The ending of Succession would have been revealed long, long ago in a classic William Shakespeare play. Wait, this isn’t just another crazy theory about how Roy’s story will conclude, there are plots. The series, which has so far racked up 13 Emmys and 48 nominations, portrays the members of one of the most powerful millionaire families in America destroying each other.
From Succession, we got caught up in the political game inside and outside the family, and the role of power and lineage in the story. You’ll be surprised to love a series where you hate every character. After four seasons, Succession is coming to its end, and the trailer makes one thing clear: it will be memorable.
This series has been so solid, exciting, and well constructed from start to finish that it has been compared to a Greek tragedy, to a Jane Austen novel, to an allegory for the four types of response to abuse trauma (Kendall: fight; Connor: flee; Shiv: flatter; Roman: paralyze), and to the works of Shakespeare.
In the latter example, the story of Succession specifically harkens back to the tragedy of King Lear and has detonated all sorts of essays, articles, and discussions on and off the Internet. And we insist, it’s more than a crazy theory, there are solid arguments.
How Are King Lear and Succession Similar?
King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, it tells the story of Lear, the king of Britain, who has grown old and plans to hand over the responsibility of government to one of his three daughters and their respective husbands. Whoever succeeds him must be the one who most esteems the monarch the most and shows him affection. Spoiler: the one who gets it all is a bastard son whom everyone underestimated.
King Lear talks about legacy, family dynamics, and hunger for power… Sound familiar? Succession opens with Logan Roy seemingly determined to cede control of his company to his son Kendall, who has long looked forward to taking over the Waystar Roco communications empire. However, after analyzing the landscape, he resolves that neither of his sons nor Kendall has what it takes to succeed him.
The approach is similar, with some variations. According to online forums and literary experts who support these similarities, the characters look like this:
- Logan is Lear.
- Kendall is Kent
- Connor is Cornwall
- Roman is Regan
- Gerri is Goneril
- Marcia is Cordelia (Marcia speaks French, and Cordelia, rejected by King Lear, is to marry the King of France).
- Greg is Edgar (also known as “Poor Tom” or the Bastard)
The name of Willa, Connor’s wife, which is a tribute to William Shakespeare, and the Roy family name, which alludes to the English word “royal,” have also attracted attention.
What Will Happen in the Succession, According to Shakespeare?
If the tragedy of King Lear is replicated, at the end of Succession we will see Greg inheriting the throne and Kendall being his number 2. In addition, it is believed that a secret alliance could be revealed between Marcia and Greg, who are the only ones who know that Kendall is connected to the death of the waiter at Shiv’s wedding.
But why would that be Greg? Logan gives each of his children a chance to prove that they could succeed him. Kendall, Roman, and Shiv fail. No one in the family is capable, except Marcia, and yet Logan dismisses her, and that fact would be key to the rest of the story.
Add to that the penultimate episode in which we see Matsson stating in no uncertain terms that he needs an American puppet to run the company he is about to acquire. Shiv tells him that she can be his puppet, but let’s face it, Shiv is anything but docile. Anyway, Matsson calls Shiv to confirm that he already has his U.S. CEO. Shiv thinks he means her, but everything points to it being the other member of the Roy family with whom he gets along and who he can really badger, Greg.
In King Lear, the bastard wins. It could be that in Succession as well. Besides, it would be a logical ending: Greg’s story is one of nepotism, failure, and white male mediocrity, persistent themes in the series. What do you think?
Succession’s finale will air next May 28 on HBO.
Story written in Spanish by Cora Bravo in Cultura Colectiva
More on Succession:
‘Succession’: The Real Millionaire Families That Inspired The HBO Series
How Will ‘Succession’ End According to Artificial Intelligence?
