Character Analysis

King Lear by William Shakespeare

Goneril
Lears ruthless oldest daughter and the wife
of the Duke of Albany.
Jealous, treacherous and amoral.
She challenges Lears authority, boldly initiates
an affair with Edmund and wrests military
power away from her husband.

Character Analysis:

Goneril
1. The ruthless elder
sister to Cordelia and
Regan
2. The first to
profess her love to
Lear.
3. Then, Goneril
banishes Lear from
her home and does
not allow him to stay
with her.
4. Runs into
conflict with
Regan; they love
the same man,
who is Edmund.
5. She is
hypocritical and
wants everyone to
put aside their
differences.
Regan
Lears middle daughter and the wife of the
Duke of Cornwall.
She is ruthless as Goneril and as aggressive in
all the same ways.
In fact, it is difficult to think of any quality that
distinguishes her from her sister.
When they are not egging each other on the
further acts of cruelty, they jealousy compete
for the same man, Edmund.

Character Analysis
Regan
1. Lears middle
daughter, is a cruel
and passionless
woman
2. A cunning and sly
character who plots
ruthlessly to serve her
own interests.
3. Regans greed and
lack of compassion
creates a division
between herself and
her family members
4.A traitor to Goneril
when she warns
Edmund to stay away
from her.
5. Does not fulfill her
role as a daughter
positively.
Tools of Characterization
1. Actions
- Goneril purposely fights with Lear.
- Regan refuses to give Lear shelter.
- Goneril and Regan lock the door behind
Lear when he leaves.
- Lears evil daughters ultimately lead troops
against him in battle.
2. Clothing
- Regan and Goneril wear gorgeous clothes that Lear
criticizes.
- This reinforces the idea that these women are pretty
much into money and power.
Tools of Characterisation
Sexual promiscuity and *infidelity are both
associated with evil in Lear.
Goneril and Regan- the former cheats on
her husband and the latter looks for actions
only moments after her husband has died.
3. Sex
and
Love
Goneril, Regan and Cordelia are ostensibly
equal but Goneril and Regan are older.
Regan dislike of her little sister: she was the
baby until Cordelia came along.
4. Family
Life
* unfaithful