The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long,
That it’s had it head bit off by it young.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 1, Scene 4. The Fool speaks about filial disloyalty as he uses animal metaphors to explain Lear’s plight. Lear is the hedge-sparrow and Goneril is the cuckoo – after being raised in the nest for a long time she grows up and bites the sparrow’s head off.