Cordelia's Influence

Cordelia as a Christ-like figure is understandable based on the answer she gives her father in response to his question of love. Does she love him as her sisters do? Goneril and Regan give unabashedly extravagant answers that contain nothing more than empty flattery and meaningless words of “love.” However, Cordelia is the only daughter who gives an honest answer to his question. In the play King Lear, Cordelia responds, “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave/ My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty/ According to my bond; no more, no less” (I.i.90-92). Cordelia accepts the king as her father and her sovereign, and she loves him accordingly, but he is not a God-like figure to her. Honesty, in this instance, is more important to King Lear’s youngest daughter, rather than ego-stroking. When she answers that she cannot heave her heart into her mouth, she understands that she will not baste him in meaningless flattery just to gain his wealth. This is the moment in the play that Cordelia’s virtue and love are revealed, setting into motion the idea that she is a Christ-like figure.

Moreover, as a ventriloquist, Bernie Pryde always stays in Cordelia’s mind, offering constant wisdom, philosophy of survival, and maxims such as 'Never destroy the evidence' or 'Never theorize in advance of your facts' which are a product of his brief apprenticeship with Adam Dalgliesh, the arch-detective. Thus, whatever concrete space Cordelia carves out for herself in the text is ultimately overshadowed and impinged upon by Dalgliesh’s authority. The narrative agency is thus held by the male authority who is also the main propelling force behind the woman detective’s actions. When Dalgleish makes an appearance in the very final pages of the novel to interrogate Cordelia, she seems to be in awe of him and acknowledges his authoritative influence

Many of the traits that Cordelia embodies and actions that she performs are all a part of the male fantasy. In Lear’s mind Cordelia is going to take care of him for the rest of his life. If Cordelia takes care of him, he will always have control over her and she won’t be able to have a life of her own. Lear states that he is looking forward to spending time alone with his daughter in a very confined area,”We two alone will sing like birds i’ th’ cage” (Shakespeare 130). Failing to open up to others can be either an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the circumstances. Cordelia experiences the advantages of failing to open up because she is not characterized solely based on her lack of emotions and feelings. Rather than being characterized by something so miniscule, she is characterized by her ability to help her father without harming others in the process. While being society’s obsolete woman she is also able to be a mix of society’s modern view of an ideal woman. She does not lash out at anyone while there is chaos happening all around her Cordelia is able to remain

Starting with Cordelia, her problems with truth and loyalty begin right from first pages of the first scene of Act Ⅰ. It all begins with Lear asking his daughters to tell him how much they love him. When it is Cordelia’s turn to express her feelings, it isn’t what Lear wants to hear but rather the truth. Refusing to hyperbolize her love for her father, claiming to “—Return those duties back as are right fit—” (pg. 4, Shakespeare), she meets the first cost of being truthful. The cost being her “—truth then [being] thy dower—” (pg. 4) as her father feels disgraced by her truth. This shows truth causing a problem rather than preventing one and coming with a cost. After this cost Cordelia marries France and moves, but later we learn that she returned in

Although mistreated, Cordelia preserves her adoration for her father. Throughout the play, her personality impacts everyone both directly and indirectly. For example, before she dismisses from King Lear’s kingdom, she affirms, “I know you what you are, and like a sister am most loath to call your faults as they are named,” (I.i.278). This proves

However, it must be noted that men also take on the characteristics of women. Goneril is very strong fighter in her own right and can take care of herself, and this is shown when Oswald talks about Goneril in battle. He tells Regan, “Madam with much ado; your sister is the better soldier”(4.5.3-4). Cordelia proves that she can be just as aggressive as men, when she verbally attacks her sisters and tells them,” I know [] what you are,”(1. 1.

Our first impressions of Cordelia is that she's a honest, loving and virtuous daughter. Some might argue that she takes her honesty too far during the love test when she refuses to flatter her father. However, when we see how horrible her sisters are we sympathise with Cordelia. Goneril is a forceful and direct character along with her sister Regan who is the weakest of the two, mean and

Cordelia personifies integrity, honesty and love throughout the play. By her very nature she is unable to flatter or curry favour since dishonesty is not part of that nature. She represents the truth and it is against the backdrop of her loyalty and undying love for her father that we measure Lear’s arrogant behaviour.

It is clear from the beginning of King Lear that Cordelia has an entirely good nature, she remains constant throughout the play, never wavering in her morals. The play begins with Lear deciding that he will have his daughters compete for their divisions of his kingdoms based on which of them can impress him the most with their proclamations of love. Cordelia, however, cannot express her love for her father in words, and refuses to deceive him by doing otherwise, stating that she is “sure [her] love's more richer than [her] tongue” (278-80). She realizes that by holding her tongue she is infuriating her father, but her nature cannot allow her to do otherwise. When King Lear asks her what she has to say, she states “Nothing, my lord.” This shows Cordelia’s inherent good nature by doing what is right in a tough situation. Lear’s lack of understanding of the natural bond between parents and their children leads him to his eventual demise. He is easily mislead by the other sisters, Goneril and Regan’s fake natural behavior when they give their long speeches in order to try and flatter him.

Cordelia is the epitome of goodness in Shakespeare’s King Lear.  "What shall Cordelia speak?/ Love, and be silent" (I.i.63-64). These words echo a reminiscent time when loyalty to the king and one's father was paramount. King Lear, Cordelia's father, planned on dividing his land among his three daughters, but for a price, the price of their love. While her sisters exaggerated their love for their father to win the "prize," Cordelia stayed true to herself and her loyalty to Lear by not making a mockery out of her feelings for him and playing it cool. She was also not characterized by her openness of her feelings. She was a quiet girl who kept emotions locked inside. Even so, Lear got angry at her response and disowned her. Why such a brutal attack on his daughter? Cordelia is known to be Lear's favorite and he had hoped that he could give her the largest piece of land so he could reside on it with her, but the plan failed. Overall, the King's decision lead him and his

We experience this at the beginning of act one when Cordelia, even though she knew it will cost her her share of lands and her place by her father's side, chooses to be honest with her father instead of flattering him for his lands like her sisters did. She sacrificed her status and wealth for standing up for what she believed in, and even when she was banned for her father's kingdom it is clear that she loved her father dearly, and she may be the only one that truly loved Lear.

Although Regan and Goneril were quick to act, we question Cordelia’s actions since she didn’t bend her will to get power and land. Goneril and Regan use rhetorical figures to conceal themselves, Cordelia doesn’t compromise herself; Cordelia doesn’t offer empty words to her father like her sisters do, instead, she offers herself—her answer is herself (Lehnhof 405). I would argue that her actions demonstrate her definition of power because she wasn’t going to be obedient like her father expected her to, instead she asserted her perspective even though it resulted in her banishment—these actions prevent Cordelia from being a hypocrite because she was true to herself from the beginning. All these actions demonstrate a form of power to accomplish what an individual thinks is important, yet being in a masculine era, we see negative consequences as we continue.

Even though Cordelia knows Lear does not hear her good wishes for Lear, she nonetheless expresses them. This fact is proof that she displays this pure form of discrete loyalty.

As Granville-Barker has pointed out, Cordelia possesses the same pride and obstinacy we find in Lear, only her emotions are purer, more cultured and refined than his. We have already quoted Lear's response rejecting and cursing his best loved daughter. In eloping with Othello, Desdemona infuriated her father to the point where he refused to have her re-enter his home and died of grief shortly thereafter. Though her intention was never to hurt him it comes as a mortal blow. Desdemona is only following the promptings of her heart and mind. When Cordelia refuses to make public protestations of love to her father, she too is only following the promptings of her heart and mind. She would fain use her genuine affection for her father to win any worldly gain. The deeper emotions rebel at the very thought of public demonstration. To her the truest thing is not to speak, rather than flatter even by saying what is true. Lear is proud and vain. Cordelia refuses to

Out of familial love, Cordelia shines the play in the sense that she continues to exhibits her virtue even she is “cast down” and even she is discredited by her father. Moving to the reunion, where Cordelia stays with her father to redress Lear’s faults and know better of himself, Cordelia’s noble character culminates in apt personification of kindness and virtue that persist even the most difficult and abject of times. Moving to the end of the play, where Cordelia is murdered in its most dehumanizing sense, Cordelia finally becomes a sacrifice to the heartlessness of a skewed, unjust world.