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King Lear Character Analysis

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In William Shakespeare 's play, King Lear, there are many villains, which are used to help enhance the meanings throughout a work. Villains add to the intrigue that a reader has as they are reading, as they add to or cause some of the major conflicts of the plot. In King Lear, Lear divides his kingdom between his three children based on how much they said that they loved him. This backfires as he gives all his kingdom to the two daughters, Goneril and Regan, who were plotting against him from the start, leaving him with nothing. Ultimately, his bad decisions and the cold-heartedness of his daughters leads to the death of him, his daughters, and many others. The main villain, Goneril, helps to add to the meaning and to the plot of Shakespeare’s play. Goneril can be seen as the most villainous character throughout the play because she lied to and was cruel to her father, King Lear, she was the most ruthless and brutal with her punishments, and she did most everything merely for self gain. Goneril not only lies to her father, but she is nothing but cruel to him. When Lear decides how to divide his kingdom, he does so based on how much his daughters love him. In order to gain the land and power, Goneril lies and goes on and on about how much she loves him, even though she really doesn’t. “I love you more than words can wield the matter, dearer than eyesight… no less than life… A love that makes breath poor and speech unable” (1.1.55-60). The King, however, does not

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