Quotations about/from Cordelia
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AO2
(interpretations)
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AO3/4
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‘Love and be silent’
-Cordelia
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She admits to herself that
she loves Lear however she is determined to remain silent; though no reason
is given
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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
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‘I’m sure my loves more
ponderous than my tongue’
-Cordelia
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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
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Her refusal to compete in
the flattering orating contest can be seen as a display of integrity or an
act of defiance
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‘Nothing, my lord’
-Cordelia
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Polite but blunt in her
refusal to his will
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This can be seen as her
being independent or foolish; as with previous quotes
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‘Nothing’
-Cordelia
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She is infuriatingly pious,
sticking to her ‘nothing’ despite knowing all full well that no good will
come of it
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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)
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‘You have begot me, bred
me, loved me’
-Cordelia
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She is giving the reasons
as to why she does love him, and unlike her sisters she is honest
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A vast contrast compared to
the ‘I love you dearer than sight’ of the other sisters lies
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‘That lord whose hand must
take my plight’
-Cordelia
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She refers to being married
to her as a dangerous situation
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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
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‘But goes thy heart with
this’
-Lear
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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
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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
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‘Thy truth be thy dower’
-Lear
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Lear half admits she is
telling the truth; hence the ‘thy truth’
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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
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‘An ample tear trilled down
her delicate cheek’ and ‘she heaved the name of ‘father’ pantingly forth, as
if it pressed her heart’ - Gentleman
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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
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Different to the Cordelia
we were presented with initially.
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‘The holy water from her
heavenly eyes, And clamour moistened,
then away she started to deal with grief alone’ – Gentleman
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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.
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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’.
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‘Why a dog, a horse, a rat
have life/ And thou no breath at all?’ - Lear
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Lear carries her corpse and
astounds the audience because of the selfless daughter we now know Cordelia
as. He cries in pain.
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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.
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