Last and Least
Upon reading of the selected lines from the play I chose to review the variant from line 89, which reads the following: Now our joy,/Although variant; to whose young love,/ The vines of France, and milk of Burgundy,/Strive to be interessed. The variants are “the last, not least in our dear love” (Q1) and “our last and least” (F). The differences in the variations are not miniscule, such that they both alter the king’s expression from the other. In the end, I feel that reading into this one can come away with one significant difference between the two variations, explained below.
To begin, in the 1608 Quarto, in speaking to his daughter Cordelia, King John establishes the fact that she is loved no less and surely not the least. This is rather straightforward and doesn’t really leave any room for misconceptions or confusion about what he is saying. That being so, in comparison to the variation given by the Folio, there is a significant difference in the king’s expression. To explain, there is an absence of the establishment of Cordelia’s equity or rather her state of being loved just as much if not more or at all amongst her other sisters in the Folio.
Having already pointing out what the Folio variation is not saying, taking a step back, what then, is expressed in the Folio? It can be read such that, yes, Cordelia is the king’s youngest daughter, and in that sense she is the least. Not least in a sense where she is least loved, just least in a sense where she is least in age and maturity, and in the fact that she is not yet wed. It can be implied that the king does find delight in Cordelia, judging by his opening of the line with, “Now our joy...” referring to Cordelia, and further in his rash reaction when he says, “I loved her most…”
We have then established that in the Quarto, the king is solely establishing Cordelia’s state of being loved just as much if not more or at all amongst her other sisters. However in the Folio, he has essentially expressed his fondness for Cordelia, “Now our joy…”, present in both (Q1) and (F) (which in a way makes the variation of the Quarto redundant and repetitive), as well as the fact that she is least in a sense that she is the youngest and not yet wed. I feel that this does more overall for the play, and was the better choice to be included in the edition.
We have then established that in the Quarto, the king is solely establishing Cordelia’s state of being loved just as much if not more or at all amongst her other sisters. However in the Folio, he has essentially expressed his fondness for Cordelia, “Now our joy…”, present in both (Q1) and (F) (which in a way makes the variation of the Quarto redundant and repetitive), as well as the fact that she is least in a sense that she is the youngest and not yet wed. I feel that this does more overall for the play, and was the better choice to be included in the edition.