Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman. LEAR
’Tis strange that they should so depart from home
And not send back my messenger. GENTLEMAN As I learned,
The night before there was no purpose in them
Of this remove. 5 KENT, waking Hail to thee, noble master. LEAR Ha?
Mak’st thou this shame thy pastime? KENT No, my lord. FOOL Ha, ha, he wears cruel garters. Horses are tied 10
by the heads, dogs and bears by th’ neck, monkeys
by th’ loins, and men by th’ legs. When a man’s
overlusty at legs, then he wears wooden
netherstocks. LEAR
What’s he that hath so much thy place mistook 15
To set thee here? | Lear and his entourage arrived at Regan's to find her and Cornwall gone. As they wander around the town, Lear finds Kent (whom Lear still thinks is Caius) in the stocks. Lear asks him if he's been misbehaving. When Kent says no, Lear says, "Well then who put you in there?" |
KENT It is both he and she,
Your son and daughter. LEAR No. KENT Yes. 20 LEAR No, I say. KENT I say yea. LEAR By Jupiter, I swear no. KENT By Juno, I swear ay. LEAR They durst not do ’t. 25
They could not, would not do ’t. ’Tis worse than
murder
To do upon respect such violent outrage.
Resolve me with all modest haste which way
Thou might’st deserve or they impose this usage, 30
Coming from us. | Lear is shocked when Kent says it was Regan and Cornwall who put him there. Lear can't believe they would respect him so little as to punish his messenger and representative. He asks Kent to explain what happened. |
KENT My lord, when at their home
I did commend your Highness’ letters to them,
Ere I was risen from the place that showed
My duty kneeling, came there a reeking post, 35
Stewed in his haste, half breathless, panting forth
From Goneril his mistress salutations;
Delivered letters, spite of intermission,
Which presently they read; on whose contents
They summoned up their meiny, straight took 40
horse,
Commanded me to follow and attend
The leisure of their answer, gave me cold looks;
And meeting here the other messenger,
Whose welcome, I perceived, had poisoned mine, 45
Being the very fellow which of late
Displayed so saucily against your Highness,
Having more man than wit about me, drew.
He raised the house with loud and coward cries.
Your son and daughter found this trespass worth 50
The shame which here it suffers. | Kent/Caius explains he went to Regan and Cornwall's house to let them know Lear was coming. Once he got there, he tried to deliver the news, but was interrupted by Goneril's messenger, who had just arrived. Regan and Cornwall read Goneril's message first, and then immediately called up their house servants, got on their horses, and ordered Kent to follow them. They all acted rather coldly towards Kent, and once he arrived at Gloucester's house and saw Oswald, he realized that Goneril's message had turned Regan and Cornwall against him. Because of this, the mere sight of Oswald put Kent into a passion, which is why he, Kent, challenged him to a fight, which made Oswald cry out, which raised a ruckus and provided Regan and Cornwall an excuse to lock up Lear's messenger and ignore his message. |
FOOL Winter’s not gone yet if the wild geese fly that
way.
Fathers that wear rags
Do make their children blind, 55
But fathers that bear bags
Shall see their children kind.
Fortune, that arrant whore,
Ne’er turns the key to th’ poor.
But, for all this, thou shalt have as many dolors for 60
thy daughters as thou canst tell in a year. LEAR
O, how this mother swells up toward my heart!
Hysterica passio, down, thou climbing sorrow!
Thy element’s below.—Where is this daughter? KENT With the Earl, sir, here within. 65 LEAR, to Fool and Gentleman Follow me not. Stay
here. He exits. | Lear is furious. He refers to his sorrow and outrage as "hysterica passio," a disease that was thought to afflict women. (Psst! Want to know what that's about? Check out "Quotes" for "Gender"... but then come right back.) After this rather dramatic reaction to Regan's behavior, Lear decides he will go inside and talk to Regan and Cornwall right away to straighten everything out. He leaves Kent with the Fool and one of Lear's gentlemen. |
GENTLEMAN
Made you no more offense but what you speak of? KENT None.
How chance the King comes with so small a number? 70 | Kent assures the Gentleman that he's in the stocks for exactly the reason he described, nothing more. Then he asks the Fool what happened to the rest of the King's entourage. |
FOOL An thou hadst been set i’ th’ stocks for that
question, thou ’dst well deserved it. KENT Why, Fool? FOOL We’ll set thee to school to an ant to teach thee
there’s no laboring i’ th’ winter. All that follow 75
their noses are led by their eyes but blind men, and
there’s not a nose among twenty but can smell him
that’s stinking. Let go thy hold when a great wheel
runs down a hill lest it break thy neck with following;
but the great one that goes upward, let him 80
draw thee after. When a wise man gives thee better
counsel, give me mine again. I would have none but
knaves follow it, since a Fool gives it.
That sir which serves and seeks for gain,
And follows but for form, 85
Will pack when it begins to rain
And leave thee in the storm.
But I will tarry; the Fool will stay,
And let the wise man fly.
The knave turns fool that runs away; 90
The Fool no knave, perdie. KENT Where learned you this, Fool? FOOL Not i’ th’ stocks, fool. | The Fool explains that the knights could sense that the Lear ship was sinking, so they bailed out. Only those too foolish to put their own wellbeing first have stuck around with the aging King. |
Enter Lear and Gloucester. LEAR
Deny to speak with me? They are sick? They are
weary? 95
They have traveled all the night? Mere fetches,
The images of revolt and flying off.
Fetch me a better answer. GLOUCESTER My dear lord,
You know the fiery quality of the Duke, 100
How unremovable and fixed he is
In his own course. LEAR
Vengeance, plague, death, confusion!
“Fiery”? What “quality”? Why Gloucester,
Gloucester, 105
I’d speak with the Duke of Cornwall and his wife. GLOUCESTER
Well, my good lord, I have informed them so. LEAR
“Informed them”? Dost thou understand me,
man? GLOUCESTER Ay, my good lord. 110 | A fuming Lear reenters with Gloucester. Apparently Regan and Cornwall refuse to talk to Lear, coming up with a bunch of weak excuses about being too tired and sick to talk. Lear, who is not used to being turned down, demands that Gloucester bring him a better answer from Regan and Cornwall. When Gloucester says, "You know how stubborn Cornwall can be," Lear doesn't let up. He wants. To talk. To them now. |
LEAR
The King would speak with Cornwall. The dear
father
Would with his daughter speak, commands, tends
service.
Are they “informed” of this? My breath and 115
blood!
“Fiery”? The “fiery” duke? Tell the hot duke that—
No, but not yet. Maybe he is not well.
Infirmity doth still neglect all office
Whereto our health is bound. We are not ourselves 120
When nature, being oppressed, commands the mind
To suffer with the body. I’ll forbear,
And am fallen out with my more headier will,
To take the indisposed and sickly fit
For the sound man. Noticing Kent again. Death on 125
my state! Wherefore
Should he sit here? This act persuades me
That this remotion of the Duke and her
Is practice only. Give me my servant forth.
Go tell the Duke and ’s wife I’d speak with them. 130
Now, presently, bid them come forth and hear me,
Or at their chamber door I’ll beat the drum
Till it cry sleep to death. GLOUCESTER I would have all well betwixt you. He exits. | Lear is pretty worked up, but then he hesitates—perhaps the Duke really is sick, and in that case, his absence is justified. Lear knows better than anyone that when a person is ill, they don't always behave rationally. But, when Lear looks back at Caius (who is actually Kent), he flies into a passion again. This audacious action of imprisoning Lear's messenger convinces him that sickness is only an excuse; clearly there's something deeper going on against him with Cornwall and Regan. Threatening to knock down Regan and Cornwall's door if they do not come out, Lear sends Gloucester back inside to fetch them. |
LEAR
O me, my heart, my rising heart! But down! 135 FOOL Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels
when she put ’em i’ th’ paste alive. She knapped
’em o’ th’ coxcombs with a stick and cried “Down,
wantons, down!” ’Twas her brother that in pure
kindness to his horse buttered his hay. 140 Enter Cornwall, Regan, Gloucester, Servants. LEAR Good morrow to you both. CORNWALL Hail to your Grace. Kent here set at liberty. REGAN I am glad to see your Highness. LEAR
Regan, I think you are. I know what reason
I have to think so: if thou shouldst not be glad, 145
I would divorce me from thy mother’s tomb,
Sepulch’ring an adult’ress. To Kent. O, are you
free?
Some other time for that.—Belovèd Regan,
Thy sister’s naught. O Regan, she hath tied 150
Sharp-toothed unkindness, like a vulture, here.
I can scarce speak to thee. Thou ’lt not believe
With how depraved a quality—O Regan! | Regan and Cornwall emerge at last. They release Kent from the stocks without further discussion, and Regan says she's glad to see her father. Lear says something like "You better be, otherwise, you're not my daughter and I'll just have to assume your mom had an affair with the mailman." Lear then complains to Regan about Goneril. He's so swept up in anger with that ungrateful she-devil that, at least at first, he doesn't fly off the handle about Regan's behavior. |
REGAN
I pray you, sir, take patience. I have hope
You less know how to value her desert 155
Than she to scant her duty. LEAR Say? How is that? REGAN
I cannot think my sister in the least
Would fail her obligation. If, sir, perchance
She have restrained the riots of your followers, 160
’Tis on such ground and to such wholesome end
As clears her from all blame. LEAR My curses on her. REGAN O sir, you are old.
Nature in you stands on the very verge 165
Of his confine. You should be ruled and led
By some discretion that discerns your state
Better than you yourself. Therefore, I pray you
That to our sister you do make return.
Say you have wronged her. 170 | Regan suggests that Lear is an old and feeble man and ought to go back to Goneril for nurturing. |
LEAR Ask her forgiveness?
Do you but mark how this becomes the house:
He kneels.
“Dear daughter, I confess that I am old.
Age is unnecessary. On my knees I beg
That you’ll vouchsafe me raiment, bed, and food.” 175 REGAN
Good sir, no more. These are unsightly tricks.
Return you to my sister. LEAR, rising Never, Regan.
She hath abated me of half my train,
Looked black upon me, struck me with her tongue 180
Most serpentlike upon the very heart.
All the stored vengeances of heaven fall
On her ingrateful top! Strike her young bones,
You taking airs, with lameness! CORNWALL Fie, sir, fie! 185 LEAR
You nimble lightnings, dart your blinding flames
Into her scornful eyes! Infect her beauty,
You fen-sucked fogs drawn by the powerful sun
To fall and blister! | Lear refuses, declaring he's not about to apologize to her, especially for being old. In fact, he hopes Goneril gets struck by lightning. In her eyes. |
REGAN
O, the blest gods! So will you wish on me 190
When the rash mood is on. LEAR
No, Regan, thou shalt never have my curse.
Thy tender-hefted nature shall not give
Thee o’er to harshness. Her eyes are fierce, but
thine 195
Do comfort and not burn. ’Tis not in thee
To grudge my pleasures, to cut off my train,
To bandy hasty words, to scant my sizes,
And, in conclusion, to oppose the bolt
Against my coming in. Thou better know’st 200
The offices of nature, bond of childhood,
Effects of courtesy, dues of gratitude.
Thy half o’ th’ kingdom hast thou not forgot,
Wherein I thee endowed. | Lear then turns to praising Regan in a grand style, as presumably his newfound hatred for Goneril has put things into perspective. He prattles that surely Regan understands the concept of duty to one's father. |
REGAN Good sir, to th’ purpose. 205 | Regan tells her dad to get to the point. |
Tucket within. LEAR
Who put my man i’ th’ stocks? CORNWALL What trumpet’s that? | Lear wants to know who put Caius/Kent in the stocks, but Cornwall and Regan are distracted by a horn. |
REGAN
I know ’t—my sister’s. This approves her letter,
That she would soon be here. Enter Oswald, the Steward. Is your lady come? 210 | Regan knows the horn means Goneril has arrived at Gloucester's house. The appearance of Oswald confirms this, and the stage is set for the big confrontation. |
LEAR
This is a slave whose easy-borrowed pride
Dwells in the fickle grace of her he follows.—
Out, varlet, from my sight! CORNWALL What means your Grace? LEAR
Who stocked my servant? Regan, I have good hope 215
Thou didst not know on ’t. Enter Goneril. Who comes here? O heavens,
If you do love old men, if your sweet sway
Allow obedience, if you yourselves are old,
Make it your cause. Send down and take my part. 220
To Goneril. Art not ashamed to look upon this
beard? Regan takes Goneril’s hand.
O Regan, will you take her by the hand? | Lear freaks out when he sees Oswald and demands—again—a straight answer from Regan and Cornwall: who put his man in the stocks? When Goneril enters, Lear begs Regan to take his side and then just about coughs up a lung when he sees her take her sister by the hand instead. |
GONERIL
Why not by th’ hand, sir? How have I offended?
All’s not offense that indiscretion finds 225
And dotage terms so. LEAR O sides, you are too tough!
Will you yet hold?—How came my man i’ th’
stocks? CORNWALL
I set him there, sir, but his own disorders 230
Deserved much less advancement. LEAR You? Did you? | Goneril plays innocent and Lear asks about the stocks again. Finally, Cornwall tells it to him straight: Cornwall gave the order, but it was Caius/Kent's bad behavior that landed him there. Lear is crushed. |
REGAN
I pray you, father, being weak, seem so.
If till the expiration of your month
You will return and sojourn with my sister, 235
Dismissing half your train, come then to me.
I am now from home and out of that provision
Which shall be needful for your entertainment. | Adhering to the "kick 'em when they're down" school of philosophy, Regan pressures Lear to reduce the number of knights in his entourage and to go back to Goneril's house. |
LEAR
Return to her? And fifty men dismissed?
No! Rather I abjure all roofs, and choose 240
To wage against the enmity o’ th’ air,
To be a comrade with the wolf and owl,
Necessity’s sharp pinch. Return with her?
Why the hot-blooded France, that dowerless took
Our youngest born—I could as well be brought 245
To knee his throne and, squire-like, pension beg
To keep base life afoot. Return with her?
Persuade me rather to be slave and sumpter
To this detested groom. He indicates Oswald. | Lear says no way. He'd rather be Oswald's slave. |
GONERIL At your choice, sir. | Goneril says that can be arranged. |
LEAR
I prithee, daughter, do not make me mad.
I will not trouble thee, my child. Farewell.
We’ll no more meet, no more see one another.
But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter,
Or, rather, a disease that’s in my flesh, 255
Which I must needs call mine. Thou art a boil,
A plague-sore or embossèd carbuncle
In my corrupted blood. But I’ll not chide thee.
Let shame come when it will; I do not call it.
I do not bid the thunder-bearer shoot, 260
Nor tell tales of thee to high-judging Jove.
Mend when thou canst. Be better at thy leisure.
I can be patient. I can stay with Regan,
I and my hundred knights. | Lear goes off on Goneril, insisting that she's more like a disease than a daughter. He compares her to blisters and boils, but says he won't badmouth her. (Too late!) In the meantime, while he waits for Goneril to feel ashamed of the way she's treated him, he and his hundred soldiers will stay with Regan. |
REGAN Not altogether so. 265
I looked not for you yet, nor am provided
For your fit welcome. Give ear, sir, to my sister,
For those that mingle reason with your passion
Must be content to think you old, and so—
But she knows what she does. 270 LEAR Is this well spoken? REGAN
I dare avouch it, sir. What, fifty followers?
Is it not well? What should you need of more?
Yea, or so many, sith that both charge and danger
Speak ’gainst so great a number? How in one house 275
Should many people under two commands
Hold amity? ’Tis hard, almost impossible. | Not so fast, Regan tells her pops. She isn't prepared for him to stay with her, and she thinks Goneril is right. Fifty soldiers is plenty. It would be impossible for Lear, with more soldiers than that, to fit into one of his daughter's households along with all of their servants. |
GONERIL
Why might not you, my lord, receive attendance
From those that she calls servants, or from mine? REGAN
Why not, my lord? If then they chanced to slack 280
you,
We could control them. If you will come to me
(For now I spy a danger), I entreat you
To bring but five-and-twenty. To no more
Will I give place or notice. | When Goneril mentions that either her servants or Regan's could help to care for Lear, Regan agrees and says, "Let's make that twenty-five soldiers. That will be plenty." |
LEAR I gave you all— REGAN And in good time you gave it. LEAR
Made you my guardians, my depositaries,
But kept a reservation to be followed
With such a number. What, must I come to you 290
With five-and-twenty? Regan, said you so? REGAN
And speak ’t again, my lord. No more with me. LEAR
Those wicked creatures yet do look well-favored
When others are more wicked. Not being the worst
Stands in some rank of praise. To Goneril. I’ll go 295
with thee.
Thy fifty yet doth double five-and-twenty,
And thou art twice her love. | Lear can't believe his ears. He gave his daughters everything with the understanding that he would keep a hundred soldiers, and now Regan is saying he can only have twenty-five. Sheesh. In comparison, Goneril's offer of fifty doesn't look so bad. Lear says he'll stay with her instead. |
GONERIL Hear me, my lord.
What need you five-and-twenty, ten, or five, 300
To follow in a house where twice so many
Have a command to tend you? REGAN What need one? | Actually...Goneril and Regan don't think he needs any soldiers. They have plenty of staff to see to his needs. |
LEAR
O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous. 305
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man’s life is cheap as beast’s. Thou art a lady;
If only to go warm were gorgeous,
Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear’st,
Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true 310
need—
You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need!
You see me here, you gods, a poor old man
As full of grief as age, wretched in both.
If it be you that stirs these daughters’ hearts 315
Against their father, fool me not so much
To bear it tamely. Touch me with noble anger,
And let not women’s weapons, water drops,
Stain my man’s cheeks.—No, you unnatural hags,
I will have such revenges on you both 320
That all the world shall—I will do such things—
What they are yet I know not, but they shall be
The terrors of the Earth! You think I’ll weep.
No, I’ll not weep.
I have full cause of weeping, but this heart 325
Storm and tempest.
Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws
Or ere I’ll weep.—O Fool, I shall go mad! Lear, Kent, and Fool exit
with Gloucester and the Gentleman. | Lear is incredulous that his daughters would strip him of everything and points out that even the lowliest of beggars have a little something more than the bare minimum. He declares them to be unnatural hags, and promises to do something to them that's so bad he hasn't even thought it up yet. Thunder rumbles ominously behind Lear's promise of revenge. Lear says he knows his daughters expect him to cry, but he won't. His heart would have to break into a thousand pieces before he'd let himself weep. Of course, he does say he's going to go mad as he rushes off into the storm. (Might be a better idea to just sit down and have a good cry, buddy.) |
CORNWALL Let us withdraw. ’Twill be a storm. REGAN
This house is little. The old man and ’s people
Cannot be well bestowed. 330 GONERIL
’Tis his own blame hath put himself from rest,
And must needs taste his folly. REGAN
For his particular, I’ll receive him gladly,
But not one follower. GONERIL
So am I purposed. Where is my lord of Gloucester? 335 | Cornwall, Regan, and Goneril chat about the weather, and reiterate that while they'd be happy to take their dad in out of the storm, neither of them is willing accept even one of his followers. |
CORNWALL
Followed the old man forth. Enter Gloucester. He is returned. GLOUCESTER The King is in high rage. CORNWALL Whither is he going? GLOUCESTER
He calls to horse, but will I know not whither. 340 | Gloucester, who initially followed Lear out, rushes back in. He's worried about Lear. He says that the King has ordered a horse, but Gloucester has no idea where he plans to go. |
CORNWALL
’Tis best to give him way. He leads himself. GONERIL, to Gloucester
My lord, entreat him by no means to stay. GLOUCESTER
Alack, the night comes on, and the high winds
Do sorely ruffle. For many miles about
There’s scarce a bush. 345 | Cornwall says it's best to let Lear go. He's a big boy—he can decide whether or not he needs a raincoat. Or shelter. Goneril agrees, but Gloucester is worried. The night's brewing thunderstorm is not nice weather to be running away in, and there's no cover for miles. |
REGAN O sir, to willful men
The injuries that they themselves procure
Must be their schoolmasters. Shut up your doors.
He is attended with a desperate train,
And what they may incense him to, being apt 350
To have his ear abused, wisdom bids fear. CORNWALL
Shut up your doors, my lord. ’Tis a wild night.
My Regan counsels well. Come out o’ th’ storm. They exit. | Regan says her dad is stubborn, so he has to learn his lesson by dealing with the fallout from his bad choices. In fact, they shouldn't just not go after him—they should bar the doors against himand all of his crazy soldiers just in case they get dangerous. Cornwall backs his wife, and Gloucester is forced to obey. |