Death of Cordelia--King Lear - 1396 Words

â€Å"King Lear† is one of the greatest dramas written by Shakespeare. It is a poetic tragedy in which the good as well as bad characters play their role. King Lear has three daughters; Goneril, Regan andCordelia. Cordelia is the youngest daughter. She is an important character of the play. In the last act, she is hanged and her death seems unjustified. But it is not true. Shakespeare changed his source material to give his â€Å"King Lear† a tragic ending. Thus there is the defeat of Cordelia’s army,the imprisonment of Lear and Cordelia, and Cordelia’s murder in the prison. This tragic end did not find favour with some critics who felt Cordelia’s death is unjustified. The other school of thought how ever feels that dramatic inevitability demands†¦show more content†¦At a moment, when a momentous issue is under discussion, Fate makes on her theone demand which she is unable to meet. It is a demand which other heroin of Shakespeare’s playscould have met. They could have made the old, unreasonable king feel that he was loved fondly bythem .But Cordelia could not do so because she is Cordelia. We neither blame her, nor justify her completely; we simply experience the tragic emotions of pity. It is noteworthy that Cordelia is notalways reticent; she is not always tongue-tied as several passages show in the play. But tender emotion, for her father makes her dumb as she says: â€Å"Unhappy that I am; I cannot heaveMy heart into my mouth.† But this particular trait in Cordelia’s nature is n the only cause of Lear’s rage in the opening scene.When he asks her to mend her speech a little, she gives him a lengthy answer saying that half of her love will go her husband and that she cannot â€Å"love her father all†. Now even if she is speakingthe truth here, she is not speaking the absolute truth because to give love to a husband cannotmean taking away any part of love from a father. Her responsibility for tragic events cannot bedenied. Through her tragic imperfection, she contributes something to the conflict. While thetragedy is largely due to Lear’s own fault, it is in no small measure due to a deficiency in Cordelia.As the dying LearShow MoreRelated A Lesson Learned Too Late in King Lear Essay1184 Words   |  5 PagesA Lesson Learned Too Late in King Lear      Ã‚   In the first half of the play, King Lear struggles with the problem of authority and the consequences of giving his own authority away.   Lear’s eventual loss of sanity is a result of his ill judgement and unwillingness to part with his power as king.   Yet, the issue of authority is not the only theme that is being dealt with in the play.   King Lear is also about Lear’s search for identity and wisdom in his old age.   The play explores the concept ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s King Lear 1338 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s Response to Good Deeds in Everyman King Lear and Everyman are two plays from the Middle English times, however they differ in morals. 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