Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter,
Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty,
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare,
No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour;
As much as child e’er loved, or father found;
A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable.
Beyond all manner of so much I love you.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 1, Scene 1. Goneril is the first to respond to her Lear’s "who loves me most?" test. She falsely professes undying love for her father, using verbal irony to say that she loves him more than words can express. The gullible Lear shows mental and moral blindness when he fails to recognize Goneril’s over the top and insincere flattery as she tells him what he wants to hear. In the matter of his daughters’ love, he cannot tell the difference between the appearance and reality. So he goes on to award Goneril a generous share of his kingdom. The Earl of Gloucester’s later blinding is also forshadowed by Goneril’s declaration of her love being "dearer than eyesight," a phrase that underlines how terrible it would be to lose your eyesight.