King Lear, B2r

Page B2r shows the impetus of Lear and Cordelia's conflict as Cordelia refuses to participate in her father's game of flattery. When reading this scene for the first time as students, it was difficult to understand how and why the conflict began. Since so much of the play hinges on this one exchange, it's vital that readers understand it. So, we decided to make the page both more easily understandable for a modern student.

This transcription is centered around making Shakespeare accessible and interesting to high school students via translating it into fanfiction lingo to facilitate understanding and providing footnotes with open ended questions to guide discussion. Shakespearean texts tend to be thought of as dense and difficult to read, particularly for students reading them for the first time. If students are taught to read Shakespeare and translate it to their modern lingo, they are better equipped to understand, on a basic level, what is going on in each scene. From there, students can move on to deeper analysis predicated on understanding of the plot and themes. 

We selected the lens of fanfiction specifically because it is both popular among teenagers and notoriously easy to read. Fanfiction is often written by beginning writers, often teenagers themselves, and can be a much less dense read than Shakespeare. This kind of editing can act as a bridge between teenage reads and King Lear, making it more accessible. Beyond that, fanfiction and internet slang is fun. If students can find Shakespeare’s writing funny, witty, and, most importantly, enjoyable, that goes a long way towards improving his reputation in modern education. 

We also provided footnotes for contextualization of this scene. This scene can be difficult to understand given the importance of social conventions and niceties to this scene. Upon first reading, it’s easy to get turned around in this scene without understanding the underlying social context. For example, Lear isn’t supposed to be dividing a kingdom in order to give his youngest daughter inheritance. Lear is supposed to be able to order his daughters around because he is king. His madness might not come across to an uninformed reader. Further, the open ended questions in the footnotes facilitate discussion, being informative rather than prescriptive in the readings of the text. The open ended questions are meant to facilitate critical thinking and development of a student’s own opinions and readings of the text.

Regan: Father, I’m no different from my sister, we’re canonically¹
made from the same blood, So whatever praise she gets, I deserve too.  

And, honestly if I’m saying what’s truly in my heart, she didn’t even go far enough.²

She talked about love, sure, but she still only gave a drabble.³

Because me? I’m basically saying I don’t care about any other happiness this world has to offer.

Nothing else matters to me more than this.

The only thing that really makes me happy is having your love.

Cordelia (aside)⁴: Oh poor Cordelia! 

Just kidding, because I know my love is deeper than anything I could say out loud, because words would be OOC⁵ for my deep love. 

King Lear: Cordelia, I’m ready to give you and your future family a whole third of the kingdom, and it’ll be every bit as rich and powerful as the share I already gave Goneril.

You may be the youngest, but you are definitely not loved the least.

So now it’s your turn, what are you going to say to win an even better⁶ share than your sisters?

Because right now I’m basically waiting for your big angst⁷-filled speech, not total silence.

Cordelia: Nothing, Father. 

King Lear: Nothing? 

Cordelia: Yeah, nothing. 

King Lear: If you give me nothing, then nothing is exactly what you’re getting back⁸, so give a better answer.  

Cordelia: I hate that this is how my words are coming out, but I can’t just turn my actual feelings into some fake fluff⁹ speech on command. 

I just can’t force my heart out into words¹⁰ like you want. 

King Lear: No, go on. 

Fix that answer before you ruin everything for yourself. 

Cordelia: Father, you gave me life, raised me, and loved me, and I return that the way I should.

But if my sisters really mean what they’re saying, and they love only you and nothing else, then why are they even getting married?

When I get married, the person who takes my hand is going to get half my love, half my care, and half my responsibilities too.¹¹

I’m not going to stand here and give some id-fic¹² version of love that sounds dramatic but isn’t real.

This isn’t a oneshot¹³ where one person is supposed to be everything.

Lear: But do you really mean that?

Cordelia: Yes, father. 

Lear: Fine. Let your truth stand as your dowry.¹⁴

no soft¹⁵ AU¹⁶, only that truth.

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