Beowulf & King Lear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Beowulf & King Lear - Essay Example Nowhere is this more evident than in his blatant disregard of Cordelia’s affection and the subsequent decision to hand over control of his kingdom to his two unworthy daughters, Regan and Goneril. His two wicked daughters who praise and flatter Lear, tripping over themselves to demonstrate with words to convince them of their great love for him as their father, are the same two women who spend the remainder of the play seeking to destroy him. It is Cordelia who attempts to save him and the rest of Britain by bringing in an army to try and save them from the evil represented by her sisters. King Lear quickly disowned Cordelia, previously his favorite of his three daughters, for not showing him the same flattery and praise that her sisters faked in his presence. He placed her in a terrible position, leaving for France and her wedding without the benefit of a dowry or the blessings of her family. Dependant solely on her virtuous nature, she leaves Britain to be married to the King of France who, unlike her father, treasures that nature above any flattery that she would bestow upon him. He gifts her with an army to return to her father’s kingdom in the hopes of saving it from destruction at the hands of her sisters. Cordelia displays an inner strength that is enviable. She faces harsh punishment at the hands of her beloved father for simply refusing to stroke his ego without breaking down. She also sails off to her husband without so much as her father’s blessing to encourage the marriage. Cordelia displays a kind of courage not shown in either her father or her siblings. While she could have saved herself the torment that her father put her through by pleasing him with pretty, empty words as her sisters did, the play would have lost much of its tragic element and the catalyst for future events. If Cordelia had sided with her sisters, she would have been given an equal