How effective is Shakespeare's presentation of the relationship between Lear and his daughters?

Our first impression of the relationship is influenced by Shakespeare's portrayal of Lear and his daughters' characters; this is illustrated in the first scene of the play. He presents Lear as a controlling father and King; he seems to love his power and uses it to his advantage. The unnatural way in which he encourages competition between his daughters, causes the true nature of each character to evolve. Through the language Shakespeare creates the mood …showed first 75 words of 2426 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2426 total…judgement is affected and he feels towards his more flattering but dishonest daughters, but soon realises he was mistaken as he loses his power and is able to see his relationships clearly. Shakespeare forms a journey of realisation; the power Lear once had takes away the reality of his relationships as he could do anything and was in control. Once this control was shifted to the eldest daughters he could 'see' his faithful daughter, Cordelia.