Editing Lear: The Significance of Liege and Lord

         William Shakespeare’s King Lear is a play of imbalance, family ties, and allegiance, calling into question these ideas of obligation and loyalty.  The relationship between king and country, father and daughter, father and son are held up for scrutiny, often speaking volumes about the nature of the characters.  The two versions of King Lear, the 1608 Quarto and the 1623 Folio, both tell similar stories but are also rife with striking differences.

         A particularly interesting difference is found in an exchange between Gloucester and King Lear himself.  The Quarto reads: “Attend my lords of France and Burgundy, Gloucester. / I shall my liege,” (I. 1. 33 – 34) the primary source of difference and debate resting on the word “liege.”  In the Folio version, the lines read: “Attend the lords of France and Burgundy, Gloucester. / I shall, my lord.” (I. 1. 33 – 34) While the switch between liege and lord appears to be a minor one, the etymological differences between the two bring up the question of power and balance central to the theme of the play.  Between the two, the word lord better encapsulates the power struggle central to King Lear.

          According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word liege carries with it several definitions: “The characteristic epithet of persons in the relation of feudal superior and vassal. A. Of the superior: Entitled to feudal allegiance and service” (OED, 2nd ed., s.v., 1a)  This definition conjures the traditional role between a superior and the ruled.  This paints Lear as a responsible ruler, one that would divide his kingdom based on substantial and tangible reasons.  The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of lord is “One who has dominion over others as his subjects, or to whom service and obedience are due; a master, chief, prince, sovereign.” (OED, 2nd ed., s.v., 2a)  This definition better defines Lear’s role—the king and sovereign of his country.  The definition is also a striking contrast to the way things actually unfold for Lear.  The word lord implies power and control—two things that Lear manages to successfully lose throughout the course of the play.  He gives all his power to his daughters, Goneril and Regan, only to have them reject him leaving him with nothing.  The two words, while seemingly minor in their differences have a substantial effect on the play itself.  The choice of the word lord better suits the play as a whole.