Goneral, Regan, and Cordelia

Goneril: In the very first scene, Goneril makes a horrible first impression, at least to me. It is ridiculous that a father would ask his daughters to elaborate on how much they love him in front of a court in return for his wealth and property. It is cruel, unreasonable, but mostly egotistical. The way that Goneril does not even think twice about her father’s request and says very passionately and outlandishly how much she loves her father makes her look desperate and petty. “Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter;[…] No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, or honor” (I. i. 56-57 & 60). I am not saying that she does not love her father but it definitely seems like she is trying too hard.  At the end of the Act I she continues scheming with her sister, Regan, and even when her father stays with her palace. In Act III she openly talks about how King Lear’s knights are annoying and that her own father is intolerable. Instead of confronting them and telling them how she feels, she plans to have her severs behave badly towards her father and his knights. I do not understand why she cannot confront people in her own home, especially when it is her father. Even when her father finds out, she still pursues getting him to leave.  It is concerning.

Regan: Regan is very much like her sister Goneril, however it is difficult because she is not mentioned too much in the first Act, primarily only in the first scene.  She, like her sister, fervently professes her love and admiration towards her father in a manner that is full of histrionics. She states, “I am made of that self metal as my sister, and prize me at her worth” (I. i. 72-74). However she quickly interjects her appreciation for her sister and then claims that her sister fell short of honoring and loving their father, even though Goneril used words like “beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;” (I. i. 59). She clearly has many of the same attributes as her older sister but it is easy to detest Goneril more due to more examples of sly trickery.

Cordelia: Out of all three siblings, it is easiest to claim that Cordelia is the most likeable and amusing. She immediately finds her father’s request humiliating and distasteful and already knows what she is going to say when her father calls upon her. Upon her father’s request she replies, “Nothing, my lord” (I. i. 92).  Her answer is humorous but also inspiring in a sense that she does not succumb to her sister’s petty attempt at gaining higher recognition in their already high status. She seems the most stubborn out of the three of them but I see it as also being intelligent. She is knowledgeable in the sense that she knows how ridiculous the request is and knows that it is logical and right for her to do the most justifiable thing that is righteous for the situation. She becomes disowned and loses everything from her class to her property. It is ironic that several times she is mentioned as the “favorite daughter” among the three and King Lear so quickly gets rid of her. It is also quite interesting that the Duke of Burgundy wants nothing to do with her anymore now that she has so little status but the King of France reveres her for her nobility. I think it shows that people like her father and her sisters admire her stubbornness and intelligence but at the same time are jealous of it.