Aging monarch King Lear decides to divide his domain between his three daughters, demanding professions of love from each before sharing out the spoils. Goneril and Regan flatter him out of self-interest, while virtuous, dutiful Cordelia refuses to engage in such shallow displays of affection, incurring her father's displeasure. Lear's folly exacts a heavy price in a play widely regarded as Shakespeare's greatest achievement.