Goneril’s and Regan’s Response
Goneril’s Original Speech:
Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter;
Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty;
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;
No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour;
As much as child e'er loved, or father found;
A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable;
Beyond all manner of so much I love you.
Regan’s Original Speech:
Sir, I am made
Of the self-same metal that my sister is,
And prize me at her worth. In my true heart
I find she names my very deed of love;
Only she comes too short: that I profess
Myself an enemy to all other joys,
Which the most precious square of sense possesses;
And find I am alone felicitate
In your dear highness' love.
Goneril and Regan is King Lear’s oldest daughter’s of three who are categorized as the villain within this novel because of their evil perceptions, actions and lifestyle they portrayed. Both their response to their father’s question “which of you shall we say doth love us most?” was not centered on how much they actually loved their father, rather a false impression to satisfy their father’s high ego and inherit their father’s wealth for their personal gain. Therefore, both sisters used flattery words and persuasive techniques to convey their devious act, that caused King Lear to consider there unfaithful expressions.
Cordelia’s Original Speech
Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, loved me: I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Why have my sisters husbands, if they say
They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty:
Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.
Cordelia’s Response
Her response was more reserved due to the type of qualities she held. She did not believe she could have expressed in spoken words how her heart actually felt. Also, she did not want to flatter her father with empty expressions but simply established that’s he loved him no more or no less. In addition, she made comparisons with her sister’s speech stating they had already expressed everything she felt and if they truly loved him as they said they would not have gotten husbands. Therefore, one can see that Cornelia’s expression was indeed truthful as oppose to those of her sister’s, although unfortunately her truthfulness lead to a segregation between her father.
Why Did King Lear respond to Cordelia’s expressions the way he did?
Cordelia was King Lear’s favourite daughter amongst her two other daughters. King Lear was an individual who was more concerned about positive comments and actions done by other’s to help uplift his character. Therefore, when Cordelia expressed her love for her father in a reserved and truthful way, this was an offence to her father. This is so because as mentioned earlier she was his most liked daughter whom he expected more to be more lengthy and convincing in her speech about her love for her father King Lear.