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Kent is a nobleman of the same rank as Gloucester and a man defined by his loyalty and virtue. Kent’s loyalty manifests not in blind obedience, but in honesty, and much like Cordelia, he pays for his willingness to tell Lear the truth. By refusing to cosign Lear’s banishment of Cordelia, Kent himself ends up banished. Nevertheless, Kent fears for Lear’s safety and disguises himself as the peasant Caius so that he may stay close to Lear. Unlike Edgar’s Poor Tom, however, Kent as Caius does not act substantially different from Kent. When Caius speaks bluntly to Cornwall, he is not putting on a show of madness so much as revealing that Regan and her husband do not respect Lear and will discipline members of his retainer without his permission. That Kent must disguise himself as someone low-born highlights the low value Lear has placed on honesty and emphasizes Lear’s blindness toward who is truly loyal to him. At the very end of the play, Kent refuses to rule Britain with Albany and Edgar, stating that “my master calls me,” which implies Kent’s loyalty is such that he will follow Lear in death.
