Essay --

In King Lear by William Shakespeare, it is a play mostly about tragedy like most of Shakespeare’s plays. Shakespeare uses a vast amount of animal imagery to describe the characteristics of the villains to refer back to. He also presents an ample amount of symbolism throughout the play. The play starts by King Lear trying to settle matter of his estate between his three daughters: Goneril the eldest daughter and his also favorite daughter, Regan his second daughter, and Cordelia the youngest daughter. Based on their adulation Lear would decide who would get the largest share based on who â€Å"loves† him the most. Both Goneril and Regan declare in lavish terms that they love him more than anything in the world, which pleases Lear. For Cordelia, there is nothing to compare her love to; she being honest declares that there are no words that would express her love, which makes King Lear furious. In his anger he disowns Cordelia, and divides the kingdom between Regan and Goneril bringing tragically consequences throughout the play. Goneril and Regan plan to take all of Lear's power out of h...