Words and Worth

King Lear shows the importance of looking beyond appearances and into the heart of a matter.  When Lear asks his daughters how much they love him, the eldest two, who are Married, say that they love him more than anything.  The youngest, who is still single and as we discussed in class, was probably the one taking care of her father while her sisters were off living their own lives, calls them on this, saying that if they loved their father that much, they would have no room for their husbands in their hearts.  She also states that when she marries, she will give half of her love to her husband, and half to her father.  The king is angry at this, but later realizes that Cordelia, the youngest, was the honest child who loved him best.   The moral of the story?  Always think before you act, and value honesty over flattery.

We also discussed in class how maybe Cordelia should have been willing to flatter her father a little, as she did love him.  I believe that Cordelia might have always been the good, loyal child, who honoured her parents while her sisters were spoiled and frivolous, caring only about themselves and how much money and power they could get.  Cordelia had always shown through her actions and attitude how much she loved her father, so when he asked all his daughters to tell him how much they loved him, she was probably frustrated that he couldn't already see it in the sacrifices she had made for him.  When her sisters used flattery to gain his favour, I think she would have been disgusted that her father couldn't see past their flowery words and into the ways they had abandoned him and used him.  In this case, I think Cordelia was standing up for herself, and refusing to vainly flatter a man who ought to know she loved him as much as a daughter could.  I admire her bravery, as she must have known the possible consequences to actions, yet she remained true to herself despite that.