English-King Lear
What role do women play in King Lear?
King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. This play consists of three main female characters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, the daughters of King Lear. In the beginning of the play, Lear decides to divide his power and kingdom amongst his three daughters based on their love for him. While Goneril and Regan flattered their father in elaborate terms, Cordelia, the youngest daughter, was honest and straight-forward. She believed that her love for her father was limitless and that she did not need to flatter him in public. Her silence angered Lear, and Cordelia was thus banished from the kingdom.
Although Cordelia did not feature much in the play, she is one of the major characters. Her refusal to flatter her father instigated the entire tragedy. She was Lear’s youngest daughter and his favorite as he says “I loved her most, and thought to set my rest on her kind nursery” (I, i, 122). But she believed that their relationship was strong and did not require any public flattery. As Cordelia says, “I love your Majesty according to my bond; no more nor less” (I, i, 91). This shows that she was a rational and sensible woman. In the play, Cordelia represents the standard woman of the Shakespearean times. They were polite, delicate and innocent. She was considered the perfect woman and daughter with her bountiful values. She was portrayed as a kind-hearted and unselfish person as well as a dutiful and respectful daughter. The death of Cordelia was considered the real tragedy of the play. A character as innocent and pure as Cordelia did not deserve death and the shock of her death led to King Lear’s death which marked the end of the play. Cordelia resembled her father in many virtues such as her dignity, loyalty, courage and stubbornness. Out of the three women in the play, Cordelia represented the society of women yet she was strong and in control at the same time. This can be seen as she calls off the French attack on England as readily as she instigated it. Cordelia was thus the ideal women in the play, respectful and dignified but still powerful.
