Cordelia Brings to the Play Heroism, Compassion and Judgment

“Cordelia brings to the play heroism, compassion and judgment”

By considering the role and dramatic presentation of Cordelia in King Lear, evaluate this view.

Throughout the play King Lear, the majority of Shakespeare’s characters are portrayed as having some kind of “evil” rooted in them. Cordelia, however Lear’s youngest daughter, can be viewed as the personified presentation of “heroism, compassion and judgement,” calling upon saintly comparisons. In a play centred in sadistic torture, machevillien personas and countless innocent deaths, a contrast through the use of a female character demonstrating Christian virtues of mercy, charity, and honesty, and idealism is a breath of fresh air, a stark contrast amidst this medieval treachery. However the audience is aware that that the proximity of characters that observe her in this way is slim, blinded by their own glory and money hunting agendas.

One of the first ways the audience observes Cordelia bringing to the play “heroism, compassion and judgment,” is the contrast of herself too Goniral and Regan. First notable are their names Goniral and Regan, both sounding distasteful. Regan is further Latin for “little king,” hence foreshadowing her power seeking, wealth hunting persona, and her later over thronement of Lear, her farther. When the Regan and Goniral are questioned in the begging of the play about the extent there love is for Lear, they cunningly are able to heave “heart into mouth,” flattering him falsely to gain the most. There emirate materialistic power hungry egos suggest and foreshadow how their characters are going to develop into something quite opposite to Cordelia. Cordelia when asked the extent of her “love” by Lear does not turn to excessive flattery in order too materialistically better herself, instead she merely says “nothing.” Her one worded plain answer is honest, humble and truthful, since she unlike her sisters feels it wrong to falsely elaborate her “love,” instead she stands her ground, considerably a heroic thing to do. Cordelia not conforming to her sister’s flattery damages Lear’s ego. However the fact that Lear’s most beloved child is distressing for him hence why he does not view her actions as compassionate.

Lear expresses his anger towards Cordelia exclaiming “how sharper than a secants tooth to have a thankless child.” Connotations of “pain” caused by a “serpents tooth” expresses