KING LEAR ESSAY

Submitted By sammy1493
Words: 1268
Pages: 6
Open Document
Cordelia and Edgar comparison

An individual's strongest qualities are the base of how they will appear to others. Dedication, compassion, honesty, these are the main characteristics that Cordelia and Edgar possess. Both having similar qualities non-coincidentally both face similar realities. Cordelia is compared throughout the play King Lear, written by William Shakespeare, to Regan and Goneril, who are both deceiving and hungry for power and wealth. By declining to “heave her heart” she is banished early in the play. As for Edgar his illegitimate brother deceives his father and gets Edgar exiled. But the similarity between Cordelia and Edgar falls back to the two’s characteristics and knowing the right thing to do after being relegated is to continue to help and be loyal to family.
Every family is unique in their own way and may act upon situations differently then other families but the bond between a child and their parent and the loyalty and passion for one another is almost the same in every family. Although Cordelia and Edgar appear to be completely different individually, the two contain the same characteristics and know what’s right. The parallel between Edgar and Cordelia was introduced early in the play but did not seem meaningful until Act III Scene 4, when we are reintroduced to Edgar communicating with Lear. In the play Cordelia and Edgar’s relationship with their fathers are very complex but both cases can be easily related to one another. The principal similarity between Cordelia and Edgar is that each child is unreasonably accused of betraying their father. Edgar and Cordelia both face the similar outcome of banishment after being cheated and deceived by their siblings. In both relationships the father’s feel abandoned and a sense of disloyalty although this is false. They only receive support from their exiled children who stay faithful to their fathers. In the play both Cordelia and Edgar share a comparable life and it is evident that you can speak kind words but if your actions don’t back you up words mean nothing.
In the play Cordelia was asked if she could put her love for her father in words showing everyone her love and affection for him. When she says “nothing”, Lear disowns and relinquishes his youngest daughter because he does not get the equivalent public flattery that he obtains from Regan and Goneril. “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your majesty according to my bond, no more nor less …you have begot me, bred me, loved me. I return those duties back as are right fit. Obey you, love you, and most honour you.” (I, i, 82-90). Although Cordelia did not praise her father publicly she is the only daughter that does not betray her father, unlike her evil sisters, she battles for Lear and his kingdom. Despite Lear banishing Cordelia, she does not despise nor loathe Lear for banishing her; Cordelia remains dedicated to her Father and demonstrates commitment to her father and everlasting devotion. “I know you do not love me, for your sisters have, as I do remember, done me wrong. You have some cause, they have not” (IV, vii, 72-74) “No cause, no cause” (IV, vii, 75). These series of quotes demonstrates the loyalty Cordelia has for Lear basically saying that Cordelia should have every right to hate Lear and she does not and she says that she had no reason to be. Demonstrating her modest and passionate personality toward her father. As for Gloucester and Edgar their relationship worsens for the most part fairly identical to that of Cordelia and Lear’s in the beginning of the play. The big connection between the two families is a sense of betrayal. In the play Gloucester feels betrayed by Edgar even though it was his illegitimate son Edmund plotting his fathers death and therefor frames Edgar. Nonetheless Edgar displays he’s loyal to his father by pretending to be homeless so his father wouldn’t recognize him but he could still stay by his side to try and assist him and
Show More

Related Documents: KING LEAR ESSAY

Essay on King Lear

Reagan Stowell Practice Essay 1 – King Lear Ms LAWSON 22.03.2013 Page 1/2 Analyse how an idea is developed in a text (or texts) you have studied. In Shakespeare’s classic tragedy King Lear, blindness is a recurring theme. It is a dominant theme. The idea of blindness is the inability of the characters to see a person for whom they truly are, being unable to see things as they really are. In other words, blindness is the lack of insight. Shakespeare’s point is that the world cannot be…

Words 951 - Pages 4

Essay about King Lear

English Essay - Sight and BlindnessKing Lear is a play with many recurring themes, ideas and much symbolism throughout it, and I believe the most obvious is the motif 'Sight and Blindness'. It occurs all throughout the play, both metaphorically and physically and is associated with many characters and helps define other themes and ideas. It also helps decipher what I believe to be the “true” meaning behind the play, which is revealing true natures, discovering actual intentions, serving justice,…

Words 514 - Pages 3

King Lear Essay

King Lear: The Tragedy King Lear’s Tragedy was and is still one of Shakespeare’s most famous playwrights of all time. Shakespeare used Aristotelians Theory which included Aristotle’s view of the structure and purpose of tragedy. This tragedy included a very old protagonist, In the first act King Lear of Britain has decided to split his throne between his three daughters. But before he can do that Goneril, Regan and Cordelia must meet together. His intentions are to split the kingdom between them…

Words 366 - Pages 2

Essay on King Lear

Is it possible to sympathise with either Goneril or Regan in Act 1? Explain your answer. One could argue that in King Lear, Goneril and Regan do not start out as villains and do not immediately come across as completely evil, suggesting that their initial aim was neither horrible nor nasty. Their father is formally dividing the kingdom among his three daughters, and though he asked each of them to declare their love for him, he had already made up his mind as to the divisions. Lear’s asking for…

Words 375 - Pages 2

King Lear Essay

In banishing both Cordelia and Kent, Lear is losing the two most loyal and loving characters to him. This irrational decision has left him with only the Fool to advise him, however what is said by the Fool is often seen as humor and nothing more. Therefore, Lear is now left with no one to guide, advise or help him throughout the rest of the play. Power is the ability to manipulate and control whatever one desires; to do what one pleases to do without answering to authority. The power that corrupts…

Words 364 - Pages 2

Essay on king lear

leaving the king and his party in a farmhouse next to the castle. The Fool and Edgar take part in Lear's mock trial of Regan and Goneril. Gloucester enters and reveals that he has learned of a plot to kill the king. The group prepares to take Lear to Dover, where friends can come to his aid. Analysis Edmund's gibberish about foul fiends certainly fits both Edgar and Lear's circumstances, since both have been victims of deceit and wickedness. Once they all come in out of the storm, Lear abandons his…

Words 5002 - Pages 21

King Lear Essay

Trey Sovie 4/3/15 King Lear is a play written by William Shakespeare at an unknown point between 1604 and 1606. The story is about Lear, the aging king of England who decides to divide his land, money, and power amongst his daughters. Despite two of his daughters’ obvious flattery, he decides to give them his power instead of his youngest daughter, who truly loves him. Gloucester is a supporting character in the play. He has several roles including being a father, friend, adulterer to a bastard son…

Words 379 - Pages 2

King Lear essay

and Wisdom Are Not Synonymous in King Lear Mr. McGuire Dorsa Alizdeh7/15/2014 In life, people usually interpret old age and wisdom as the same thing. Wisdom, by definition, is the knowledge of what is true or right. It is common belief that with old age there is experience and along with that comes wisdom. However this theory does not apply to every individual. One might experience numerous scenarios in life and not learn anything from them. The play King Lear by William Shakespeare is one example…

Words 1214 - Pages 5

King Lear Essay

1st Character – King Lear • He wants to be treated as the king but doesn’t want to do his duties as a king anymore. • “Which of you shall we say doth love us most?” – he presumes Cordellia will “please” him and say she loves him more than her sisters. • Lear becomes mad, as the story develops. • He is 1 • He becomes insane • He is stubborn, like a child • He does have better standards though. • He understands that he is weak; he realizes he is very small in the world and becomes humbled…

Words 325 - Pages 2

King Lear Essay

KING LEAR LOYALTY/BETRAYAL Presentation by: Alexandra Unger INTRODUCTION • King Lear was written by William Shakespear in 1605, between his plays Orthello and Macbeth. The setting is based upon the eighth century. • This play was based on a lawsuit that happened before King Lear was written. Three sisters tried to declare their father mentally insane so they all could take control of their fathers wealth. • One main juxtaposition throughout the play that is well seen is the loyalty and betrayal…

Words 359 - Pages 2