Goneril is a character in William Shakespeare’s tragic play King Lear (1605). She is the eldest of King Lear’s three daughters. Along with her sister Regan, Goneril is considered a villain, obsessed with power and overthrowing her elderly father as ruler of the kingdom of Britain. Shakespeare based the character on Gonorilla, a personage described by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his pseudo-historical chronicle Historia regum Britanniae (“History of the Kings of Britain”, c. 1138) as the eldest of the British king Lear’s three daughters, alongside Regan and Cordeilla (the source for Cordelia) and the mother of Marganus.
First Appearance Historia regum Britanniae (c. 1136) by Geoffrey of Monmouth
First Publisher ○
Appearance List Historia regum Britanniae (c. 1136) by Geoffrey of Monmouth — earliest widely attested narrative of Leir/Cordelia in the British pseudo-historical tradition; Historia regum Britanniae (1508) — Paris: printed by Josse Bade (Jodocus Badius Ascensius) often cited as the first major printed edition; Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577; rev. 1587) by Raphael Holinshed et al.; The True Chronicle History of King Leir (1605) by Anonymous (attributions disputed); M. William Shak-speare: His True Chronicle Historie of the life and death of King Lear… (1608) by William Shakespeare — first printed edition (Quarto 1); Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (1623) by William Shakespeare — First Folio printing includes King Lear (the Folio version differs substantially from Q1); The History of King Lear (1681) by Nahum Tate — influential Restoration adaptation (famously alters the ending), published as performed at the Duke’s Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream: and Other Stories by E. Nesbit (1890) (A midsummer night’s dream.–Hamlet, prince of Denmark.–Twelfth night.–King Lear) [Internet Archive]; King Lear (1971) directed by Peter Brook; King Lear (1971) directed by Grigori Kozintsev; Lear (1978) by Aribert Reimann — opera adaptation (libretto by Claus H. Henneberg; premiered 1978 in Munich).
Sample Read Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [Internet Archive]
Description Goneril is a character in William Shakespeare’s tragic play King Lear (1605). She is the eldest of King Lear’s three daughters. Along with her sister Regan, Goneril is considered a villain, obsessed with power and overthrowing her elderly father as ruler of the kingdom of Britain. Shakespeare based the character on Gonorilla, a personage described by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his pseudo-historical chronicle Historia regum Britanniae (“History of the Kings of Britain”, c. 1138) as the eldest of the British king Lear’s three daughters, alongside Regan and Cordeilla (the source for Cordelia) and the mother of Marganus.
