Act 1: 3

The relationship between Cordelia and King Lear is quite intriguing. Cordelia is ordered to express her love for her father, but yet she has no words to describe it. Lear punishes her for not saying a word by giving away her share of the land. King Lear does love Cordelia, but he is a man of constant appreciation. He needs to hear good things about himself to function normally in his life. When Cordelia has no words to express her love, Lear becomes enraged and acts without thinking. It is this essence constant gratitude that forbids Lear to understand the love that Cordelia possesses. Lear should realize that more love comes from not having words to describe it than to have over expressed words that limit love. However, Cordelia should have “played the game” to keep her rightful inheritance. Cordelia’s purity and honesty will pay off in the end, but it has hurt her presently. I personally have been involved in a situation where you must play the game, but I didn’t give in to it just like Cordelia. I was in a class where you had to kiss up to the teacher to get the good grade that you wanted. I have always refused to play the game. Working hard to earn my grade means more to me than to obtain by pleasing someone. This specific situation showed me that grades are not always about the work you do, but I make it that way. I personally have never used this type of manipulation against someone else. It is degrading to others who work hard to obtain a goal to just give away grades. King Lear and Cordelia have a father-daughter bond that is quite different from most. Cordelia remains faithful to her father; even though, he has treated her with no respect.