(Analyzing how is Cordelia represented within Act 1 Scene 1. Considering Shakespeare's use of language and structure.)
Within Act One, Scene One Cordelia is represented as a person who values her morals. In response to her father’s request for a proclamation of love from his daughters and Goneril’s exaggeration of love, Cordelia says that she will “Love, and be silent” (1.1.61). This quotation reveals that Cordelia will not exaggerate her love in words, but will show her love through actions because actions speak louder than words and because this is what she believes to be the right thing to do. The keyword used is “silent” because it is not that Cordelia will not love her father, but that she can demonstrate her love for her father through her actions and it will be much more authentic. This quote demonstrates the use of opinion as it is Cordelia’s opinion that what her father asks of her and what her sisters do is wrong because lying and exaggeration of one’s love is not moral. Cordelia says this quote in an aside and this is significant as only she and the audience know that it is said. The aside functions as the voice of moral reasoning as it is telling the audience what ought to be done in this situation. Another interpretation of this quote is that Cordelia could be suggesting that her father’s question is immoral and that herself, Goneril, and Regan should join together and ignore the question entirely. This relates to the time period in which Shakespeare was writing as daughters required a dowry for marriage and were at the mercy of their father to receive them. Therefore, while Cordelia is demonstrated as the voice of moral reason in the face of her father and sister’s immorality she cannot blatantly refuse the immoral request if she would like to enter into a good marriage.
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