There were several sources and versions of King Lear by William Shakespeare. The story of Cordelia has appeared in the folk tales of many countries, most famously as the Cinderella story. Although they have been proved successful, the men have once again shown their failure to live without accusing women for their own wrongdoing. The first four acts; the themes; and the Elizabethan world wiew all support this fact of life.

The play begins with the Earl of Gloucester referring to the intended `division of the kingdom'. King Lear asks his daughters to declare their love for him and the two elder daughters, Goneril and Regan, speak fulsomely of the old king, their father. The youngest child, Cordelia, says she cannot `heave my heart into my mouth' like her sisters and is banished, along with the Earl of Kent, a follower of Lear's, who stands up for her...