For thee, oppressèd king, I am cast down.
Myself could else outfrown false Fortune’s frown.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 5, Scene 3. While they are kept prisoner, Cordelia worries for her father Lear’s wellbeing. If it were just her alone in this situation, she would be defiant in the face of misfortune, she says. For nobility and saintliness, Cordelia’s character stands above all the others in the play. Selfless and compassionate, she thinks of others before herself.