King Lear and his beloved daughter Cordelia are being led away to prison. By this time, he is blind and realizes his other two daughters Regan and Goneriel have lied to him and betrayed him for the sake of his fortune. Only his one daughter, Cordelia is loyal to him and only she was honest to him in the beginning. He is talking about life in the court and how they shall spend their days listening to gossip of the court and laughing at their extravagence – like gilded butterflies. It is Lear’s hope to live a simple life and come to enjoy the company of his daughter Cordelia. A gilded butterfly cannot fly – it is just as much a prisoner as he is.