Among the tragedies, "King Lear" stands out for having two such examples of characters donning disguises. For self-protection, survival, or to help out a loved one in trouble, Kent and Edgar make it all possible through disguise. By becoming different people, they are given a freedom to move about and communicate with greater ease. Unburdened by their former selves, Kent and Edgar are able to help those they love and discover truths revealed - only because they no longer appear to be who they once were.
As an earl, Kent had status within the court and could freely speak to the king, advising him on issues concerning kingdom affairs and decisions made. However, no title can be invulnerable to the banishment of a displeased royal, and such was the case for Kent after he spoke up against Lear's treatment of Cordelia. Thus banished, Kent was told to never set foot in Lear's domain again, but being a loyal servant, the Earl of Kent refused to abandon Lear and instead chose to disguise himself in order to remain by his side:
If by as well I other accents borrow,
That can my speech defuse, my good intent
May carry through itself to that full issue
For which I razed my likeness. Now banished Kent,
If thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemned,
So may it come, thy master, whom thou lovest,
Shall find thee full of labors.
(1.4.1-7)
Similarly, Edgar is also sent away. Not by his king, but though the treachery of his brother, Edmund, who - jealous of not being a legitimate heir to Gloucester's fortunes - decides to eliminate the competition by poisoning their father's heart against good Edgar. Edmund, donning a disguise himself as a false friend to Edgar, tells the young man to fly away, which of course makes him seem guilty in the eyes of Gloucester, who - wounded by Edgar's betrayal - is determined to see him gone himself after Edmund conveys the lie:
I do serve you in this business.
A credulous father, and a brother noble,
Whose nature is so far from doing harms,
That he suspects none; on whose foolish honesty
