Regan is the middle of King Lear’s three daughters and is married to the Duke of Cornwall. At the start of the play, she tries to outdo her older sister, Goneril, in expressing her love for her father. She is rewarded with a third of the kingdom, and when her youngest sister, Cordelia, is disinherited, she rules half the kingdom alongside Goneril.

Regan follows Goneril’s lead in refusing to accept Lear’s knights to stay in her home and instead lets Lear walk off into the storm. She regards Gloucester as a traitor for helping Lear escape to Dover. Regan even supports her husband in gouging out Gloucester’s eyes. When Cornwall dies, she puts Edmund in charge of her army and declares her intention to marry him.