This is King Lear’s family tree, with each family member represented by a landscape photo. The conflicts within King Lear are primarily driven by the desire for land. Families are torn apart by the promise of land. Wars are fought over land. People die because of it. Land is a crucial part of Lear’s world.
Each landscape photo represents the personality of a character. Cordelia is a picturesque coastline, and her husband is a lovely lake. Both characters embody characteristics of a “good” person in the play, and both landscapes are pretty and lovely. Regan and Goneril are similar (but not identical) photos of rocky, dark shorelines. They are harsh, sharp, and intense. Regan’s husband, the Duke of Cornwall, is a dark forested area. It’s menacing and cruel, like Cornwall.
Goneril’s husband, the Duke of Albany is a road on a mountain. Albany is ultimately a good person who sides with Lear and Cordelia, but for much of the play he tries to help his power-hungry and cruel wife in the belief that she’s right. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Lear is a lone tree, encircled by other trees. This symbolizes his eventual insanity and isolation within his own mind.

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