Cordelia In King Lear Essay

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In the book King Lear by William Shakespeare, Cordelia, King Lear’s youngest daughter, serves as a foil that points out Lear’s weakness of arrogance. Shakespeare uses Cordelia to show Lear’s arrogance which ties into one of the overlying themes of the book, power. Cordelia also helps show the change King Lear makes mentally throughout the book. Cordelia, being one of the main foil’s of the book, is able to bring Lear’s arrogance into the picture while helping show that his arrogance is potentially the cause of his downfall in power. In Act 1, Cordelia is not able to “heave [her] heart into [her] mouth” and therefore does not give in to Lear’s desire for attention. Although Cordelia does not say she does not love her father, she doesn’t drastically exaggerate her love as her sisters have done. In Lear’s arrogance, he banishes her from his land. He banishes his once favorite daughter for not overstating her love. This is the first sign of Cordelia emphasizing Lear’s arrogance. When Cordelia is banished, her sisters start a plot against Lear. Though not present, Cordelia helps her father realize his arrogance by not being by him while he has lost everything. Lear metaphorically dies is this instant, he dies when Cordelia is “lost to him.” Lear, although blinded mentally, never …show more content…
When King Lear comes to his senses about his loyal and true daughter, Cordelia, she forgives him. The scene in which Lear’s change has been fully rendered occurs when Lear is conversing with her daughter in her last moments of life. “Upon such sacrifices, my Cordelia, The gods themselves throw incense. Have I caught thee?”, Lear truly realizes all the work Cordelia has done for him. The tragic scene when Cordelia’s life expires shows Lear’s adaptation and how Cordelia has caused it. Lear sees life for how it truly is. He is ashamed of his mistreatment of

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