Analysis of the Death of Cordelia in King Lear
"The play subverts the genre of tragedy by offering a promise of fulfillment andyet 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
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Approximate Word count = 759
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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