Love, and be silent (1.1.55-63)

GONERIL

Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter; Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty; Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare; No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour; As much as child e'er loved, or father found; A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable; Beyond all manner of so much I love you.

CORDELIA

[Aside] What shall Cordelia do? Love, and be silent.

Goneril’s first line is an important one; it establishes formality between her and Lear with “sir” and shows that they aren’t close with each other (this makes her speech seem ingenuine and deceitful). The aporia - which suggests that her love goes beyond what words can express - also suggests that she may not know how to express love as she does not have any love for her father. The way she says that “words can wield” seems to weaponise language; attacking people with literacy is a recurring tactic in this play, whether it be: Edmund’s letter or this very speech. The rule of 3 in the next line emphasises 3 qualities that Lear, Gloucester, and Edgar lose over the course of the play: “eye-sight, space, and liberty”, and with the next line - even more qualities that are lost by these three characters are introduced: “life” “grace, health, beauty, honour”. This speech foreshadows the events of the play but also suggests that this false love of Goneril’s will be the cause of these things. Goneril shows a lack of understanding of love by saying that her love is “beyond what can be valued”, but love comes from valuing something - be it a person or an interest. Her exaggeration shows a strain of love despite all of the hyperbolic statements. The alliterative “rich” and “rare” are emphasised to show the things Goneril values. These imply a lucrative individual. Furthermore, the values on the next line convey her love of only what benefits her success. She says her love "makes “breath poor, and speech unable”, two things that are characteristic of romantic love. This begs the question: why she is even married to Albany? Cordelia picks up on this and questions it, knowing that it is fake. Goneril concludes her speech of what should be simple, selfish flattery, but in truth is a foreshadowing of the awful fate and losses of her father and his close allies. It is this very speech (and Regan’s) that bring about Lear’s downfall and Goneril’s words contain many falsities and references to what she will take from them. In a sense, it is a declaration of cruelty rather than love. Cordelia isn’t fooled however and to herself, she ponders what she will do. Her recognition of Goneril’s command of language tells us that she could do the same. However, her honesty and goodness prevent her from aligning her true love for Lear with the lies of Goneril. Her decision to “love, and be silent” sets her apart as she believes that her love can be implied from her bond.