Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Goneril and Regan in Cinderella?

It hit me in class yesterday how alike Goneril and Regan
are in comparison with the two ugly step sisters in Cinderella. 
We have a Cinderella, pure and most loved sister (and I would say is usually depicted on stage as the prettiest of the sisters) compared against two other sisters that are seen as greedy, power hungry and conniving.

However connecting their likenesses, is maybe a little too superficial. I wonder if our Cinderella figure - Cordelia, is not as saint-like as she initially seems in juxtaposition with her sisters. Cordelia seems to be just as stubborn as her father. In a family relationship, or in any close relationship for that matter, we usually tend to get to know the things that will really annoy, hurt or please the other. Obviously, the King needed some form of affection from his daughters in his old age and Cordelia would not give it to him. In a similar act of self-justification and power, the King overrules her by abandoning her. Like stubborn father, like stubborn daughter.

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