I'm pretty sure this is about King Lear, from the view of Cordelia.
Cordelia is his youngest daughter, she has 2 evil elder sisters. Lear asks his 3 daughters to say who loves him most. The elder two give long-winded and false speeches and their undying love, much to Lear's approval. When Cordelia is asked, she replies 'Nothing.'This sends Lear into a rage and he banishes her from the Kingdom. The word 'nothing' appears a lot in the play as a bad omen.
The only people on her side are Kent and the Fool. The fool encourages Kent to leave Lear because he is clearly mad, but Kent refuses.
'No hope in the air
No hope in the water
Not even for me
Your last-serving daughter'
-This refers to the recurring belief in the play that they are all doomed and there is no hope. Cordelia is Lear's last-serving daughter in that she is the only one who remains loyal to him.
'From there no more ever I spoke.'
-She says 'nothing'
'A friend is a friend forever
And a good one will never leave, never,'
-Just as Kent never leaves the King
'But you've never been south of what grows off your mouth
You will never understand ever'
-In his rages Lear uses brutal, monstrous language. He does not understand the effect it has on those he attacks, like he did to Cordelia.
'The angels that dance at your will
Will mask your scrambling youth'
-His false daughters and courtiers dance around him, sucking up to him and flattering him. Disguising his age.
'I forgave you your shortcomings
And ignored your childish behaviour
Laid a kiss on your head
and before i left said
stay away from fleeting favour'
-Though he had wronged her, Cordelia forgave him and always loved him. Ignoring his childish tantrums and flaws. Before she left court, her last words were to warn him against the falseness of her sisters.
Cordelia is hung at the end of the play, and Lear dies of broken heart.
The last verse could also be a reference to when Cordelia returns home and leads an army into battle against her sisters to become her father's 'saviour'. And 'judgment day' is the day he announces his stupid decision to divide his kingdom into three and abdicate. Cordelia assumes that he must be dying ('he'd already lost the fight / And there was no hope') and is struck dumb by her despair, but then she comes to terms with her fears ('why fear death?') and sees that there is hope, even if she herself won't necessarily be around to witness Goneril...
The last verse could also be a reference to when Cordelia returns home and leads an army into battle against her sisters to become her father's 'saviour'. And 'judgment day' is the day he announces his stupid decision to divide his kingdom into three and abdicate. Cordelia assumes that he must be dying ('he'd already lost the fight / And there was no hope') and is struck dumb by her despair, but then she comes to terms with her fears ('why fear death?') and sees that there is hope, even if she herself won't necessarily be around to witness Goneril and Regan's fall and the reunification of the kingdom.
I'm pretty sure this is about King Lear, from the view of Cordelia.
Cordelia is his youngest daughter, she has 2 evil elder sisters. Lear asks his 3 daughters to say who loves him most. The elder two give long-winded and false speeches and their undying love, much to Lear's approval. When Cordelia is asked, she replies 'Nothing.'This sends Lear into a rage and he banishes her from the Kingdom. The word 'nothing' appears a lot in the play as a bad omen.
The only people on her side are Kent and the Fool. The fool encourages Kent to leave Lear because he is clearly mad, but Kent refuses.
'No hope in the air No hope in the water Not even for me Your last-serving daughter' -This refers to the recurring belief in the play that they are all doomed and there is no hope. Cordelia is Lear's last-serving daughter in that she is the only one who remains loyal to him.
'From there no more ever I spoke.' -She says 'nothing'
'A friend is a friend forever And a good one will never leave, never,' -Just as Kent never leaves the King
'But you've never been south of what grows off your mouth You will never understand ever' -In his rages Lear uses brutal, monstrous language. He does not understand the effect it has on those he attacks, like he did to Cordelia.
'The angels that dance at your will Will mask your scrambling youth' -His false daughters and courtiers dance around him, sucking up to him and flattering him. Disguising his age.
'I forgave you your shortcomings And ignored your childish behaviour Laid a kiss on your head and before i left said stay away from fleeting favour' -Though he had wronged her, Cordelia forgave him and always loved him. Ignoring his childish tantrums and flaws. Before she left court, her last words were to warn him against the falseness of her sisters.
Cordelia is hung at the end of the play, and Lear dies of broken heart.
The last verse could also be a reference to when Cordelia returns home and leads an army into battle against her sisters to become her father's 'saviour'. And 'judgment day' is the day he announces his stupid decision to divide his kingdom into three and abdicate. Cordelia assumes that he must be dying ('he'd already lost the fight / And there was no hope') and is struck dumb by her despair, but then she comes to terms with her fears ('why fear death?') and sees that there is hope, even if she herself won't necessarily be around to witness Goneril...
The last verse could also be a reference to when Cordelia returns home and leads an army into battle against her sisters to become her father's 'saviour'. And 'judgment day' is the day he announces his stupid decision to divide his kingdom into three and abdicate. Cordelia assumes that he must be dying ('he'd already lost the fight / And there was no hope') and is struck dumb by her despair, but then she comes to terms with her fears ('why fear death?') and sees that there is hope, even if she herself won't necessarily be around to witness Goneril and Regan's fall and the reunification of the kingdom.