In Act two, when King Lear utters “reason,” this suggests that Lear feels as if his identity has been stripped from him. After the unexpected betrayal by his eldest daughters, Lear not only regrets his decision, but also finds himself in an identity crisis. He finds himself questioning his previous life and the future in front of him. So consciously, when King Lear says “reason” he means “miserable.” He is miserable and sees no reason to continue living. His anguish began when he decided to divide up his land between his three daughters. Lear had grown tired of the responsibilities of being the king, and he wanted to spend the rest of his years relaxing. The king demanded that his three daughters scuffle over who loved him the most; that way he could not only divide up the land according to which answer was the most flattering, but he would also get his ego stroked. As king, Lear loved being flattered and loved the benefits of having the crown. Lear began his quest for flattery by asking his two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, which one of them loved him the most. Goneril states that words cannot describe her feelings for him and that she loved him more than eyesight, space, and freedom, beyond wealth or anything of value. Regan then tells Lear that she loves him more than even Goneril stated. The manipulative daughters gave Lear wonderful answers, and he was quite pleased. Next Lear asked his youngest and favorite daughter, Cordelia. Cordelia was beautiful, kind, and honest, and the king was looking forward to her response the most. He anticipated that she would give him the most flattering answer, and he was highly anticipating it. After Lear excitedly asked his youngest daughter why she loved him the most, she refused to take part in his flattery competition and responded that she loved him as much as a daughter should love her father. Lear was extremely disappointed by his favorite daughter’s answer, and was embarrassed, hurt, and confused by her response. The king was crushed that Cordelia didn’t give him a flattering answer, and he wondered if his favorite daughter didn’t cherish their relationship as much as he did. He had always been proud of the relationship he had with his youngest daughter, and he imagined that Cordelia had really looked up to him. The uncomfortable thoughts about Lear’s relationship with Cordelia led him to make more upsetting assumptions. He decided that his daughter didn’t appreciate everything he had done and given to her, and had taken him for granted. Feeling as if she had betrayed him, Lear disowns her. He then divided his kingdom between Goneril and Regan, the daughters that he felt loved and cared about him the most. King Lear’s misery increased after he decided to make a trip to Goneril’s castle. Still reaping the benefits of kinghood, the king brought his knights and servants with him. Bringing his knights and servants with him provided comfort to the former king. Not only was he used to their services, but they represented his identity. Despite the fact that he gave up his kinghood, he still longed to be treated as if he were king. For years, Lear was used to being rich, powerful, respected, and looked to for order in society. Though he surrendered his kinghood, he strategically brought his servants and knights with him in order to bring him comfort. When King Lear arrived at his daughter’s castle, he was immediately mistreated by Goneril’s servants. The servants also refused to obey Lear’s commands. Lear asked Goneril’s servant, Oswald, where he could find Goneril and Oswald rudely ignored him, and walked away. Lear was baffled by Oswald’s actions, and didn’t know how to react. Never in his kinghood, had somebody disrespected him, and Lear was extremely angry. He had no idea how to handle somebody mistreating him. Despite not having the crown anymore, Lear felt as if his reputation should be enough for people to treat him nicely. He had been the king for years, and assumed that his subjects owed him respect for the time he had served as king. When Oswald returned to the room, Lear’s anger and confusion got the best of him, leading the King to strike the servant. Lear waited for Goneril for a long period of time, which Lear