A heroine can be defined in two different ways: the first, as the main female character in a novel; or in the second way, as a woman noted for courageous action or significant achievement. The heroines of King Lear, Crime and Punishment and To the Lighthouse fit these two definitions. Cordelia, the good daughter and heroine of King Lear, refuses to insincerely flatter her father with false professions of love and is consequently disinherited. Despite this rejection, she still loves her father unconditionally and eventually returns to save her father from his evil sisters. Sonya is the heroine of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. She is extremely religious but more devoted to her family. To provide for the needs of her poor family, she sacrifices her body as well as her purity by prostituting herself. Bringing optimism, hope, and comfort to all those around her, Mrs. Ramsay's role in To the Lighthouse is to bring unity to her family and guests as a provider and responder to the needs of others. Each of these characters is comparable in that they both embody both meanings of the term heroine; As the main female characters in each work, they sacrifice themselves for the sake of others around them that they love, which is truly a significant accomplishment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay In Shakespeare's King Lear, Cordelia embodies a heroine through her actions when she selflessly returns to save King Lear of his sisters. Shakespeare describes Cordelia as devoted, kind, beautiful and honest. However, it was this honesty that caused King Lear to disinherit her when she refused to sing false praises to him, saying, “I cannot push/my heart into my mouth.” I love Your Majesty/ According to my link, neither more nor less. " (Act I.1. 91-93) Her honesty was perhaps her only flaw. This honesty can be contrasted with that of Goneril and Regan, Cordelia's sisters, who are neither honest nor loving, and who ruthlessly manipulate their father for their own purposes By refusing to participate in Lear's test of love at the beginning of the work, Cordelia establishes herself as a paradigm of virtue, and the apparent authenticity of her love for Lear clearly shows the extent. of the king's mistake in banishing her When Cordelia returns to save King Lear, he says: "Wet your tears? Yes, my faith. Please don't cry. If you have poison for me, I will drink it. I know you don't love me; for your sisters have (if I remember correctly) done me harm. You have a reason, they don't. (IV.7.74-78) He believes that she can no longer love him because of his immense misdeeds. Despite this incredible wrongdoing on King Lear's part towards Cordelia, her love for him never ceases, nor does she begrudgingly hold his folly to him. She makes this clear by leading the French invasion of Britain for the sole purpose of saving her father from the manipulation and mistreatment of Goneril and Regan. In the same scene where King Lear expects mistreatment from Cordelia, she says "No cause, no cause." (IV.7.79) This concerns Cordelia's reunion with King Lear, which indicates the restoration of order in the kingdom; but above all the triumph of love and forgiveness over hatred and malice. Eventually, Cordelia and King Lear are captured by Edmund when the French lose the war. Although King Lear hopes to spend time with her to crystallize their reconciliation, she is hanged by Edmund before anyone can begin to help her. Thus, Cordelia givesultimately her life to save her father, who unjustly treated her with such cruelty, thus demonstrating her infinite sacrifice for the sake of her father whom she loved deeply. Dostoevsky depicts his heroine, Sonya, as the personification of purity and innocence. , despite the fact that she had to corrupt herself physically by prostituting herself to support her impoverished family. Sonya is quiet, hesitant, and often afraid, but she is also extremely spiritual and committed to her stepmother and sisters. “We are one, we live as one,” Sonya says. She even loves her abusive stepmother. She said to Raskolnikov: “She’s losing her mind, have you noticed? She is; she worries like a little girl that everything will be done well tomorrow, the meal and everything... then she wrings her hands, spits blood, cries. and suddenly she starts banging her head against the wall as if in despair. And then she comforts herself again; she says you will be her help now, she will borrow some money from somewhere and she will go; come back with me to the city and create an institution for noble girls, and she will appoint me supervisor, and a completely new and beautiful life will begin for us, and she hugs me, kisses me, comforts me, and she really believes in it! (Dostoevsky 318) His sacrifice for the sake of his family is even more heartbreaking since it would not be necessary for his father to be able to control his drinking problem. However, it was through the death of his father that Raskolnikov. When Raskolnikov gives the family money for the funeral, she goes to his apartment to invite him, and that's where their strange relationship begins. She is not horrified by his crimes, but rather worried for his soul and mental well-being, so she urges him to confess. Raskolnikov sees her, at first, as another transgressor, someone who has crossed the line between morality and immorality, just like him. However, there are crucial differences between their transgressions: she sins for the sake of others, while he sins only for himself; Raskolnikov's soul is shattered, while Sonya's is protected and secure in her religious faith. She demonstrates this when Raskolnikov asks her if she believes in God and she replies: “What would I be without God? (Dostoevsky 323). Through her interactions with Raskolnikov, Sonya clearly becomes a Christ figure as she represents the only path to salvation, which is through faith in God and suffering as a means of bearing the repercussions of one's actions. Additionally, Sonya's dedication is remarkable when she follows Raskolnikov to Siberia for his hard work. Patiently, she waits for Raskolnikov to come to his own repentance, which he eventually does in the end. Thus, through the extreme measures Sonya takes to provide for her family as well as through her gift of salvation to Raskolnikov, Sonya embodies a heroine through her great display of boundless faith and devotion. In To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf portrays Mrs. Ramsay from the very beginning. beginning of the novel not only as a woman of great thoughtfulness and tolerance, but also as a protector. As the mother and central force that keeps the guests and family in harmony in their vacation home, her main goal is to provide others with what they need most. For example, in the opening pages, Mrs. Ramsay's main goal is to preserve her youngest son James' sense of hope and wonder around the lighthouse. Although she realizes, as perhaps James himself does, that Mr. Ramsay is correct in stating that bad weather will spoil the next day's trip, she persists in assuring James that the trip is a possibility. " "Perhaps you will wake up and find the sun shining and the.