In act one, scene one, the elderly King Lear announces that he wishes to hand over his responsibilities to his three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, so that he can "unburdened crawl toward death." He asks each of his daughters in turn to tell him how much they love him, and says that he will distribute his territory according to their protestations of love, the implication being that the one who loves him the most will receive the largest share of territory, whereas the one who loves him the least shall receive the smallest.

Goneril replies that she loves him "more than words can say," and "as much as life itself." Following Goneril, Regan replies that Goneril's protestation of love "comes too short," implying that her love is greater. She also says that she is "alone felicitate / In your dear highness' love." In other words, she is only ever happy, she says, because she is loved by her father.

Later in the play, Goneril and Regan effectively disown their father, casting him out into the night to fend for himself. Their protestations of love in act one, scene one, are evidently not at all genuine and are motivated only by a greed for power and territory.