In King Lear, the aging King of Britain decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on their public expressions of love for him. Goneril and Regan offer grand declarations and are rewarded, while the youngest, Cordelia, refuses to flatter him insincerely and is banished. The Earl of Kent, who defends Cordelia, is also exiled. Lear's decision sets off a chain of events marked by betrayal, political ambition, and familial breakdown.

As Lear descends into madness, he is cast out by the very daughters he favored. Amidst war and personal ruin, he is reunited with Cordelia, now aligned with the French to defend her father. Parallel to Lear’s story is that of the Earl of Gloucester and his sons, Edmund and Edgar, whose own conflict mirrors the play’s central themes of loyalty, deception, and loss.