Abstract
This paper discusses how the plot of Cordelia in "King Lear" does not follow the generic pattern of either a romance or a tragedy and how this is in opposition to the male characters of Lear, Gloucester, Edmund and Edgar, whose plot trajectories all conform to the generic structure of tragedy, romance or a combination of both. It examines how, by comparing Cordelia's lack of adherence to a generic plot with the male characters' conformity to genre, it becomes apparent that Shakespeare is emphasizing Cordelia's agency and free will and how, unlike the male characters, Cordelia does not blame the Gods or fate for her misfortunes. The paper looks at how Cordelia's plot is not depicted as arbitrarily arching up and down as if on a string that is pulled at the whim of an indifferent God and how rather, it is her choices and actions that directly cause the events of her plotline. The paper also argues that ultimately, the failure of Cordelia's plot to follow a generic structure is employed by Shakespeare to disavow the existence of fate in shaping the course of human existence.

From the Paper
"The trajectory of Cordelia's plot does not conform to the generic structure of either romance or tragedy because there is never a significant change in her status. Cordelia's plot functions on a system of tradeoffs, meaning that she never suffers a loss or a misfortune without also receiving a gain. This plot structure of tradeoffs results in her status never changing and her action never really rising or falling since a fall is always cancelled out by a rise and vice versa. The first trade-off occurs at the beginning of the play when Cordelia is disowned by Lear for her failure to falsely flatter him (1.1). Initially, Cordelia has suffered a significant loss of status, both in an economic sense by losing her inheritance and in a social sense as she is no longer the daughter of a king. However, this initial loss of status is soon countered by the gain of a new position when France decides to marry her despite her banishment and loss of inheritance. "

Tags:Gloucester, Edmund, Gods

Abstract
For this paper, I have chosen to discuss a character from Shakespeare's "King Lear" and one from Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". I selected Cordelia from "King Lear" and Marlow from "Heart of Darkness" because both exhibit more than a little compassion and understanding of the plight of another person. Though the characters in the two works exhibit very different characteristics and do not end up in the same final situation, I will show how similar they are and why.

Abstract
The paper examines the similarities between the three characters Malcolm, Cordelia and Hamlet. It looks at how all are the children of kings and all have been usurped and attempts to determine what moral responsibility each holds towards their kingdoms and how this is manifested in the plays. It discusses the idea of legitimacy and how only the rightful heir can truly rule a kingdom and how any subversion of this "rule" leads to chaos and discord. It also goes on to examine the ways in which the responsibilities of the three characters in question differ from each other, asking whether it is possible to arrive at a definitive conclusion of how Shakespeare presents the theme of moral responsibility in his work.

From the Paper
"The whole tragedy of MacBeth seems designed to illustrate that this is the only possible outcome if the natural heir is usurped: we could conclude from this that Malcolm's moral responsibility, and indeed the responsibility of any such "natural" heir, is to reassert his own right to the throne in such circumstances. But can this view of moral responsibility be extended to the other two characters in question: Hamlet and Cordelia?"

Tags:revenge, tragedy, heir, kingdom

Abstract
The paper examines William Shakespeare's "King Lear" and discusses how the characters Lear, Gloucester and even Goneril and Regan suffer the consequences of their lack of insight while Cordelia and Kent have the ability to see beyond the appearances or the surface of things. The paper highlights the comparison between those who have moral insight and those who are easily blinded by mere circumstances.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare's King Lear is a play about moral insight and moral blindness and how these affect the relationships between people. The well known folly of Lear is paired in the text by the equal folly of many of the other characters, who are punished for their lack of insight. The play is, in many ways, one of the most dramatic and heart-wrenching of the Shakespearean texts. As in Othello, the characters are dreadfully punished for their blindness with respect to the truth. Thus, in turn, Lear, Gloucester and even Goneril and Regan suffer the consequences of their lack of insight."

Tags:Lear, Gloucester, Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, Kent, blindness

Abstract
This paper is an exploration of the presentation of the titular character in the play "King Lear", from a wide overview of his disintegration and changing role, to analysis of specific quotes from the text which give us insight into Shakespeare's intentions. It covers Lear's presentation in the first act, and how his language, introduction and interplay with the other characters is designed by Shakespeare to make him a figure of status and significance, then considers the role of characters such as Cordelia, the Fool and Gloucester in providing us with more insight into Lear's true nature. There is close analysis of Lear's use of language, and how Shakespeare crafts this to reflect the King's shifting mind state over the course of the play.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare presents Lear in the first act as having his own secret agenda. he admits to having a 'darker purpose' and explains his 'fast intent' to the court. The phrase 'darker purpose' hints that Lear masks his true objectives behind a more cautious public agenda. Shakespeare portrays Lear through such comments as a sharp King who considers his position carefully in vital matters, a man who reveals his thoughts only when he deems it to be necessary - who plots his every action. This presentation will fall in sharp and deliberate contrast with Lear's behaviour later in the play, when he sticks stubbornly to a single, unwise agenda and uses desperate tactics to try to enforce it."

Tags:gloucester, cordelia, fool

Abstract
The paper looks at how Shakespeare sets the plot of "King Lear" by putting the major flaw of recognition at the beginning which will lead the whole chain of tragic events. The paper then discusses whether Lear is more sinned against than he sinned. The paper shows how in spite of the fact that Lear takes wrong decisions by trying to divide his kingdom among his daughters and by banishing Cordelia and Kent, the sins committed by his other two daughters are truly greater than his faults. The paper therefore concludes that Lear is more sinned against than he sinned.

From the Paper
"Act III Scene ii is one of the most important and strong scenes in "King Lear". The atmosphere in this scene is rather depressive, hopeless and sometimes saddening. Lear who was once a great leader is a poor man through the rain and wind. He is moving aimlessly and hopelessly. In this act, Lear feels he is more sinned against than sinning as he says "I am a man more sinned against than sinning." If we look from one specific viewpoint, his sufferings seem to be caused by significantly by Goneril and Regan. Obviously, if Lear had not misjudged Regan and Goneril, they would not have been able to show that cruelness towards him. Nevertheless, one must not forget that Lear has wrongfully banished the most loyal people to him - Cordelia and Kent."

Tags:Cordelia, Kent, pride, power, flattery

Abstract
This paper reviews William Shakespeare's play "King Lear" with an emphasis on the storm which is featured primarily in Act III. It examines how the storm operates on several levels both integral to the plot and purely metaphorical or aesthetic. It looks at how it serves as an icon of the treachery and ruthlessness of Lear?s disloyal daughters and how the pounding rain and thunder is clearly representative of his confusion, anger and increasing madness. It evaluates how it could be a sign of divine disapproval for Lear?s abdication of a God-assigned position as earthly ruler since without the storm, Lear would never have met Edgar, nor would Kent run into the gentleman whom he sends to Dover to inform Cordelia of the alliance between Albany and Cornwall.

From the Paper
"After giving up his land to them, Lear is at the mercy of Goneril and Regan, who, despite their professed love of the king, conspire to take all of his power away. Goneril perpetually finds faults in the king, uttering ridicules like: ?Here do you keep a hundred knights and squires, men so disordered, so debauched and bold, that this our court, infected with their manners, shows like a riotous inn,? (Lr. 1.4.248-51). After this, Lear makes a plethora of particularly damning statements, including: ?Into her womb convey sterility. Dry up in her the organs of increase, and from her derogate body never spring a babe to honor her. "

Tags:cordelia, kent, edgar, goneril, regan

Abstract
The paper reviews the play "King Lear" by William Shakespeare, a tragedy about the downfall of a powerful king and how his flawed judgment affected society at large. It shows how the subplot of Gloucester and Edmund is crucial to the play as Shakespeare has interwoven it as such that the main-plot can't survive on its own. It examines how Edgar appears throughout Lear's suffering and how the way that Edmund orders Lear and Cordelia's death emphasizes how the two stories are inter-connected. The sub-plot intensifies the tragedy and highlights the important issues of the play such as natural order, filial ingratitude and self-knowledge.

From the Paper
"Filial ingratitude is one of the themes in the play and both Lear and Gloucester suffer from it. This occurs because they trust their manipulative children and drive their loyal children away. Cordelia is banished to France when she claims that she cannot, " heave my heart into my mouth" and Edgar assumes the identity of Tom O' Bedlam after he is made a fugitive. Edmund, Goneril and Regan are surrounded with lies, greed and lust. However, Edmund is a bastard son and could be expected to be of a "base nature". He embraces his illegitimacy," Thou Nature art my goddess Now Gods stand up for bastards". On the other hand, Goneril and Regan are both Lear's legitimate daughters and their evil actions are not in their nature, they grow in evil as a result of Lear's flawed judgment and claims that," the best of his time hath been but rash". This contrast in their children highlights the fact that Lear is a victim of his own nature whereas Gloucester is a victim of Edmund's machinations."

Tags:blindness, cordelia, elizabethan, madness, natural, order, subplot, suffering

Abstract
This paper examines textual and historical connections in William Shakespeare's "King Lear", including a look at the "happy ending" version of 1681, connecting the play to some of Shakespeare's other tragedies and evaluating its significance in a modern context. It looks at how much has also been made of the fact that King Lear can be read as either a tragedy or a comedy and why Shakespeare chose to let Cordelia die giving "King Lear" a tragic ending, and not as in Nahum Tate's revisionist version a happy one.

From the Paper
"King Lear, as G.B. Harrison notes, is "well known. It was one of many fables which old chroniclers inserted in the dark background of the times before the recorded history of England begins." (Harrison 17) The story concerns King Lear (or Leir, in many of the versions) and his three daughters. An earlier version of the play, The True Chronicle History of King Leir and his Three Daughters, Gonorill, Ragan and Cordella, was staged at the Rose Theatre in April 1594, and published in book form in 1605 (Harrison 18)."

Tags:cordelia, nuhum, tate, tragedy, comedy

Abstract
This paper examines how the theme of sight, insight and their relevance to clear vision is a recurring issue throughout Shakespeare's tragic play, "King Lear". It looks at how this theme is mainly portrayed through the characters of Lear, Gloucester and Albany and how subtle references are also apparent through the dialogue of Cordelia and the Fool.

From the Paper
"King Lear's lack of sight yet desire to see is apparent during Act 1, Scene 4 in that he is highly inquisitive upon meeting disguised Kent and asks twice "what art thou?" suggesting he is dependent on the sight of others to form his own judgements. This dependence on the sight of others is also evident in the question Lear directs to Oswald of "who am I, sir?". However, although keen to learn the opinion of others, his quest to discover clear sight is overridden by his temper and his contradictory desire to see things as he wants to see them and not as they truly are. When Oswald tells Lear that he is "[his] Lady's father" and does not refer to him as King (as Lear wishes him to although he has handed over his title and power in an effort to live an "unburdened" lifestyle) he goes to strike Oswald as his true vision interferes with the image that Lear wishes to have."

Tags:gloucester, albany, cordelia, fool