Shakespeare's King Lear is a story of treachery and deceit. The villainy of the play knows no bounds. Family lines are ignored in an overwhelming quest for power. This villainy is seen in the characters of Goneril and Regan, two of King Lear's daughters. They have a need for all power and money and won't let anyone get in their way. This quest for power makes them become the lying and deceitful characters that show how they have no respect for their family and friends. In the play we see Goneril and Regan being deceitful to others, and themselves. By doing this they cause not only chaos and trouble to everyone around them but it also leads to their death.
Goneril and Regan are very fierce and demanding in their quest for power. Our first glimpse at the two surely begins to prove that fact. In Act one, scene 1, the King asks each of his three daughters to profess their undying love to him before he distributes parts of the kingdom to them. Goneril and Regan both, unlike their sister Cordelia who is to true of heart to sink to such a level, give incredibly conceited speeches telling of how great their love for their father is. Goneril says to her father,
Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter;
Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty;
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;
No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour;
As much as child e'er loved, or father found;
A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable.
Beyond all manner of so much I love you.
The speeches, as we soon find out, are total lies. As soon as they receive their land, the two, accompanied by their husbands, join forces, and, using their newly found power, strip their father of all his power. These two daughters have deceived their father for their personal gain. Furthermore, they had not intended to keep the bond with their father once they had what they wanted. Goneril states,
We must do something, and i' th...