Analysis of the Death of Cordelia in King Lear

A detailed Summary of Analysis of the Death of Cordelia in King Lear

"The play subverts the genre of tragedy by offering a promise of fulfillment and

yet delivering the opposite.(Epstein)"

As it is defined, a tragedy is "a drama or literary work in which the main character

is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw,

a moral weakness, or an inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances." Clearly, upon

review of this definition, it can be accurately asserted that King Lear is a tragedy, and by

all means, it is, yet there is something different about this tragedy, something more

painful. For some reason, the death of Cordelia slaps the reader across the face in a more

painful way then the death of any other Shakespearean character. When Romeo & Juliet

die, the reader understands why, when Hamlet dies, the reader understands why, but when

Cordelia dies, the reader is forced to question the meaning of her death. Simply, the

reader finds him or herself saying, as a three year old would say, "that's not fair!" As

Lear enters on stage holding the dead Cordelia in his arms, we immediately

Shakespeare portrays a dark view of the world, and Cordelia's unfortunate death marks

tragic flaw is also portrayed in the first scene of the play, when we find out that he has an

Cordelia speak? Love and be silent.( I. i. 68)" Then, after Regan tells of her love for

Lear, Cordelia again speaks aside, "Then poor Cordelia! And yet not so, since I am sure

eventually would come back to kill him. Cordelia's tragic flaw, on the other hand, is

illegitimate son. The fact that he was unfaithful lead to the birth of Edmund, which

1. Epstein, Paul. "The Purgation of the Hero in Shakespearian Tragedy"

www.mun.ca/animus/1998vol3/epstein3.htm

Approximate Word count = 759
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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