King Lear mistakenly believes the words of love that his two older daughters, Goneril and Regan, lavish on him when he is about to divide up his kingdom and retire. Lear's first great error is to credit words more than deeds. He trusts the two daughters who lie to him and banishes the one daughter who truly loves him but will not flatter him.
Beyond that, Lear trusts in the parent-child relationship. He is so...
King Lear mistakenly believes the words of love that his two older daughters, Goneril and Regan, lavish on him when he is about to divide up his kingdom and retire. Lear's first great error is to credit words more than deeds. He trusts the two daughters who lie to him and banishes the one daughter who truly loves him but will not flatter him.
Beyond that, Lear trusts in the parent-child relationship. He is so used to being obeyed and (seemingly) respected that it does not occur to him that his own children could betray him after assuring him of their love. He seems to lack any radar to detect being conned by a daughter. He does not understand that the parent-child relationship is based on power, fear, and love. He also does not understand that some children only desire their parent's wealth and power, rather than their parent's love. Lear is stunned and shattered when Goneril and Regan betray him and use the power he has given them against him.
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