As I was reading Act I of King Lear I was very interested in how
the King of France and King of Burgundy would react to Cordelia’s disownment
and banishment. I was eager to see
if both or either or neither of them would still want her as a wife without her
promised inheritance. Burgundy
acted how I expected—he saw this as an unfit business deal and respectfully
revoked his proposal. The King of
France, however, really surprised me when he not only still accepted her, but
he admired her and loved her all the more after her disownment and
banishment. At 1.1.243 he
adoringly proclaims, “’Tis strange that from their cold’st neglect/My love
should kindle to inflamed respect.”
It is clear that he fell very hard and very fast for the rejected
princess.
Personally,
I think that France is making a very wise decision as a leader of a country as
well as a man seeking out a spouse.
He has just witnessed first hand how loyal, true, and virtuous Cordelia
is. She holds on to her values and
morals even at the risk of losing her family, home, and inheritance. She will not flatter or give in to her
sisters’ phony adulation; she will only speak of the love that is and should be
in a daughter’s heart for her father. He also sees that she has accepted her disownment with
grace, where a panicked and angry disposition would seem completely
understandable and rational.
Unlike Burgundy who only views Cordelia as an expired paycheck, France
sees the priceless value of a genuinely good woman. He makes this clear at 1.1.240-241: “Thee and thy virtues
here I seize upon./Be it lawful, I take up what’s cast away.” As a King, it is very important to have
a loyal and true queen by his side.
In my opinion, I believe France definitely got the best deal of any of
the characters in Act 1.
Since
the beginning of this class, this is one of the first examples where a suitor
chose a woman solely for her inner character. In almost every other play we’ve read, the betrothing of a woman is simply a business deal.
Suitors choose a wife based on how much land and property she will come
with. We saw that in Taming of the
Shrew with Baptista’s strategic and business-like negotiations with his
daughters’ suitors. More recently,
I recall Henry V’s negotiation with the King of France for his daughter’s hand
in marriage. Henry only wanted the
princess because of her inheritance and land. It was very refreshing to see one of Shakespeare’s male
characters who actually treasures a woman’s virtue and inner value—such a
breath of fresh air!
6 comments:
I certainly agree with you when you say it is a breath of fresh air that for once a male character of Shakespeare's has chosen a women for her outspoken mind and not her status or wealth.
I have to say however that I do not think that Cordelia's intentions were as true. When I saw that she had accepted the hand of the king of France it made me think that she was doing it for underlying purposes. I was thinking when I read Act one "Oh how nice for her, she still gets to be extremely rich even though she rejected her father's groveling game." I maybe thinking this because they do not know each other at all and what other reason would Cordelia marry the kind of France if not to get the money and power. It seems like no matter the odds she is still getting married for some type of status or I just think she is going with the next best thing than being homeless.
If she was really noble and such an independent woman I think that she would have considered a different option than getting hitched to the King of France. I also second guess that if she knew what her father's reaction would be when she decided not to grovel over her love for him to get land, that she may not have done it at all.
I think Shakespeare says a lot when he has all these characters marry for some type of status or money. We never hear the story of the brave man or woman who stands up for themselves, refuses all other options but to thrive on their own and be completely independent. I guess that would not really make for such a spectacular story but I really think Shakespeare is saying a lot about the people in his plays that do. I could always see some adventure in a tale of the person who refuses all and makes their own wealth from nothing.
I would like to give Cordelia the benefit of the doubt but it is much to easy to think she is marrying the King of France for his money. I mean he is a king after all, how could someone really turn down that proposal?
I hadn't realized at first the fact that the King of France was making such a strong and ideal choice in Cordelia. Of course I applauded that he wanted her hand still even after being disowned and was pleasantly surprised even in this turn of events. However, I hadn't realized until reading your post that it is true that he does get the best deal. In marrying her he does have a wife that would hold true to all the virtuous ideals of the time and someone that will stand by her beliefs, as well as one who does not panic easy but takes the harder things in life with grace. Thank you for the insight!
I agree with the Cordelia was the only true one out of the other two sisters. Also that the King of France shows that picking Cordelia is smart choice on his part because he is gaining someone who would truthful to him and possibly his country. I agree with you when you said it's good to see a "male character who treasures a woman's virtue and inner value" rather than his power for inheritance and land.
It seems as though Cordelia didn't have a choice in marrying the king of France, since he was the only suitor that she had left. It seems as though things have a way of falling into place for Cordelia, at the start of the play, anyway. During the scene of the film that we watched, Cordelia seemed to have a favored position, standing beside her father instead of to the side like her sisters were with their husbands. As the youngest, unmarried child, she was her father's companion. I think that because she did not share her affections with anyone else, she knew that her father would give her preferential treatment over her sister. I think that it came as a surprise to her that her father disowned her, because her speech comes across as self assured, and even a bit bratty.
I like the implicit connection you make here, Ally, between Lear and France. Shakespeare often uses such pairings to call attention to contrasts, and I see him doing that here. Whereas Lear disowns Cordelia because of her plain speech, the King of France sees such an attribute as a benefit to his kingdom. Politically speaking, this is important, and perhaps highlights the tragic direction that this play is headed.
The King of France is a very interesting character because of this decision. I really like that he did not turn away from Cordelia when she was banished and stripped of her inheritance because it shows that he is a very morally upright character. It also demonstrates that he is a very intelligent character because he did not base his decision solely on financial gain. He gained much more by marrying a woman who would speak honestly with him, and not merely play the part that is expected of her. He also understands how unjust the King's decision is, because Cordelia truly is the one who loved him the most.
It is interesting to find a male in Shakespeare who marries for love instead of financial gain, and i think it really adds to the story.
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