There are many similarities between King Lear and A Thousand Acres, including both plot details and character development.[1] For example, some of the names of the main characters in the novel are reminiscent of their Shakespearean counterparts. Larry is Lear, Ginny is Goneril, Rose is Regan, and Caroline is Cordelia. The role of the Cooks' neighbors, Harold Clark and his sons Loren and Jess, also rework the importance of Gloucester, Edgar and Edmund in King Lear.
The novel maintains major themes present in Lear, namely: gender roles, appearances vs. reality, generational conflict, hierarchical structures (the Great chain of being), madness, and the powerful force of nature.[1]
Correspondences between the characters in the novel and in the play
- Larry Cook = King Lear
- Ginny Cook Smith = Goneril
- Rose Cook Lewis = Regan
- Caroline Cook Rasmussen = Cordelia
- Frank Rasmussen = King of France
- Ty Smith = Duke of Albany
- Pete Lewis = Duke of Cornwall
- Jess Clark = Edmund
- Harold Clark = Earl of Gloucester
- Loren Clark = Edgar
- Ken La Salle = Kent
- Marv Carson (The Fool)[2]
