When it comes to King Lear, many have argued that the deaths of Lear and Cordelia are excessive and unnecessary. Some have gone to the extent of changing the ending of the play on stage. I, on the other hand, intend to argue that Shakespeare’s ending is the only ending that is correct. The deaths of Lear and Cordelia satisfy both thematic and structural elements within the play. Shakespeare’s King Lear is a true tragedy, unlike the other King Lear’s modified with happy endings. Lear’s and Cordelia’s deaths are the only deaths that create true pathos, which is in fact the goal of a tragedy. The piece is incomplete without sacrificing their lives. Therefore, I will justify their deaths on the basis of structural and thematic necessity. For Cordelia, many factors influence her fate. Possibly the most important: “The tragic genre requires it, of course;
…show more content…
Some seem to have a purpose, and others do not. However, there is always a death, or deaths, that inspire pathos. Pathos is a feeling of pity and terror; the goal of a tragedy to attain. The deaths of Cordelia and Lear are necessary because their deaths are what truly achieve pathos. The deaths of Goneril, Regan, Edmund, and arguably even Gloucester, are irrelevant. Albany even signals this to the audience with the statement: “This judgment of the heavens, that makes us tremble,/ Touches us not with pity” (V.iii.230-231). Their deaths are not significant to the audience, and the audience should not feel pity for their demise (Bradley 255). Cordelia on the other hand, dies a death perceived as avoidable and unnecessary. The audience sympathizes with her, which is the goal. Lear’s death is as cruel as Cordelia’s. Some claim that he dies in the hope of Cordelia living: “Look on her, look, her lips,/ Look there, look there!” (V.iii.309-310). Others simply conclude that Lear’s intention was to die with Cordelia, to avoid being separated from her (Hennedy
Some seem to have a purpose, and others do not. However, there is always a death, or deaths, that inspire pathos. Pathos is a feeling of pity and terror; the goal of a tragedy to attain. The deaths of Cordelia and Lear are necessary because their deaths are what truly achieve pathos. The deaths of Goneril, Regan, Edmund, and arguably even Gloucester, are irrelevant. Albany even signals this to the audience with the statement: “This judgment of the heavens, that makes us tremble,/ Touches us not with pity” (V.iii.230-231). Their deaths are not significant to the audience, and the audience should not feel pity for their demise (Bradley 255). Cordelia on the other hand, dies a death perceived as avoidable and unnecessary. The audience sympathizes with her, which is the goal. Lear’s death is as cruel as Cordelia’s. Some claim that he dies in the hope of Cordelia living: “Look on her, look, her lips,/ Look there, look there!” (V.iii.309-310). Others simply conclude that Lear’s intention was to die with Cordelia, to avoid being separated from her (Hennedy