"Cliff Notes - King Lear" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

really only acts in the first scene and that all the rest is
reaction. But it is the most skillful reaction imaginable since
it never fails to hold our interest and attention.

In the final analysis, Lear himself must be judged on several
counts. He undoubtedly triggered the forces that brought
England to the brink of civil war. It took a foreign invasion
to restore authority and order. This makes Lear guilty of
something. But is the suffering he endures, the extent of his
punishment and final loss, deserved? As you watch his progress
through the play, you alone must decide whether he is indeed,
"...a man / More sinn'd against than sinning" (III, ii,
59-60).

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KING LEAR: CORDELIA

The stubborn streak that Lear's youngest daughter exhibits in
the first scene is the one saving gesture that redeems Cordelia
from being "too good to be true."

We don't know much about Cordelia except that she is her
father's favorite. As a princess, she obviously has led a
privileged life, but it doesn't appear to have spoiled her as it
has her older sisters.

Cordelia is not stupid. She may not be wise enough to avoid
losing her share of Lear's kingdom, but she can speak up when
her honor as well as interest are at stake. She makes sure that
the King of France does not get the wrong idea about her error
of judgment and consider it a crime.

Although she disappears from the stage after the first scene and
doesn't return until the last scene of the fourth act, her image
is kept before us and periodically polished. This leads to
great expectations. Still, we're not disappointed when she does
return to the stage. From that point on she is the soul of
gentleness and goodness in her devotion to her aged father and
his welfare.

By endowing Cordelia with such powerful virtue, Shakespeare
seems to be indulging us in our eternal wish for the ultimate
fairy-tale princess. We want her to make everything come out an
right. Because it doesn't, despite her noble efforts, her last
moments on the stage are all the more poignant.

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KING LEAR: GONERIL

In terms of pure evil, it may be difficult to distinguish Lear's