Cordelia Flashcards
Cordelia contemplating what to do when Lear asks for expressions of love
Cordelia attempts to uphold social order by fulfilling her role as a woman whilst Lear, ironically, destroys natural order by allowing his emotions to guide him eg. ‘sacred radiance of the sun’
Reflection of JI and his favourites?
‘love and be silent’
Cordelia’s response to Lear
Nihilism - disintegration of old order if Lear and Cordelia rep. it - word taking up singular lines - shows how old order is disconnected and dislocated
Juxtaposes Goneril and Regan’s flowery language - presents difference between appearance and reality
‘nothing’
Cordelia when Lear is brought to her
‘Jarring’ nature of the senses mirrors Lear’s previous lack of senses - metaphorical sight and smell (fool - ‘that what a man cannot smell out he may spy into’)
‘Breach’ is the societal void the conflict between the new and old orders has created - wc suffer
Ref to music - parallels Lear - ‘look with thine ears’ (to Glouc). Actual sight misleads bc of appearance v reality
Gentleman - Aids Lear’s anagnorisis
‘Cure this great breach in his abused nature; th’untuned and jarring senses, O, wind up of this child-changed father’
‘louder the music there’
Cordelia when Lear is brought to her
Finish each other’s lines - presents harmonious nature of the old order and effect of the new order - ‘th’untuned and jarring senses’
‘these weeds are memories of those worser hours.
I prithee put them off || Pardon, dear madam’
Cordelia when Lear is brought to her
Weeds represent mental disintegration as weeds corrupt a garden as madness corrupts the mind
Also reps disorder of the nation - God’s natural order has been corrupted by the new order - but Lear has reached moment of anagnorisis so he is no longer the ‘king’ of this disintegration of society
‘these weeds are memories of those worser hours. I prithee put them off’
