Throughout history, the human race appears to be driven by greed and controlled by an obsession with power. Indeed, greed, at times, leads certain individuals in the story to become power-hungry; in their quest for power, their greed is usually never satisfied, and their journey takes them down an unfortunate path to unhappiness, isolation, and betrayal. Leaders in history such as Hitler, Napoleon, Machiavelli, and Richard Nixon have shown great potential to be positively influential, but their power-hungry motivations have motivated them to be driven by uncontrollable greed. As a result, people often turn to a gratification-seeking lifestyle and, as a result, achieve nothing. In response to the above statement, King Lear and Othello written by William Shakespeare demonstrate that greed not only breeds unhappiness, isolation, and betrayal, but can also lead to death. In King Lear, the character Lear, being greedy for love, asks his daughters to express their love for him, when he says, "which of you will we say loves us best, / that we may extend our greatest generosity / where does nature challenge with merit? / Goneril, our firstborn, speaks first" (1.1 50-53). Initially, Goneril and Regan attempt to demonstrate their love through a speech; however, in untainted adoration, Cordelia does not choose to express her love for her father, and although King Lear is aware that Cordelia loves him more, he chooses to cede authority to Cordelia's sisters, Goneril and Regan. In response, King Lear's greed blinds him from the face that his other two daughters are also filled with greed and are attempting to claw their way to great power; consequently, greed drives greed. Goneril and Regan know that King Lear's greed... center of the card... social standing can influence whether or not he believes his wife over Iago;. Because of greed, King Lear was abandoned by his daughters, witnessed their deaths, and suffered a fatal end to his life. In Othello, all the main characters lost their lives. Both King Lear and Volpone demonstrate that greed and self-centeredness can, to a large extent, lead to betrayal, abandonment, isolation, and, in many cases, death. Works Cited Bevington, David. The complete works of Shakespeare. Chicago, Illinois: Longman, 2006. Print.Cooley, Ronald W. “Kent and Primogeniture in King Lear.” Studies in English literature. 48.2 (2008) 327-348. Network. April 20, 2012.Lawrence, Sean. “The Difficulty of Dying in King Lear.” English studies in Canada. 31.4 (2005) 35-52. Network. April 28, 2012.Philips, Adamo. “Othello on satisfaction”. Raritan. 31.1 (2011) 50-69. Us. April 28 2012.