origin, cut itself off from its source, denied God. And from 
     that moment on, God had withdrawn from nature and 
     from man.

Lear is quite explicit in designating Cordelia as a Puritan:

     Let pride, which she calls plainness, marry her.

The Reformers in their stress on individual function and 
independence naturally saw no point in all the formalities that 
belong to quite impersonal roles in society. It is clear to the 
audience, however, that it is rather Cordelia’s dedication to her 
traditional role that makes her so helpless in the presence of 
the new individualism both of Lear and her sisters:

                                                  I love your Majesty