earticle

영어

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the hero’s behaviors of revealing or hiding name under the “power of the name” in The Odyssey repeat in the “journey” of Cordelia of King Lear. In The Odyssey, a name plays a key role in the adventures of the hero. Odysseus calls himself “nobody” in his first encounter with Polyphemos, but later he reveals his real name, “Odysseus” to that monster. This brief moment in Kyklopes episode determines his forthcoming adventure. As he calls himself as “nobody,” the great hero, Odysseus becomes true nobody and is completely excluded from the society losing his glorious fame. His homecoming is delayed for ten years due to the “curse of the name,” which is layed upon him when he reveals his real name. This paper argues that this influential role of name also can be observed in Shakespeare’s tragedy, King Lear. Soon after Cordelia gives up her position as “Cordelia” by saying “nothing ” in the love test, she is completely excluded from the English society and forgotten from the audience. Without doubt, her hardship begins with the revelation of her real name, “Cordelia” in the final scene of this tragedy. The “curse of the name” under “the power of the name” becomes the most important cornerstone to analyze experiences both of the Trojan hero and the tragic heroine.