'Which of you shall we say doth love us most?'
King Lear
Cordelia in "King Lear" represents the greatest amount of courage out of all of the characters. Even as the youngest character, she leads by example by her honesty and courage as she boldly tells her father she cannot quantify her love for him "I cannot heave my heart into my mouth". She then accepts her banishment. Cordelia is the only character that stays true to herself throughout the text. Her sisters are two faced, her father goes insane and the rest of the characters follow in their destructive paths by changing their identities and following the madness. Cordelia's courage is in direct correlation with my Big Blog Question because she is an individual. She does not conform herself to the pressures around her. She does not emulate any other person. Being true to yourself is the greatest example of courage. Shakespeare created Cordelia in this manner to be a sense of stability throughout the chaotic tragedy of Lear. With all of the madness and confusion throughout the text, Cordelia is a sense of relief and stability. Shakespeare formed her to be courageous because without courage, she would have fallen down the path to madness as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment