King Lear Quotes
Lear:
“You unnatural hags” = ‘Unnatural’ - Daughters/ women expected to be loving and
dutiful to the men, he is saying they are unnatural for opposing this duty.
“I am a man, more sinn’d against than sinning” = Ultimate self pity. He's lamenting what
others have done to him rather than taking a hit to his pride by taking responsibility for
what he himself has done to cause his downfall. Hubris is his fatal flaw.
“The Body’s delicate: the tempest in my mind” = Lamenting his situation and his
weakness, and also revealing that he's going a little insane.
“Didst thou give them all?” = Repetition of rhetorical questions shows that Lear is
wrapped up in his own problems and thinks his situation is the worst of them all -
arrogance and self pity.
“Unkind daughters…Those pelican daughters” = Semantic field of negativity and insults
towards his daughters. ‘Pelican’ - Metaphor as baby pelicans were thought to drink their
parents blood so he's calling them bloodsuckers - Strip him of his life, energy and
power.
“Her voice was ever soft, gentle and low, an excellent thing in women” = Lear laments
the death of Cordelia. ‘Soft’ being a trait for a woman shows the typical stereotype of
how women should behave.
“When we are born, we cry that we have come to this great stage of fools” = Baby
crying is not a sign of life but a sign of lament and sadness at being born into such a
naive, foolish world. Metatheatrical technique.
“Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life, and thou no breath at all? Thou’lt come no
more, Never, never, never, never. It expresses Lear's despair and grief over the death
of his daughter, Cordelia. The repeated "never" emphasizes the finality and
permanence of her death, which Lear cannot accept. He is overwhelmed with sorrow
and disbelief, as he questions why a living being, like Cordelia, would be taken from
him.
“Which of you shall doth love me most?” = Foolish, naive and childish to give away a
crown, power and responsibilities so recklessly.
“Now our joy” = Referring to Cordelia showing that she is most loved perhaps by all
‘our’.
“Here I disclaim all my paternal care and property of blood” = Plosive ‘p’ - anger. Shows
his arrogance and vanity, she has hurt his ego (hubris). Disowns her.
“Barbarous scythian” = Compares her to a bloodthirsty warrior.
“I am a very foolish, fond old man” = Once he is reunited with Cordelia, he realises his
mistakes - redemption.
“Into her womb convey sterility” = Wishes she has no children - expectations of women.
Cordelia:
Lear:
“You unnatural hags” = ‘Unnatural’ - Daughters/ women expected to be loving and
dutiful to the men, he is saying they are unnatural for opposing this duty.
“I am a man, more sinn’d against than sinning” = Ultimate self pity. He's lamenting what
others have done to him rather than taking a hit to his pride by taking responsibility for
what he himself has done to cause his downfall. Hubris is his fatal flaw.
“The Body’s delicate: the tempest in my mind” = Lamenting his situation and his
weakness, and also revealing that he's going a little insane.
“Didst thou give them all?” = Repetition of rhetorical questions shows that Lear is
wrapped up in his own problems and thinks his situation is the worst of them all -
arrogance and self pity.
“Unkind daughters…Those pelican daughters” = Semantic field of negativity and insults
towards his daughters. ‘Pelican’ - Metaphor as baby pelicans were thought to drink their
parents blood so he's calling them bloodsuckers - Strip him of his life, energy and
power.
“Her voice was ever soft, gentle and low, an excellent thing in women” = Lear laments
the death of Cordelia. ‘Soft’ being a trait for a woman shows the typical stereotype of
how women should behave.
“When we are born, we cry that we have come to this great stage of fools” = Baby
crying is not a sign of life but a sign of lament and sadness at being born into such a
naive, foolish world. Metatheatrical technique.
“Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life, and thou no breath at all? Thou’lt come no
more, Never, never, never, never. It expresses Lear's despair and grief over the death
of his daughter, Cordelia. The repeated "never" emphasizes the finality and
permanence of her death, which Lear cannot accept. He is overwhelmed with sorrow
and disbelief, as he questions why a living being, like Cordelia, would be taken from
him.
“Which of you shall doth love me most?” = Foolish, naive and childish to give away a
crown, power and responsibilities so recklessly.
“Now our joy” = Referring to Cordelia showing that she is most loved perhaps by all
‘our’.
“Here I disclaim all my paternal care and property of blood” = Plosive ‘p’ - anger. Shows
his arrogance and vanity, she has hurt his ego (hubris). Disowns her.
“Barbarous scythian” = Compares her to a bloodthirsty warrior.
“I am a very foolish, fond old man” = Once he is reunited with Cordelia, he realises his
mistakes - redemption.
“Into her womb convey sterility” = Wishes she has no children - expectations of women.
Cordelia:
