CORDELIA important quotes and analysis

Quotations about/from Cordelia	AO2 (interpretations)	AO3/4
‘Love and be silent’ -Cordelia	She admits to herself that she loves Lear however she is determined to remain silent; though no reason is given	She could be seen to be refusing to conform to the rules and expectations of her father and not follow in the footsteps of the sycophantic siblings, or she could be being difficult for no real reason
‘I’m sure my loves more ponderous than my tongue’ -Cordelia	She is saying that she will not be able to truly express her love for her father as her tongue and her heart are different	Her refusal to compete in the flattering orating contest can be seen as a display of integrity or an act of defiance
‘Nothing, my lord’ -Cordelia	Polite but blunt in her refusal to his will	This can be seen as her being independent or foolish; as with previous quotes
‘Nothing’ -Cordelia	She is infuriatingly pious, sticking to her ‘nothing’ despite knowing all full well that no good will come of it	This marks the change in power as Lear’s love is taken from Cordelia and bestowed upon the other two daughters; giving them the power and means to take control and cause the tragic events that unfurl later in the play. (This can be seen as the moment that condemns Cordelia to death, however this view is commonly thought to be extreme considering her presentation throughout the play)
‘You have begot me, bred me, loved me’ -Cordelia	She is giving the reasons as to why she does love him, and unlike her sisters she is honest	A vast contrast compared to the ‘I love you dearer than sight’ of the other sisters lies
‘That lord whose hand must take my plight’ -Cordelia	She refers to being married to her as a dangerous situation	She could be referencing her difficulty in expressing her love; she can’t express it for her father and she will not be able to for her husband
‘But goes thy heart with this’ -Lear	Lear is stunned and offers her another  chance to repent her words, he seems physically injured by her lack of response and the ‘nothing’ from Cordelia has hurt him	This could be one of the quotes that shows that Cordelia is less angelic than she appears at first glance; Lear is almost begging her to say it was just a cruel joke and that her heart doesn’t truly believe it
‘Thy truth be thy dower’ -Lear	Lear half admits she is telling the truth; hence the ‘thy truth’	Could be a hint for the future; Lear finds reason in madness while on the heath, and hear, in the madness of his wroth he openly admits her to be telling the truth
‘An ample tear trilled down her delicate cheek’ and ‘she heaved the name of ‘father’ pantingly forth, as if it pressed her heart’ - Gentleman	Cordelia’s return in Act IV, she is presented as a selfless daughter with a lot of love for her Father.  Shows remorse, modesty and pain when told about Lear’s sufferings	Different to the Cordelia we were presented with initially.
‘The holy water from her heavenly eyes, And  clamour moistened, then away she started to deal with grief alone’ – Gentleman	This, and Kent’s description of Cordelia ‘the Queen’ and Lear’s ‘best object’ present Cordelia as an honest daughter and shows fond affection towards her from the characters.	Constant feminine references contrast with the vicious, masculine and cruel way in which Goneril and Regan are described and presented in the play – ‘dog-hearted’.
‘Why a dog, a horse, a rat have life/ And thou no breath at all?’ - Lear	Lear carries her corpse and astounds the audience because of the selfless daughter we now know Cordelia as. He cries in pain.	It is argued that this is the most tragic part of the play. Lear draws attention to the fact that Cordelia is a sweet and caring human being unlike a foul animal such as a ‘rat’ and claims it is unfair that Cordelia should die. Some say that justice (a key theme in the play) is explored here through the unjust, as Cordelia loses her life.