Cordelia (King Lear)
Encyclopedia
Cordelia is a fictional character in William Shakespeare
’s tragic play, King Lear
. She is the youngest of King Lear’s three daughters. After her elderly father offers her the opportunity to profess her love to him in return for one third of the land in his kingdom, she refuses and is banished for the majority of the play.
’s, The History of the Kings of Britain, c.1136. This is the earliest written record of Cordelia. Here she is depicted as Queen Cordelia
.
and Regan
, give deceitfully lavish speeches professing their love, a demonstration in which Cordelia will not partake (she sees right through her sister's professions). She will not give a superfluous answer. Lear asks her, “What can you say to draw / A more opulent than your sisters? Speak.” (1.1.84-5). Cordelia replies, “Nothing, my lord.” (1.1.86). She continues, “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave / My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty / According to my bond; no more nor less.” (1.1 90-2). Cordelia’s ability to differentiate love from property is far different from her father’s. Outraged and humiliated, Lear banishes Cordelia from the kingdom.
(1681) Cordelia marries Edgar and becomes ruler of the kingdom.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
’s tragic play, King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
. She is the youngest of King Lear’s three daughters. After her elderly father offers her the opportunity to profess her love to him in return for one third of the land in his kingdom, she refuses and is banished for the majority of the play.
Origin
Shakespeare had numerous resources to consult while writing King Lear. The oldest source in print was Geoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
’s, The History of the Kings of Britain, c.1136. This is the earliest written record of Cordelia. Here she is depicted as Queen Cordelia
Queen Cordelia
Queen Cordelia was a legendary Queen of the Britons, as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. She was the youngest daughter of Leir and the second ruling queen of pre-Roman Britain. There is no independent historical evidence for her existence....
.
Introduction
In Shakespeare’s King Lear, Cordelia is briefly on stage during the first act, to return only in Act 4, scene 4. Her exile is a result of her honest, yet unacceptable response to her father’s question in Act 1, scene 1. When Lear is dividing the land of his kingdom, Cordelia's sisters, GonerilGoneril
Goneril, or Gonerill, is a fictional character in William Shakespeare’s King Lear. She is the eldest of King Lear's daughters. Along with her sister Regan, Goneril is considered a wicked character. She is obsessed with power and overthrowing her elderly father as ruler of the kingdom...
and Regan
Regan (King Lear)
-Role in play:She is the middle child of King Lear's daughters and is married to the Duke of Cornwall. Similarly to her older sister, Goneril, Regan is attracted to Edmund. Both sisters are eager for power and even convince their father with false flattery to hand over his kingdom."Sir, I am madeOf...
, give deceitfully lavish speeches professing their love, a demonstration in which Cordelia will not partake (she sees right through her sister's professions). She will not give a superfluous answer. Lear asks her, “What can you say to draw / A more opulent than your sisters? Speak.” (1.1.84-5). Cordelia replies, “Nothing, my lord.” (1.1.86). She continues, “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave / My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty / According to my bond; no more nor less.” (1.1 90-2). Cordelia’s ability to differentiate love from property is far different from her father’s. Outraged and humiliated, Lear banishes Cordelia from the kingdom.
The ending
Cordelia is Lear’s favorite daughter and is often compared to a Cinderella character. After Lear is rejected by Goneril and Regan, the wicked sisters, he goes mad. Cordelia returns at the end of the play with the intentions of helping him, ultimately reversing her role as daughter to mother. But when she arrives, he doesn’t even recognize her. Nevertheless, she forgives him for banishing her. By the time Lear finally regains his reason and realizes who Cordelia is, they have little time to talk and reconcile; Edmund arrives and sends them to prison, where Cordelia is ultimately hanged. In a revision which replaced the original on stage for decades, Nahum Tate’s, The History of King LearThe History of King Lear
The History of King Lear is an adaptation by Nahum Tate of William Shakespeare's King Lear. It first appeared in 1681, some seventy-five years after Shakespeare's version, and is believed to have replaced Shakespeare's version on the English stage in whole or in part until 1838.Unlike Shakespeare's...
(1681) Cordelia marries Edgar and becomes ruler of the kingdom.
Performance on screen
- Romola GaraiRomola GaraiRomola Sadie Garai is an English actress. She is known for appearing in the movies Amazing Grace, Atonement, and Glorious 39, and for appearing in the BBC adaptation of Emma.-Early life:...
. King Lear (2009) PBS Dir. Sir Trevor Nunn and Chris Hunt - Phillipa PeakPhillipa PeakPhillipa Peak is an English actress who appeared in ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Zoe Tate's nanny Effie Harrison in 2005 and as Ellen Dunn in EastEnders in 2007...
. King Lear (1999) Dir. Brian Blessed & Tony Rotherham - Victoria HamiltonVictoria HamiltonVictoria Sharp is an English actress who performs under the stage name Victoria Hamilton.-Early life:Hamilton was born on 5 April 1971 in Wimbledon, London, England, and grew up in Godalming, Surrey. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.-Career:Hamilton is best known for her...
. Performance King Lear (1998) Dir. Richard Eyre - Anna Calder-MarshallAnna Calder-MarshallAnna Calder-Marshall is a British actress.Her husband is actor David Burke and her son is actor Tom Burke.-Filmography:-External links:...
. King Lear (1983) (TV) Dir. Michael Elliott - Brenda BlethynBrenda BlethynBrenda Anne Blethyn, OBE is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
. King Lear (1982) (TV) Dir. Jonathan Miller - Wendy Allnutt. King Lear (1976) (TV) Dir. Tony Davenall
- Lee ChamberlinLee ChamberlinLee Chamberlin is an American film and television actress.Chamberlin was a regular performer during the first two years of the esteemed series The Electric Company, and she made guest appearances in the television series What's Happening!! Diff'rent Strokes, and NYPD Blue to list a few...
. King Lear (1974) (TV) Dir. Edwin Sherin - Anne-Lise Gabold. King Lear (1971 UK Film) Dir. Peter Brook
- Valentina Shendrikova. Korol Lir (1971 USSR Film) Dir. Grigori Kozintsev & Iosif Shapiro
- Natasha Parry. King Lear (1953) (TV) Dir. Andrew McCullough
Further reading
- Smiley, Jane. A Thousand AcresA Thousand AcresA Thousand Acres is a 1991 novel by American author Jane Smiley. It won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1991 and was adapted to a 1997 film of the same name....
. Ivy Books, 1996. Print. - Fischlin, Daniel and Fortier, Mark. Adaptations of Shakespeare. Feinstein, Elain and the Women’s Theatre Group. Lear’s Daughters. 215-232. Routledge, 2000. Print