There she shook
The holy water from her heavenly eyes.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 4, Scene 3. The Gentleman in the French camp near Dover reports to Kent on the Queen receiving Kent’s letters. He gives a moving account of Cordelia’s sorrow on reading of her father’s mistreatment at the hands of her two evil sisters. The Gentleman regards Cordelia as so good and virtuous that he calls her tears "holy water" (metaphor) and her eyes "heavenly." This is one of a number of passages in the play that describe Cordelia’s saint-like qualities.