Anger and Banishment

While I started reading Act1 scene 1 on King Lear, I noticed the common occurence of banishment. So many characers get punished because of Lear's quick temper. The first instance we see is in Act 1 Scene 1 when Lear plans to divide his land up between his daughters; giving the most to the one who shows the most affection toward him. Cordelia who is the only honest daughter of the 3 responds by saying: Lines 94-103: Good my lord,/You have begot me, bred me, loved me; I/ Return those duties back as are right fit,/Obey you, love you, and most honor you./Why have my sisters husbands, if they say/They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,/That lord whose hand must take my care and duty./Sure I shall never marry like my sisters,/To love my father all. She basically says her other sisters couldn't possibly love him as much as they say they do because then they wouldn't have husbands and she shouldn't have to profess how much she loves her father. That engraged King Lear in to saying: Lines 108-119: Let it be so! Thy truth, then be thy dower!/For, by the sacred radiance of the sun/The mysteries of Hecate, and the night;/By all the operation of the orbs/From whom we do exist and cease to be;/Here I disclaim all my paternal care,/Propinquity and property of blood/And as a stranger to my heart and me/Hold thee, from this, for ever. The barbarous Scythian/Or he that makes his generation messes/To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom/Be as well neighbored, pitied, and relieved,/As thou my sometime daughter./ With all that said he discrowns his youngest daughter Cordelia all because of his anger issues. Next in that same scene he forces Kent to be banished because he tries to tell the King he is being to harsh and that none of his daughters is as honest and loving towards him as Cordelia. Lines 121-138 Lear: Peace, Kent!/Come not betweeb the dragon and his wrath./ I loved her most, and thought to set my rest/ On her kind nursery. Hence, and avoid my sight!/ So be my grave my peace, as here I give/ Her father's heart from her! Call France, who stirs?/ Call Burgundy. Cornawall and Albany,/ With my two daughters' dowers digest this third:/ Let pride which she calls plainess, marry her./ I do invest you jointly with my power,/ Pre-eminence, and all the large effects/ That troop with majesty. Ourself, by monthly course,/ With reservation of an hundred knights,/By you to be sustained, shall our abode/ Make with you by due turns. Only we still retain/ The name and all the additions to a king;/ The sawy, revenue, execution of the rest, / Beloved sons, be yours; which to confirm,/ This coronet part betwixt you. In just the first scene we know the King has a very bad temperment and to see how many people get punished for making him mad is unreal. Even his own daughter gets shunned. Clearly we can see the character of King Lear has a problem with understanding and working things out calmly instead of irrationaly accusing everyone out to get him. This should be interesting how King Lear's character breaks down as the rest of the play goes on.