Comparison of 2 Literary Works

The two passages selected for analysis both represent a dilemma of youth. In the case of Joyce's male protagonist in "Araby," the dilemma is the transition that takes place from boy to young manhood -- a transition that is deeply sexual, inherently romantic, and fraught with dangers to one's self-esteem. In the case of "King Lear," the dilemma is Cordelia's transition from dependent daughter loving her father more than any other being to independent woman, charged with loving her husband "first" after she is married. In both instances, the transition is one that requires the individual to develop new understandings of the self and the self-in-the-world, particularly with relation to others.

Cordelia speaks in response to her father's irrational demand that each of his three daughters, in order to obtain a third share of his kingdom, outdo one another in protestations of their love for him. Cordelia, in t

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(Joyce, 2001, p. 2)." So powerful is this combined image of the woman and the bazaar that the young man feels "an Eastern enchantment over me (Joyce, 2001, p. 1)." Like Cordelia, Joyce's protagonist stands poised on the threshold of a new experience of self and the world; unlike Cordelia, however, he is filled with extremely romantic notions and expectations that are doomed to be disappointed. For Cordelia, a realistic expectation of what her obligations will be to husband and father after marriage seems likely to ensure that she will be happy. Both Cordelia and Joyce's protagonist are seen in these passages as in a state of crisis. However, the two genres require a different technical handling of dialogue, narrative, and theme. Cordelia's speech occurs in the opening scene of Shakespeare's play and serves essentially to introduce Cordelia before she will be removed from the central action of the drama. Shortly after speaking to her father as she did, Cordelia is given in marriage and leaves the drama, only to appear again briefly in the final scenes of the play when she is reunited with her father. Thus, each of her words must be carefully chosen to establish her character. In Joyce's "Araby" the young protagonist mov
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Some common words found in the essay are:
King Lear, Joyce's Araby, Cordelia Joyce's, Shakespeare's Lear, Unlike Cordelia, , joyce 2001, 2001 2, Araby Available, joyce 2001 2, king lear, eastern enchantment, James Joyce's, shakespeare 1931, joyce's story, joyce's protagonist, Reference James, child's play, cordelia's speech, William Shakespeare's, patience serious life, ugly monotonous, monotonous child's play, ugly monotonous child's, joyce 2001 1,
Approximate Word count = 1892
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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