King Lear Act II - #2

Goneril and Regan take what their father has them given them for granted. He’s given them a place to live and probably most of what they wanted and when divides his kingdom among his daughters, Goneril and Regan betray him and give him no respect. The only one who is still loyal to her father is Regan, but Lear banishes her just because she won’t flatter him like his other two daughters deceivingly did. Goneril and Regan are very greedy and no longer even pretend to love their father. When he comes to spend time with them, they complain and make him leave. Resentment of their father comes from not getting exactly what they want. They don’t realize their father loves them so what he does for them seems insignificant because they’re only thinking about what they want. Resentment from any child to a parent often comes from dislike of the parent’s actions and the child’s disregard or skepticism for the parent’s real reason for their choice of action, which is often for the wellbeing of their child. However, it’s often difficult for the child to see. This type of relationship between children and their parents, such as Goneril and Regan with Lear, is powerful because it creates conflict and often pulls the child away from their parents, which is often difficult for the parent because that wasn’t their intention.