King Lear 1.1.120

Lear: Let it be so. Thy truth, then, be thy dower,
For by the sacred radiance of the sun,
The mysteries of Hecate and the night,
By all the operations of the orbs
From whom we do exist and cease to be,
Here I disclaim all my paternal care (1.1.120-125)

Lear’s condemnation of Cordelia characterizes the extreme offense to which he takes Cordelia’s truthful speech. Lear takes his words to a cosmic level, invoking the “sacred radiance of the sun” and “the operations of the orbs” to bear witness to his disowning of Cordelia. The allusion to Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, furthers the gravity of Lear’s statements and suggests a sense of evil in Cordelia’s failure to promise Lear all her love. Lear also philosophizes existentially about “whom we do exist and cease to be,” implying Cordelia will ‘cease’ to be his daughter and he ‘cease’ to be her father. These observations foreshadow the changing of identities that will ensue throughout the play—Lear will cease to be a king, Lear will go mad, and both Cordelia and Lear will cease living.
The mention of Lear’s “paternal care” raises questions of the intimacy of Lear and Cordelia’s relationship. Lear’s relinquishment of his “care” appears to be simply the rescinding of his land offer and the dowry for her wedding. Though Goneril and Regan’s preceding speeches delight Lear for their promises of love and devotion, Lear’s only rewards to reciprocate these promises are monetary. Further, as Cordelia suggests, Regan and Goneril’s promises to Lear are unreasonable and also artificial, making the entire concept of Lear’s abdication an exercise in artificiality. Though Lear appears extremely angry with Cordelia for her defiance, Lear’s punishment does not reflect the father/daughter relationship but rather the king/subject relationship, as in lecture we discussed Lear’s treatment of his family as subjects. Lear’s elevation of his condemnation of Cordelia to cosmic and existential proportions further illustrates his awareness that Cordelia has publicly defied him and he must counter with a more resounding and seething conviction to exert his royal dominance before Kent and the other attendants.

-Tim Dawson, Section 1D