Goneril is Lear's eldest daughter. She seems to understand that her father sometimes acts in a petty manner, and she knows how to please him. If she can inherit a third of Lear's kingdom by simply telling him that she loves him profoundly, she will gladly do it. To do so costs her nothing. Unlike Cordelia, Goneril knows how to cover her true feelings with high-blown rhetoric. Later in the play, Goneril treats Lear severely and appears quite monstrous.
After Lear's angry responses to the behaviors of Cordelia and Kent, Goneril and Regan discuss Lear's state of mind. In an effort...
Source: Shakespeare for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 401 words.)
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