Shakespeares King Lear - Goneril and Cordelia in King Lear Essay

The Characters of Goneril and Cordelia in King Lear   Nothing defys a story like a replete(p) villain, or in this case, good villainess. They are the people we love to hate and yearn to watch burn. Goneril, of Shakespeares King Lear, is no exception. Her evils flamed from the very beginning of the scat with her lack of seriousness in professing her love for her bring Sir, I love you to a greater extent than word bum wield the matter Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty Beyond what jackpot be valued, rich or rare No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, take note As much as child eer loved, or father found A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable. Beyond every(prenominal) manner of so much I love you. (I.i. 56-62) One can just feel the insincerity and exaggeration in her words, perhaps in time a touch of hatred that is bubbling like a release on the verge of explosion, which will wreak destruction on everyone and everything that gets in its path. Of course, Shakespeare does not disappoint. The volcano is actually a good analogy for this type, for she does on the dot what is expected. Not only does her father feel her wrath, but also her have got husband, the Duke of Albany, who she has killed The Duke of Gloucester whose eyes get gauged bug out in her presence her other sister, Regan, who she kills out of jealousy and Goneril, herself, when she set abouts face to face with her true self. In regard to her post in the Elizabethan age, Goneril not only stood for evil, but also rebellion. She has rebelled against the legitimate social function for women by rebelling against both her father and husband. This reflects much of the theme of the play in that rebellion against accepted social order under mines that order, which leads to haste and chaos. Ag... ...h the wicked prosper, and the virtuous miscarry . . . the audience will not unendingly rise better pleased from the final triumph of persecuted virtue. What exactly was Cordelias role in the play? Was she there as an angel - like character who made the distinction between good and evil more conspicuous? Was she just thrown in as a little diplomacy- goody who did no wrong, and maybe, to some degree, we were supposed to despise? Or was she there to make us more aware of a crumbling society where more things were paired to what one might think it should be, with evil generally prevailing all over the good (which to some degree is prophetic to todays society)? There are many theories surrounding this character in particular, and no one has reached a authoritative conclusion as of late. The best one I can come up with, however, is simply the answer Yes, to all of the above.