Similarities Between King Henry V And King Lear

In Shakespeare’s plays, King Lear and King Henry V, they both use King Lear and King Henry V as protagonist in the plays. Both kings use their powers to fulfill a calling where they try to discover how to become a great king, but also rediscovering of who they really are. Other characters perform as an act to persuade or to guide the audience to this revelation, focusing on the kings and their society overall. Therefore, both King Lear and Henry V are two significant characters that show their humanity despite their societal positions.
In King Lear, Act 1 Scene 1 entails two performances that set the mood for this play. One of the performances in the beginning of the play is the Gloucester-Kent scene. As they arrive in King Lear’s palace, Gloucester and Kent talk about their

Gloucester says, “It did always see so to us; but now in the division of the kingdom it appears not which of the dukes he values most…” (1.1. 3-5). Their conversation, though only the first seven lines in the play, gives the audience the tone of the play as they rush to arrive at the palace. With urgency, they wonder what King Lear will do before he retires as king. In addition, Gloucester and Kent also talk about Edmund. Kent asks Gloucester, “Is not this your son?” (1.1. 8). Though Kent and Gloucester are performing a role, Edmund performs another role for the audience. As Kent and Gloucester are talking about him, Edmund is near the audience, showing different faces of embarrassment and disgust as he hears his father speaking about his birth. Gloucester and Kent’s purpose in this scene is for the audience to understand the brokenness of the natural law between the parents and their children. Gloucester says to Kent, “But I have a son, sir, by order of law,