Connection: Cordelia and Cinderella

While trying to understand the family dynamic of King Lear and his daughters, I thought of Cinderella. In the well-known fairytale, Cinderella is kindhearted, but her stepsisters are greedy and insincere. Even though Cinderella is the only pure one of the three, her sisters are favored and showered with gifts, while she is left with nothing, forced to stay at home doing housework. Eventually, with the help of a fairy godmother, she attends a ball and meets her Prince Charming, and one lost slipper later, she lives happily ever after.

Although this differs from the storyline of King Lear, I saw a strong connection between the characters Cordelia and Cinderella. In the beginning of King Lear, the king decides to divide his land among his three daughters. His only requirement is that they all proclaim their love to him. Cordelia's older sisters, Goneril and Regan, immediately rant about how much they love their father, without the faintest sincerity. Cordelia, on the other hand, refuses. She believes that it is dishonest and wrong to exaggerate just to please someone else or just to get some reward. When she doesn't say what her father wanted to hear, he withdraws his offer, and Cordelia gets nothing. Despite this misfortune, Cordelia eventually is married to a man who loves her despite her lack of possessions.

Clearly, the plots and settings of King Lear and Cinderella are entirely different, but the central characters share similar qualities and endure similar situations. Both are honest and good, despite being surrounded by fake, selfish people. Both suffer unfair consequences, regardless of their good natures. Both eventually find their true loves, who appreciate the kindness that they possess. This connection helped me better understand Cordelia as a character and appreciate the circumstances she struggles through. I haven't finished King Lear, so I don't know what will become of Cordelia, but I can only hope that she will have the same fairytale ending that Cinderella did.