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Who Is "Poor Tom" In "King Lear"?

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Will Martin Profile
Will Martin answered
The Earl of Gloucester, a follower of King Lear, banishes his loyal son and heir, Edgar, because of the trickery of Edmund, his illegitimate son, who persuades Gloucester that Edgar is plotting against him. This echoes the folly of Lear, who has just given his kingdom to his evil elder daughters, Goneril and Regan, and disowned the youngest, Cordelia, who loves him. Edgar remains nearby, disguising himself as a mad beggar called Poor Tom. In this disguise he helps Lear and, later, his father, when they fall victim to the plotting of Goneril, Regan and Edmund. In fact Edgar saves his father's life; when Gloucester has been blinded and wants to throw himself over a cliff, "Poor Tom" pretends to guide him to the edge, lets him fall on the ground and then tells him he has been rescued by angels. In this way he restores his father's will to live, helps him to safety and eventually overcomes Edmund in combat.
thanked the writer.
robert williams
robert williams commented
James 1's wife, Anne of Denmark, had two imbeciles in her care. Both men would have been torn to shreds had they ventured into the streets alone, because of their simple faces and lack of common sense. One was called 'Poor Tom'. Shakespeare wrote King Lear in 1605, two years into the reign of the new king.

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