Lear's Dilemma —

Can future strife be prevented now?

Lear's foreign policy problem
Britain is a strong country but the one danger that confronts Lear and has always confronted him, is an alliance between the other two major powers, France and Burgundy. There is always the danger that any two will form an alliance to attack the third and this is the reason that both France and Burgundy seek an alliance with Britain. If there were only two major powers, that is, two 'super-powers', of approximately equal strength, they might argue, or even have a cold-war, but an armed conflict would not be in the best interest of either as they would have too much to lose. It is this 'two-camp' strategic situation that Lear envisages and tries to bring into being by resolving the various power-play scenarios. How can Lear solve this problem?

Lear's domestic policy problem
A pressing problem is that Cordelia must have a dowry. Lear realises that he cannot live forever and at some stage Britain must pass to his successor. If he does nothing, the succession will pass to his first born daughter, Goneril. Apart from not wanting Goneril to have the lot, he is wise enough to see that on his sudden death there very likely would be a power struggle between his daughters. He wishes that future strife may be prevented now. How can Lear solve this problem?