ia is the ideal woman. She is the same in public as in private, the same with her father as with her husband, and the same when she answers her father's question as she is later when she cares for him after his ordeal. That is, she does not put on different faces for different occasions. She is honest in her dealings and would be the beneficent ruler that Lear has been and believes wrongly that his other daughters will also be. The King of France recognizes her fine qualities and marries her, showing greater wisdom as a ruler and as a man than King Lear has shown. The relationship between Cordelia and her husband is mutual, supportive, and also serves the interests of their subjects and their kingdoms. Cordelia is honest and realistic, and she tries to give an answer to her father that fits the realities of life and human nature rather than catering to her father's need for flattery and effusive praise. She is punished for her answer, and the irony is that she is the only one of the three sisters who
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