Father of Cordelia, Goneril and Regan (4)
I believe the answer is:
lear
'father of cordelia goneril and regan' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for lear that I've seen before include "tragic figure" , "Tragic Shakespearian king" , "Tragic Shakepearean king, for real" , "Tragedy" , "Fictional king - English humorist" .)