Win, Lose, or Draw: The Price of Sport in King Lear

         In this line of King Lear’s speech to Cordelia in the opening act, the terms that replace the word “variant” are “win” (in the 1608 Quarto) and “draw” (in the 1623 Folio). Lets engage the Quarto’s use of “win” first in order to decide what the implications are and risks of using win or draw or vice versa. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term win as: “To gain influence over” (10b) and “To prevail upon” (10c). These two definitions imply that this is a competition; that Cordelia is merely a player in Lear’s game, his sport. They also bring forth the idea that somehow her piece of the larger land will be much more prosperous than those of Goneril and Reagan. Indeed Lear describes it as a “third more opulent than your sisters.” Does he already have in mind that Cordelia’s love for him is richer than the love of Goneril and Reagan? She is his last born, the youngest. But this calls into question the familial norms. Oftentimes it is the oldest child that inherits the largest piece of the parent’s property. Does King Lear challenge social normality? OED goes on to define win, perhaps most interesting, as: “To obtain (a woman) as a wife or “lady” by action or effort of some kind: usually with implications of gaining her affection and consent” (7c). Perhaps at first read, we could attribute this definition of the term to Lear, as he is vying for the reaffirmation of his daughters’ love. But since he says it to Cordelia, we can also see the King of France and Duke of Burgundy as part of this statement. Is he speaking indirectly to these gentlemen? Or is he telling Cordelia that she must choose her words wisely in order to see to it that her future as a wife is secure; that she be the provider of wealth and that her bond with either of the two gentlemen shall always belong to Lear? How does this “love game” determine who gets to marry Cordelia. Well, we realize that without the land and Lear’s love, Burgundy has no desire for Cordelia’s hand. Cordelia belongs to Lear, so no matter what the outcome, his land will always be his and he will always have some control over Cordelia’s marriage bond. The term draw brings along some of these same implications, and some new meaning.

         The OED defines draw as: “To bear, endure, suffer, undergo” (20) and to influence in a desired direction, induce” (28). Both of these definitions make completely sense as we see that Cordelia is suffering in her ability to speak effectively to Lear’s satisfaction. Lear clearly anticipates that her speech will influence his decision to give her a larger piece of the land. But two other definitions call into question notions of incest and foreshadow the tragedy of King Lear: “To entice, allure, lead on” (OED, 86c) and “To cause to fall or come upon; to bring (evil, calamity, etc.) upon. The first definition appears to have traces of incestual undertones. Perhaps a possibility (though no less a stretch), we can ask ourselves does Lear gain desirable satisfaction or some kind of pleasure (sexual?) from subjecting his daughters to such cruelty? What kind of public display of affection does Lear want? We can also notice the absence of a mother and how Lear relies now on his daughters to take the place of that bond, that missing love. Cordelia apologizes for her misunderstanding of her duties to her father in her speech following Lear’s (I.i.95-104).

        Most resonant with the play is the last definition stated above found in the OED. It foreshadows the tragedy that unfolds in King Lear. With the division that Lear brings upon his kingdom, he can very well expect the act of dividing to have calamitous consequences: the death of Cordelia because of her inability to play Lear’s game and to lie and lose her integrity as her sisters. Ultimately both words (draw, win) are effective. Perhaps what should really replace win or draw is the term lose. Lear loses a third more opulent than his older