In 'King Lear', which daughter is banished?

In “King Lear,” the daughter banished by Lear is Cordelia, his youngest and favorite daughter. Lear rejects her after she refuses to flatter him during his public division of the kingdom.

At the opening of the tragedy, Lear asks Cordelia, Goneril, and Regan to declare how much they love him. Goneril and Regan offer extravagant speeches, but Cordelia answers honestly that she loves him according to her duty as a daughter, “no more nor less.” Lear interprets her restraint as disobedience and strips her of her inheritance.

The King of France values Cordelia’s honesty and marries her even after she is disinherited. Lear’s decision soon proves disastrous: Goneril and Regan gain power, then refuse to support their father. As Lear descends into madness, Cordelia returns with an army to help him, showing compassion despite his earlier cruelty.

Kent is also banished in the first scene, but he is not Lear’s daughter; he is a loyal nobleman punished for defending Cordelia. Goneril and Regan are not banished at that point. Cordelia’s exile begins the family and political collapse that drives the rest of the tragedy.