'King Lear' by William Shakespeare is the story of the king of Britain and his three daughters. There is also an underlying plot involving the Earl of Gloucester and his two sons. The two plots while separate, are mingled together to create one story. 'The mingling of the two plots goes far to account for the supreme richness and complexity of King Lear'. This statement is correct as Shakespeare's addition of the story of Gloucester emphasizes the main plot as they are parallel to each other. This analytical exposition will look at the parallel characters of Lear and Gloucester, Cordelia and Edgar, Gonerill, Regan and Edmond, and how their similarities add to overall effect of the play.
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