Goneril
Encyclopedia
Goneril, or Gonerill, is a fictional character in William Shakespeare
’s King Lear
. She is the eldest of King Lear's daughters. Along with her sister Regan, Goneril is considered a wicked character. She is obsessed with power and overthrowing her elderly father as ruler of the kingdom. She is an aggressive woman, a rare trait for a female character in Elizabethan literature.
She finally begins to show her true colors when Lear asks to stay with her and her husband. She tells him to send away his knights and servants because they are too loud and too numerous. Livid that he is being disrespected, Lear curses her and leaves.
Goneril, the wife of the Duke of Albany, has an intimate relationship with Edmund
, one that may have been played up in the earlier editions of King Lear
. In the final Act, Goneril discovers that Regan has a sexual desire for Edmund as well. Goneril poisons her sister’s drink, goes offstage, and kills herself.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
’s King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
. She is the eldest of King Lear's daughters. Along with her sister Regan, Goneril is considered a wicked character. She is obsessed with power and overthrowing her elderly father as ruler of the kingdom. She is an aggressive woman, a rare trait for a female character in Elizabethan literature.
Analysis
The earliest example of her deceitful tendencies is in the first act. Lear is dividing his kingdom among his three daughters, as long as they express their true love to him. Knowing her response will get her closer to the throne, Goneril says, “Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter,” (1.1. 53). She has no reservations while lying to her father.She finally begins to show her true colors when Lear asks to stay with her and her husband. She tells him to send away his knights and servants because they are too loud and too numerous. Livid that he is being disrespected, Lear curses her and leaves.
Goneril, the wife of the Duke of Albany, has an intimate relationship with Edmund
Edmund (King Lear)
Edmund or Edmond is a fictional character and the main antagonist in William Shakespeare's King Lear. He is the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester, and the younger brother of Edgar, the Earl's legitimate son. Early on in the play, Edmund resolves to get rid of his brother, then his...
, one that may have been played up in the earlier editions of King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
. In the final Act, Goneril discovers that Regan has a sexual desire for Edmund as well. Goneril poisons her sister’s drink, goes offstage, and kills herself.
Performances on screen
- Frances BarberFrances BarberFrances Barber is an Olivier Award-nominated English actress with a long and distinguished stage career. She has also appeared in numerous television productions...
. King Lear (2009) PBS Dir. Sir Trevor Nunn and Chris Hunt - Caroline Lennon. King Lear (1999) Dir. Brian Blessed & Tony Rotherham
- Barbara FlynnBarbara FlynnBarbara Flynn is an English actress. She first became known for her appearance in the ITV drama A Family at War, that followed the fortunes of a lower middle class family living in Liverpool from 1938 and through World War II.During the 1980s Flynn's acting skills led to her being cast in several...
. Performance King Lear (1998) Dir. Richard Eyre - Dorothy TutinDorothy TutinDame Dorothy Tutin DBE was an English actor of stage, film, and television.An obituary in The Daily Telegraph described her as "one of the most enchanting, accomplished and intelligent leading ladies on the post-war British stage...
. King Lear (1983) (TV) Dir. keith Elliott - Gillian BargeGillian BargeGillian Barge was an English stage, television and film actress.She was born in Hastings, Sussex and she started acting at the age of 17, training at the Birmingham Theatre School....
. King Lear (1982) (TV) Dir. Jonathan Miller - Beth Harris. King Lear (1976) (TV) Dir. Tony Davenall
- Rosalind CashRosalind CashRosalind Cash was an American singer and actress, whose best known film role was as Charlton Heston's character's love interest Lisa, in the 1971 science fiction cult classic, The Omega Man...
. King Lear (1974) (TV) Dir. Edwin Sherin - Irene WorthIrene WorthIrene Worth, CBE was an American stage and screen actress who became one of the leading stars of the English and American theatre. -Early life:...
. King Lear (1971 UK Film) Dir. Peter Brook - Elza Radzina. Korol Lir (1971 USSR Film) Dir. Grigori Kozintsev & Iosif Shapiro
- Beatrice StraightBeatrice StraightBeatrice Whitney Straight was an American theatre, film, and television actress. Hers remains the shortest acting performance in a film to win an Oscar. In her winning role in the 1976 film Network, she was on screen for five minutes and forty seconds, the shortest time ever for the winner of the...
. King Lear (1953) (TV) Dir. Andrew McCullough
Further reading
- Smiley, Jane. A Thousand AcresA Thousand AcresA Thousand Acres is a 1991 novel by American author Jane Smiley. It won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1991 and was adapted to a 1997 film of the same name....
. Ivy Books, 1996. Print. - Fischlin, Daniel and Fortier, Mark. Adaptations of Shakespeare. Feinstein, Elain and the Women’s Theatre Group. Lear’s Daughters. 215-232. Routledge, 2000. Print
External links
- http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/king-lear/watch-the-play/487/ -PBS Production of King LearKing LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
- http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=king+lear -King Lear Films
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4-fQbVohQ4&feature=related -King Lear Video Clips
- http://www.archive.org/stream/truechroniclehis00greeuoft#page/n21/mode/2up -The True Chronicle Historie of King Leir Text (1605) by Anonymous
- http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/tatelear.html The History of King Lear (1681) by Nahum Tate