Cordelia? Nun Other!

While doing status work on Thursday, Anna-Maria casually dropped the comment that she thought of her character, Cordelia, as rather nun-like. As it happens, in past productions Cordelia has often been associated with Christ (or with martyrdom in general); but she wasn't basing her observation on other productions, merely upon the text.

Is Cordelia nun-like? She isn't overtly religious, but she often extols the virtues one associates with Christianity (love, in particular). She seems hesitant to marry at the outset, although she does choose to wed France--although her only alternative at that point would be exile, destitution, and death. And, like Cordelia, nuns are known for their forthrightness in speech (this was Anna-Maria's point, not mine).

But Anna-Maria also spoke of Cordelia as being somewhat withdrawn from secular affairs, and having a higher duty (ie. to God instead of to King). True, she isn't power-hungry like her sisters; but does that mean she is uninterested in politics? Far from it; she leads an invasion of England in order to restore her father to the throne. So at some point, spirituality breaks off, and real-world politics intrude.

After some email discussion with Anna-Maria, I realized that she was using the nun image as a metaphor, not an explanation of motivation. Cordelia does not literally want to join a convent, recite Hail Marys, and teach Austrian children to sing; rather, her devotion to duty and honesty are thematic equivalents for a sister's devotion to God.