Cordelia

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In the Globe Theatre Company's production of King Lear, Cordelia was played by Tonia Chavet.

About Tonia Chauvet

Tonia previously appeared at the Globe in As You Like It and A Mad World My Masters. She has also appeared in productions for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Almeida Theatre. Tonia's television work includes the role of Aimee in Wives and Daughters.

Click on the numbered links to follow Tonia's journey as she creates and plays the character of Cordelia in the Globe Theatre.

Tonia Chavet - Character Notes 1

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.

It is three years since I last appeared in a play at the Globe. A lot has happened in three years, and I have done other things. It was strange on the first day. I had so much fun in the last production, it was really important to me; I loved it and the people who were involved in it. I am very happy to be here again.

I am enjoying the support we are getting from Giles (Block, Master of Verse) and Glynn (Macdonald, Master of Movement), who give us daily classes. What I find useful about Glynn is that she is very playful and as well as working on exercises about stretching, relaxing - trying to feel comfortable, she gets you to think about your body and the way you use it when performing.

I have been trying to understand the world that Cordelia is comes from by asking some questions.

  • Who are the people around her?
  • What kind of world do they create?
  • What kind of father is Lear?
  • What kind of King is Lear?
  • What kind of state is Lear's kingdom?

I have looked closely at the text to help me find the answers to these questions. On the first introduction of the daughters, Lear says Goneril ‘our eldest’, Regan ‘our dearest’ and about Cordelia ‘our joy’. What does that mean? It is obviously important to Cordelia's relationship with her father and therefore her character.

I am also working through the text, to see what people say about Cordelia, what Cordelia says about others and finally what she says about herself. I find it useful to think of the play as a painting or a piece of music. Each character has one particular instrument or sound or colour.

What is Cordelia's position in the play? What does she symbolise, compared to the other characters? Cordelia is particularly striking, as she is on her own. She does seem to hold a different position, from the very start of the play, a position that is created by her father.

Lear sets up a game of manipulation; his daughters have to make a public gesture to show how much they love him. Cordelia observes the actions of her sisters, and says " if for I want that glib and oily art to speak and purpose not, since what I well intend, I’ll do ‘t before I speak". This implies that those who speak are using their words as art, but they do not necessarily match their deeds with these words. Cordelia says that she can say nothing because love cannot be spoken about. When she leaves she tells her sisters, ‘I know what you are, and like a sister am most loth to call your faults as they are named.’

I have tried to look at the dynamics between the initial scenes and Cordelia's return. Maybe because Cordelia is absent for so long, she feels she has to justify her return. She says that she has come back for her father, not just to gain land. Her return is not for political reasons. She seems to need to say that, to make it very clear.

One theme that is very important in King Lear is the theme of families. Families are political, they are everything. Can you be cut off from your family? A parallel to Cordelia's story is the story of Edgar and Edmund. If you are outcast from the family, it is like cutting a piece of yourself off (both Edgar and Edmund literally cut themselves).

Cordelia is known as a good character, but it is difficult to play goodness. I think that the only thing you can work on, in order to create a three-dimensional character, are her intentions and her reactions to the events of the play and the actions of others.

In the first scene, when she replies to Lear, Cordelia could have said "nothing my lord…I cannot heave my heart into my mouth: I love your Majesty according to my bond; no more no less." She could have stopped there and it would have been enough. However, Cordelia goes on to say that she does not understand her sisters, and their husbands. I’m trying to work out why she does this and what this tells us about her character.

I think that King Lear is more than just a play about love. It is like the storm that breaks out; the character's emotions are like a storm. The play moves very fast, to extremes. What kind of people would be caught up in such an extreme situation?

The theme of the family in the play relates clearly to our everyday life. It is not difficult to feel sympathy for Goneril when she tell her father that he cannot stay with her any longer, as she starts very reasonably. Lear's men come to her house, they drink, are loud, and they ruin her house. Goneril has had enough. It can’t be worked through. Her action comes from necessity initially, it is only later that her character's actions become evil.

Finally, I’m thinking a great deal about Cordelia's position after her first scene. Lear literally says that he has no daughter. What would that be like? How does it effect her later actions.

Activities

Tonia's initial questions

Look again at Tonia's bullet point list of questions. What do you think are the answers? Send any ideas you may have to Tonia.

Lists

Tonia likes to make lists for her character. For Cordelia she is listing:

  • What people say about Cordelia
  • What Cordelia says about other characters
  • What Cordelia says about herself

Make your own version of these lists. Send them to Tonia so she can compare them with her own.

Instruments and Paintings

Tonia feels that each character is like an instrument or painting. What instrument do you think Cordelia would be? What kind of painting? Give reasons for your ideas. You could also make these comparisons for other characters in the play. How might this type of exercise help an actor as s/he works to create a character?

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Tonia Chavet - Character Notes 2

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.

I have been looking at language and verse and counting out the beats in the lines that I have to speak.

I had a session with John McEnery and Julian Glover. They were exploring the scene between the Fool and Lear. Barry (Kyle, Master of Play) wanted me to be there, because of the relationship he sees between the characters of the Fool and Cordelia. I am uncertain of the relationship between these two characters. However, after going to that session, I now have my own ideas about their relationship. It came to my attention that when Cordelia disappears, the Fool comes in, and when the Fool disappears, Cordelia returns.

I have also had a session on Cordelia's return in the final part of the play. Cordelia returns with the King of France, who then has to leave again (I an uncertain to why he leaves). At that point Cordelia is left on her own again. She justifies her return by saying that it is not for her benefit in terms of political conquest.

We have been trying to develop the relationship between the actors. On Monday we had a session with the entire company. We read through the entire play again and Barry picked out the themes that he thinks are important. Our discussions with Barry were based around the ideas of blindness, seeing, insight and madness. We explored this by carrying out simple tasks like walking across the room with our eyes closed. This was done to see what would happen if we lost one of our senses.

We have also been exploring the importance of animals in the play, as there are numerous references to animals. One task we were set was to write down all of the animals that we remembered being mentioned in the play. Animals such as horses, crows, snails, ox and owls are referred to. Then, we had to try and decide which actor was like which animal. People matched me to a gazelle and a ‘bush baby’ (an animal with huge round eyes, which comes from Australia).

We have been working through the play backwards, concentrating on the last scenes first. I have not had any sessions with my father or sisters, as Barry does not call in people scene by scene. Instead, he is trying to find connecting groups of characters. Being able to ‘dip’ in and out of the play, in this way, makes rehearsals more interesting, and easier. I find it very inspiring.

I have been carrying out my own research. I am currently looking into the theme of nature, plants, flowers and leaves. This idea came from one of Cordelia's speeches when she calls upon the powers of the earth. In this speech, she is constantly using words that relate to the process of healing, such as ‘restoring’ and ‘weaving’. From this research, themes have emerged on rituals and witchcraft.

Another important theme that we have looked into is the position of women and marriage. How were women treated in marriage? I feel that women were literally sold by their family. They were given away with a dowry, and they had no say into their marriage. It was a patriarchal society. The first son would inherit everything; the second son would be dependent on them.

I have seen some of the costumes, and there seems to be a unifying design to them. They are going to look as similar as possible. Originally our dresses had a very simple and loose design; they were just hanging body folds of fabric, with an almost medieval look. However, Felicity (Dean, Regan) and Patricia (Kerrigan, Goneril) felt that it would be better to have the dresses corseted and straight. I thought it was quite important for my costume to look like Goneril and Regan’s. I did not want to stand out from them. We all look very different. One of the casting ideas was for us to each be very different. Barry felt quite strongly about this, as there is no mother in the play. The mother is only mentioned twice. I have not yet come to the conclusion about what has happened to their mother or if indeed the sisters have the same mother.

Activities

Cordelia and the Fool

Tonia has been exploring the relationship between Cordelia and the Fool. How might the company make the links between the two characters apparent to the audience?

Animals

The company has been exploring references to animals in King Lear. What animal would you associate with the character of Cordelia? Find textual evidence to support your ideas.

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Tonia Chavet - Character Notes 3

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and change frequently as the rehearsal process progresses.

At the moment I have been having many voice and movement sessions, but I have not had specific rehearsals on my character. This is because we have been working through the play in scene order and I appear at the beginning of the play and end of the play (scenes 1, 18, 21, 22 and 23), so I have not been present in all of the rehearsals. Due to this, I do not feel as fully informed about my character as some of the other actors. This is strange as Cordelia is an important character in the play, but she does not appear in many scenes.

I think that there are many clichés attached to Cordelia's character. She is always considered to be the good sister, who represents love, and is the ‘heart’ of the play. These elements that traditionally surround Cordelia are impossible to play, because you can only play actions and intentions. If I am ever going to be able to play these aspects of Cordelia's character, then I will also have to create a dimension that does not traditionally belong to her. As an actor the difficulty is finding the humanity in her, and not too play her as ‘too’ pure. I want to ‘shake up’ Cordelia's character with a bit of poison, hatred and anger. This will give her more life and humanity, making her like a real person. Cordelia could simply be stubborn or mad, however I do not think that this idea is very strong in relation to the rest of the play.

Goneril and Regan possibly find Cordelia's ‘goodness’ annoying. Cordelia is the person who ‘rocks the boat’, the one person who does not do as the others do. In a sense, this should not happen in a family. Her sisters may hate her for it. However, in all of Shakespeare's work, there is a sense of characters who tell the truth and those who do not. The Fool and Cordelia are examples of such characters in King Lear.

In a family each character has his or her specific role. The two families in the play are quite similar. I think that Edgar and I have a similar role in the dynamics of the two families, as Edgar represents compassion, wisdom and restoration.

There are two ways in which I can approach the development of Cordelia's character. Firstly, I could approach it as if I was in Shakespeare's ‘universe’, which would portray Cordelia as the virtue, truth and heart of the play. Conversely, I could look at it from a contemporary perspective. In this sense, Cordelia is a character who fights, is in a war and goes back to a country to restore an old regime. Cordelia's actions also set up a world that shows people being unable to talk openly about their feelings.

The company did an informal run-through of the play (simply walking and talking our way through it, rather than having to work through it at the right rhythm). This was very useful, as our work has now developed from being words on a page to being physical work on the stage. This run-through also helped me to understand Cordelia's relation to the play as a whole and has informed me of what the world of the play is like. I want Cordelia to be a part of this world, despite her character being made an outsider.

I have been thinking about the relationship between Cordelia and the Fool. We talk about similar things, but the Fool gets away with saying these things and Cordelia does not. What would happen if the Fool said my lines at the beginning? In what other ways are we similar?

Activity

Cordelia's ‘dark side’

Tonia thinks that Cordelia has a ‘dark side’.

Can you find any evidence in the text to support this idea.

Send you findings to Tonia.

Tonia's questions

At the end of her notes Tonia asks two questions. What would happen if the Fool said Cordelia's lines at the beginning of the play? What other ways are they similar?

Try experimenting with the Fool saying Cordelia's lines. What is the effect? Do you agree with Tonia that Cordelia and the Fool are similar? If not, why not? Use evidence from the text to support your ideas.

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Tonia Chavet - Character Notes 4

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and change frequently as the rehearsal process progresses.

Going from rehearsals to performances has been a bit confusing. It was when I got on stage that I realised that the language Cordelia speaks is like long eulogies about her father and herself (particularly in the second half of the play). Cordelia does not really have any soliloquies, and because of this I am still exploring her relationship with the audience. Taking into consideration of the nature of the Globe space, I thought of the audience as public witnesses to what is going on in the play.

At first, I was too concentrated on the emotions and hurt surrounding Cordelia's fracture from the family and the change in her father. My work was taking on too much emotional commitment and intensity, and I thought that that had to go. Some of my ideas about Cordelia have changed. Before I saw her as a character who is effected by people around her, but now I see her as someone who is able to rise above her problems. I now see the love and compassion in her character, rather than the hurt, anger and fracture.

When I come back and see my father sitting in his chair, I give a eulogy about him in the speech which starts "O my dear father" (Act IV Scene VII). There are two ways in which I can play that scene. Firstly, I could play on the hurt that I might be feeling, and the effect that the site of my father has had on me. Alternatively, I might present it as a report like a journalist, in the way that there is something going on behind me and I address it to the audience say that ‘this is what has happened’.

I first saw Cordelia as a character trapped in the ‘emotional’ world, I now see her as part of the ‘thought’ world. This means that she is able to see able to see things clearly and put things into order with an element of clarity. It struck me when I was going through my lines how much she uses the word ‘know’ (as well as the world ‘love’). Maybe the difference between Cordelia and her sisters is that they become products of the negative world around them.

Cordelia's language is very private and intimate, particularly when she talks to Lear, due to her compassion, love and wonder about how things have become so bad. In the Globe space you have to make this private speech a public thing for the audience. How can I make Cordelia's lines something that everyone can consider together?

I have done two shows at the Globe before. However, it was very peculiar on the night of the first performance because it felt as though I had never been on the stage before. I went out thinking ‘I know I like working in that space’, but when I went on I was ‘thrown’. I realised that depending on the material you have, your relationship with the stage and audience can be completely different. You can have scenes that involve relationships directly with people, and these may have a lot of action. Or, you can have scenes where you perform soliloquies. My speeches are not soliloquies, but they do have the qualities of a soliloquy because they are sharing something private with the audience.

When I am on stage I do look at the audience and pick out specific people. In the beginning I would look at the audience in a general way but, last night I found myself wanting to speak directly to the audience and question them. However, you cannot do this too much as you lose the intimate space of your character. As you can see the audience around you they seem to naturally invite you to include them in what is going on. In many theatres you seem to act to a ‘fourth wall’ because it is dark, you pretend that the audience is not really there. The only people you speak to are the people on stage with you. It would be a lost opportunity at the Globe to pretend that the audience is not there. In the Globe the audience are the people who are sharing the space with you rather than the people who are pretending that they are not there. Here, you can use the audience as much as the people you are in the scene with.

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Tonia Chavet - Character Notes 5

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and change frequently as the rehearsal process progresses.

I am very happy with last week's performance, but the show continues to change. I am still developing the character of Cordelia. The part itself is very challenging, because it is a very lonely part. I do not have a lot of people to bounce off of during the show.

I am still not completely satisfied with my character development. During each performance, I am trying to continually integrate new ideas and find actions that work for the character. I want to focus upon the softer qualities of Cordelia in order to show her separation from the other characters. They have such strong emotions: lust, desire, and power. With Cordelia, I want to provide a contrast to counteract everything that is raging on stage. I want to show a more calm, gentle pole.

In order to develop this gentleness, I have tried to tone down my voice. I still want to be heard by the audience, but I want my voice to have an audible gentleness.

I am also trying to be more aware of individual people. With a space like the Globe, you can see your audience, actually look at faces and make a connection with audience members. There is a direct relationship between you. I actually view the audience as parents of the space who have feelings and who want to be emotionally involved within the scenes. This vision makes the scenes more intimate, successfully drawing the audience into the action. They identify with the characters more and hopefully recognise the gentle and caring qualities of my character, Cordelia.

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Tonia Chavet - Character Notes 6

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and change frequently as the rehearsal and performance process progresses.

We have just had a light week of re-rehearsal. We began by talking to Barry (Kyle, Master of Play) individually about what we wanted to change and why. A lot of the changes didn’t involve me. I found that most of the things that I wanted to change could be done during performance. I find it easier that way, and they were such small things that they didn’t need to involve Barry.

I have been trying to make my voice and movements less complicated. When we started the play I felt as though I didn’t really have the ‘essence’ of Cordelia. I feel that finding the right quality of voice for her may help me to find her ‘essence’. I have also been trying to establish my relationship with the audience. Cordelia doesn’t have that many scenes with dialogue. She talks to the audience and I need to find the right manner in which to speak to them. I think that Cordelia's speeches are often a very public way of dealing with something that is intensely private. I find that all the other characters in the play are very impulsive and that Cordelia is the character who says ‘let's consider this’. She uses the words ‘know’ and ‘knowledge’ all the time and I think that she is trying to understand and consider things very deeply and carefully.

The audiences at the Globe vary from day to day. In the opening scene they can often be very distracted as they are still thinking about what they have just been doing. However, sometimes they are still and focused right from the start. It is amazing to see how a large group of people take on their own personality. I like it when you can feel a very strong concentration from the audience. I can feel their concentration when I come on in the second half. Usually they are totally absorbed. I try to come on with a different energy. With my entrance I try to create more space. Cordelia's entrance is a huge contrast to all the people that are on before her. All the action before her entrance is about desire and need. Suddenly, Cordelia enters and the world is changed to a place where there is space and time to think and consider. Cordelia has a different pace and energy to everyone else in King Lear. I try to emphasise this when I go on stage. Sometimes it works better than at other times. Obviously this has a lot to do with my performance. However, at times I feel that this change in pace is exactly what the audience needs. I can almost feel them take a breath. At other times they seem to want to continue with the action and not listen to me.

I feel a lot more comfortable with the play now than I did at first. In the last two or three weeks I feel that I have something to work towards. I feel I am well on the way to understanding Cordelia and that I have tapped into something I can develop. I am really enjoying myself.

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