" any of them. To support himself he explains that even the basest of beggars have some kind of possession. Lear continues this line of thinking and says that human existence is no greater than that of beasts if they are only to have those things that are absolutely necessary or "needed" for survival. In order to qualify his reasoning, Lear turns his attention to Goneril and says that she is a lady wearing gorgeous clothes. He continues to explain that if she dressed only to keep warm she wouldn't need her clothes to be so fancy and that as gorgeous as they are, they do not even keep her warm. His attention then switches to the gods. He says he needs patience from them. Lear asks if they are responsible for the betraying behavior of his daughters. He is old, proud and still sees himself as king and does no plan to be docile or compliant to the actions of his daughters, as they try to strip the last of their father's power. He prays for noble anger from the gods and does not want to let any tears fall onto his cheeks for fear of looking like a woman in front of his daughters and all of those who are spectating in the area. As his attention switches back to his daughters his anger rises and he calls them monstrous hags and vows revenge on them both. Although he does not know exactly what he will do, he vows that his revenge will be the terror of the earth. His tone changes to sadness on the verge of tears but he tells his daughters he won't cry even though he has every reason too.


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