Lear's Threat
When Lear declares that he will disinherit Cordelia, Kent tries to interfere and stop him from making that mistake. Lear sternly tells Kent, "Come not between the dragon and his wrath" (1.1). In this metaphor, Lear compares himself to an angry dragon, threatening Kent if he continues to be involved in Lear's affairs. This metaphor emphasizes Lear's lack of self-knowledge as he is, in actuality, a feeble old man making a political mistake that will ensure his own demise.
Fool's Warning
Lear is shocked and dismayed to see Kent in the stocks when he arrives at Gloucester's palace. The fool explains to Lear that he has experienced a reversal in fortune, saying, "Fortune, that fickle whore / Ne'er turns the key to the poor" (2.4). Here, the fool uses a metaphor to compare fortune – which Lear previously had – to a fickle woman who never opens the door for those less fortunate. The fool therefore suggests that Lear is unlikely to recover and enjoy power once more.
Gloucester's Defense of Lear
Gloucester explains to Regan why he continues to support Lear, saying, "Because I would not see thy cruel nails / Pluck out his poor old eyes, nor thy fierce sister / In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs" (3.7). Gloucester compares Goneril and Regan to carnivorous beasts attempting to attack and their father, but he also, in this metaphor, foreshadows his own brutal mutilation with the imagery of being blinded.
Gloucester's Nihilsm
Toward the end of the play, after Gloucester has been blinded, he warns Lear that life is nothing but pain and suffering. He says, "As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods. / They kill us for their sport" (4.1). In this simile, Gloucester compares mankind to insignificant flies that young boys will kill for fun. He therefore expresses a nihilistic view of life on earth, which is that nothing has any inherent meaning or value.
Lear's Fantasy
At the end of the play, Lear has accepted his fate, and he crafts a fantasy in which he and Cordelia will be able to live together in prison. He says, "We two alone will sing like birds i’ the cage" (5.3). Here, Lear uses a simile to compare himself and his daughter to two caged birds who nonetheless continue to sing and enjoy each other's company. Lear's fantasy of a joyful imprisonment with his daughter emphasizes both his mad state at the end of the play, as well as his newly-gained self-knowledge that allows him to see Cordelia as his most beloved daughter once more.
