Cordelia Chase is one of the most remarkable but neglected characters in the Buffyverse, and this paper examines the process of her transformation from spoilt High School princess to seer and scion of The Powers that Be. The way in which she is positioned within the narratives of both BtVS and Angel as a would-be performer, and the way that acts of performance signify in the Buffyverse are an important aspect of how the changes in Cordelia’s attitudes and priorities are demonstrated as she seeks to find a role for herself. The paper will examine the conflict between her desire to be a star playing a role in which she will be loved, and her ultimate decision to give up this ambition to serve a higher calling. I will also examine the way in which her narrative in Angel parallels Buffy’s own in BtVS, that of a shallow, vain high school girl who is chosen for a higher destiny, and the sometimes surprising differences in their attitude towards their calling. The paper aims to reveal the complexity of Cordelia, and the extent to which her name, meaning "warm-hearted" and that of Shakespeare’s most self-sacrificing and sincere heroine, is not the ironic label that it appears in BtVS season one, but a clue to her true nature.

Technical requirements: probably DVD, to get round the NTSC/ PAL problems.