The Power of Cordelias Nothing Love - 684 Words

The Power of Cordelias Nothing Love Cordelia is Lears most loyal and loving child and yet she refuses to put on a display of affection and sentimental love before her fathers court in order to make her father feel admired. The public display, wholly false, of affected feeling by her sisters Regan and Goneril is enough to ensure that Cordelia will keep quiet in word (which, as her sisters show, can be deceptive) and prove her love through action (which she does throughout the play). As far as words go, she simply tells her father that she loves him according to my bond; no more nor less (1.1). This should be sufficient for Lear because it is a statement of fact: Cordelia recognizes the duty she owes her father and is prepared to act accordingly. The same cannot be said for her sisters who attempt to prove their love through flattery. That Lear allows himself to be flattered by their empty words ill-prepares him to receive the meaningful and rich words of the terse Cordelia. By saying next to nothing, however, she says m uch more than the others. Lear, unfortunately, fails to grasp the fullness of Cordelias nothing. This paper will analyze the power of nothing in King Lear and show why Cordelias response of nothing to her father is worth far more than the affectation of her sisters. The irony in Cordelias nothing response to her father is that by saying nothing she says everything. Lear is correct when he replies nothing will come of nothing, but heShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s King Lear877 Words   |  4 Pageswould compromise her character, proves to be her tragic flaw. Shakespeare validates Cordelia’s virtuous and ethical characteristics by adding foil characters Goneril and Regan. [Goneril, Regan, and Edmund deny all human bonds of family and compassion for the sake of power. Their Machiavellian values and actions destroy not only the order in society but ultimately the order in their own lives. They hold nothing sacred. The absence of social constraints does not, as some have argued, constitute humanRead MoreEssay about Critical Study of Shakespeares King Lear1272 Words   |  6 Pagesconsideration as to how this reading will be reflected on stage. Thus, we will examine, in detail, two important scenes: Act I, scene i, and Act IV, scene iv, their impact on the action and main issues of the play (ambition/ greed, power, corruption, appearance versus reality and growth through suffering) and how the characters, specifically the women roles, are to be portrayed to reflect this particular critical reading. Act I, scene i, is worthy of our attention asRead MoreKing Lear Essay1336 Words   |  6 Pagescauses the weathering of his love and generosity towards the daughter who has disappointed him: Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity, and property of blood, And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee from this forever. 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Initially, Lear himself demonstrates this, appallingly treating Cordelia with an irrational snap judgement when he is embarrassed in court by his youngest daughters silence and lack of praise; â€Å"Here I disclaim all my parental care.† (1:1:107) This unjust sentence is highly ironic, especially for the audience, as dramatically we see transparent farce of Gonerill and Regan’s dedications of love, and the total truth of Cordelia’s. Due to the â€Å"infirmityRead MoreEssay on A Monologue by Cordelia of King Lear1332 Words   |  6 PagesMy father may have abandoned me as his daughter, but I still love him. I am true to my emotions. My senses are clear, I see more clearly than my sisters, and the rest of this poison that has tainted this precious kingdom. I feel that my sister’s inten tions are not quite as honourable as my father has once thought. My father is blinded with vanity after all, and so flattering words can fool his precious mind, that craves attention, and constant reassurance. My father is blind to what he can see inRead More Shakespeares King Lear - Suffering of Cordelia in King Lear1507 Words   |  7 PagesLear is made far more tragic and painful by the presence and suffering of the kings youngest daughter, Cordelia. While our sympathy for the king is somewhat restrained by his brutal cruelty towards others, there is nothing to dampen our emotional response to Cordelias suffering. Nothing, that is, at first glance. Harley Granville-Barker justifies her irreconcilable fate thus: the tragic truth about life to the Shakespeare that wrote King Lear... includes its capricious cruelty. And what meeter sacrifice