Third Parapgraohs Flashcards
Lear, when given the
Opportunity of atonement with Cordelia blithely disregards all his past hardships and torment, stating he will ‘ask of thee forgiveness’ when Lear states ‘the good years shall devour them’ it is clear he has an unwavering belief they will never apart, applying to his right to divine intervention and altruism
The possessiveness
Of Cordelia, or more specifically, the symbolism of prosperity and salvation, harkens back to Act 1, where Lear assumes his privilege of Cordelia’s affection is a right, and imagines them as inseparable
Lear, in this scene
Can be regarded as harbouring suppressed incestuous desires for Cordelia, which surface late in the play when he envisages a future in her embrace, ‘we two alone will sing like birds I’the cage’
This theory is also
Reinforced through Lear’s avaricious belief that Cordelia’s affection is a right. Cordelia, as in Act one, reacts to his arrogance with nothing
Lear’s vanity
Also manifests in his assumption that despite his old age, both would outlive the world, he states ‘and we’ll wear out in a walled prison’ thus, Cordelia’s death is made more shocking by his naive statements
Cordelia’s death serves
As a counterpoint to Lear’s. Due to her young age, the audience is outraged by her death which seems inequitable and unnatural, and they, like Lear wish she was still alive
Lear’s old age
Shows his death to be unavoidable, the prospect lingering in his many testing ventures throughout the play
Even through holding
Cordelia’s corpse, he believes she said something and that ‘her voice was ever so soft’
His inability
To embrace death puts his vision of happiness and salvation in jeopardy as, he can no longer redeem for his mistake. The conclusion of Lear is similar to the beginning ‘do you see this?’ Lear exclaims as he tries to persuade Cordelia to give him a favourable answer - she responds with nothing.
