Theme Of Cordelia In King Lear

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In “King Lear” different characters contribute to the very opposite Cordelia and Edmunds downfall. From the start of the play Shakespeare gives us a sight on Cordelia’s trait of honesty, a trait that would attain respect for such a quality, unfortunately it’s the very opposite. The conflict begins when Cordelia is honest to her father about how she feels about him. Throughout the play you know what Lears two daughters are up to but there was one daughter who had a different motive, Cordelia. She never took part in trying to win her father over. In the beginning of the play Goneril and Reagen are expressing to their father how much they love and care about him while Cordelia makes it clear that she won’t be doing so. I think her reason for doing that is because that isn’t how she wants to show her father how much she cares and she also didn’t want it to look like she was trying to outdo her sisters either. Unfortunately because Cordelia didn’t participate in the speeches about her father the way he wanted her to, she was banished from the Kingdom. The audience can see Cordelia’s true personality when this happens, how she remains the same and never seeks revenge on her father. She is portrayed as a kind and honest woman. In fact, she is the only kind-hearted one in the play. Goneril and Reagen always knew Cordelia was favored by Lear so when we did such by banishing her they were relieved. Cordelia wasn’t upset with Lear when she was banished. Her concern was more about the lie Goneril and Reagan told Lear. “Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides, who covers faults at last with shame derides. Well may you prosper.” That was what she said to Goneril and Reagan after she was banished and left to France. Cordelia proving her l... ... middle of paper ... ...ways kept suffering with a daily reminder that he was not worthy of being a son and only so by law. Cordelia’s death was caused because she never stopped loving her father and still felt the need to protect even after all that had happened. So her love for him in the end was the reason she went back to help him but that was when Edmund himself had her captured and hung. As for Edmund, the cause for his death was the lack of love in his life that leads him to become the bitter, vindictive person he was. Who in the end created his own death? His lies and stories brought everyone to realize power was not everything and stirring up problems for others will only create problems for you. Edmund learned that his lie came back to haunt him and be killed by the one he started the lie about, his brother Edgar. Both Cordelia and Edmund were loved but just couldn’t be saved.

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