Karee's Pre-Paper Analysis

By: Karee on 8:50 AM

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From the beginning of the play I felt like I could relate to Cordelia and couldn't help feeling bad for 

A passage from the introduction, Cordelia's inability to express her love
for her father and his inability to humbly accept her love. 

 her and the way she was treated. I couldn't figure out why the king was unhappy with her inability to express her love to him. Through further thinking I have come to realize that while Cordelia is a "truth teller," King Lear's pride doesn't allow him to see the truth. So as I read I have been looking for passages that show Cordelia's thoughts and feelings, King Lear's contrasting actions, and evidence of King Lear's pride.

My peers on Slack have had a great influence on my views of reading King Lear. For example @stella.stowell, in sharing some connections to Christian beliefs said, "One of these examples was Adam and Eve who were remained in a liminal state, as they didn't have unique identities when they remained unclothed in the garden. . . . This adds to the image of Cordelia as a Christ figure, who is the one that can offer Lear redemption and clothe him and restore his identity." Or @kdorman who talked about the natural relationship of a daughter and father in relation to nature. I have also found additional analysis of the relationships of Cordelia and King Lear, but the best was an article written by a student from another university called "Love is Shown, Not Spoken: The Unconditional Love between Parents and Children." Insights from my peers from class as well as analysis if found on academic sources have changed my thoughts of the relationship of Cordelia and King Lear.

[Policy claim] While a reader of King Lear will see a lack of Christianity in Shakespeare's version of the play, a reader should look for the subtle references to the available power of a redeemer that could be referenced to Christ.

[Definition claim] Although Cordelia's lack of professing her love to her father appears to cause conflict, it is King Lear's pride and ignorance that leads to the deaths of nine characters.

[Comparison claim] Although the characters of the fool and Cordelia have been suggested as being the same, the different effect that Cordelia has on her father truly roots from her love of her father.

[Evaluation claim] Although the two older sisters' exaggeration of their love for their father pleases him, Cordelia's simple truth is a better example of true love.

[Causal claim] Although King Lear doesn't accept Cordelia's truth from act 1, it is Cordelia's truth that causes the true character of King Lear to surface.