Lear then divides the kingdom between Goneril and Regan, retaining a retinue of one hundred men and the title of King, and plans to live alternately with each daughter.

Lear soon discovers the cruelty of his elder daughters, who mistreat him and strip him of his dignity, eventually casting him out during a storm.

Goneril and Regan perish in mutual betrayal, and Lear dies heartbroken over Cordelia’s death, marking a tragic end for the once-mighty king.

The casting director first suggested Jüri Järvet for the small part of a tramp, but Kozintsev offered him the title role.

The role of Goneril is portrayed by Latvian actress Elza Radziņa, who also appeared in Kozintsev's Hamlet as Gertrude.

Oleg Dahl, one of the stars of the Sovremennik Theatre, was chosen to play the Fool without an audition, after a short conversation with the director.

Kozintsev also incorporated a number of experienced theatre actors from Latvia and Lithuania: Donatas Banionis as Albany, Kārlis Sebris as Gloucester, Leonhard Merzin as Edgar, and Regimantas Adomaitis as Edmund.