King Lear

Introduction
The dream of a King is to command obedience and love
King Lear is about a man who is realizing that this dream is not (or at least no longer is) a reality -and that this is also true in his family
Old men were also seen as having authority
The story had been around for a while
It was taken as true but ancient British history
Lears downfall is not that he divides up his land or tries to retire without a male heir, but rather that he
disowns the one child who actually loves him
By intertwining the plot of Gloucesters troubles Shakespeare indicates that Lears do not stem merely
from the fact that he has no male heir
The idea of nothing passes throughout the play -- Lear is terrified that the love for him is nothing and
so he stages a scene for them to prove it
Mental Anguish and physical anguish are closely intertwined
The suffering of King Lear as a means of obtaining enlightenment
"Shakespeares tragedy asks us not to turn away from evil, folly, ande unbearable human pain but,
seeing them face-to-face, to strengthen our capacity to endure and to love."
Persons of the Play
Lear - King of Britian
Goneril - Lears oldest daughter
Duke of Albany - her husband
Regan - Lears second daughter
Duke of Cornmall - her husband
Cordelia - Lears youngest daughter
King of France - suitor to Cordelia
Duke of Burgundy - suitor to Cordelia
Earl of Kent - later disguised as Caius
Earl of Gloucester
Edgar - elder son of Gloucester, later disguised as Tom o Bedlam
Edmund - bastard son of Gloucester
Old Man - Gloucesters tenant
Curan - Gloucesters retainer
Lears Fool
Oswald - Gonerils steward
A Doctor
A Capitain
A Gentleman
A Herald
Servants to Cornwall
Knights, officers, messengers, soldiers, attendants
Act 1
1.1 - Lear is going to divide his land evenly among his three children so he asks them to tell him
how much they each love him. Goneril and Regan do, but Cordelia does not. The King gives her
nothing and banishes Kent when he says this is wrong. The two suitors to Cordelia (Burgundy and
France) come in and Burgundy says no without the land, France says her behavior makes him love
her more.
Kent and Gloucester are talking about how the division of the land is even
Gloucester introduces him to his bastard son Edmund -- he is not happy doing so
50 - Lear tells them that he wants to divide up his land to prevent strife and so that he may cease to
rule and go off to die quietly -- he tells each daughter to tell him how much she loves him -- the first
two do, but the youngest -- Cordelia -- will only say that she loves him as much as she should -- Lear
banishes her from his house -- Kent interrupts --

145 - Kent goes on to say what everyone is thinking: that Lear is mad to do such a thing -- Lear is
challenged and tells him to shut up but he says he doesnt value his life that highly
165 - Lear banishes Kent
195 - Lear talks to Burgundy and France about his daughter -- he asks him if he will take her without a
dowry and he does not answer -- he then tells France that he would not want him to marry one so low
on his list -- France says that she must truly have done something horrible -- Cordelia says she didnt
-- France asks Burgundy if he will take her as she is her own dowry -- he says not without the land -France says he is even more impressed with her for this and says he wishes to marry her
285 - Goneril and Regan talk about how their father is indeed loosing his wits and how they must do
something to take advantage of it while they still can.
1.2 - Edmund complains about not getting any land as a bastard and tells of his plot to get all of it.
He then gets Gloucester to read a letter he claims comes from Edgar asking him to help Edgar
overthrow their father so they can take his land and power while they are still young. Gloucester is
incensed at this and Edmond promises to find out the truth. He then meets with Edgar and tells him
that he doesnt know what he has done, but that Gloucester is very mad at him and that he should
stay away and go aout armed.
Edmund goes on and on about how he doesnt like being the bastard son and how he will use a plot to
take Edgars land
30 - Edmund hides a letter and Gloucester demands to see it -- Edmund says it is from his brother but
is not fit for Gloucester to read -- the letter supposedly from Edgar to Edmond telling him that if they
get rid of their father they can split his lands half and half and enjoy them while they are still young
70 - the issue is whether the son should take over from and for the father when the father gets old and
the son is grown -- Gloucester finds this horrible
75 - Edmund tells Gloucester to take a careful approach lest he damage his honor in too rash an attack
-- he also says that he thinks it very likely that this was merely a test to Edmund to see how much he
loves his father
90 - Edmund says he will arrange a conversation between the two of them which Gloucester can
overhear in which he will demonstrate Edmunds fidelity (or prove his guilt)
Gloucester comments on how strange and ominous all these happenings are (including those of the
king) he predicts it will bring ruin to the families
110 - Edmund comments on how the powerful always call to the stars and heavens about their
problems rather than look to the thieves and villains who bring them
125 - Edmund brings Edgar in by talking about all the horrible things he has read about this upcoming
eclipse -- he talks about sons and fathers -- he then tells Edgar to avoid their father until his anger goes
down -- Edgar protests that he has done nothing and that some villain must have done it -- Edmond
tells Edgar to go to his house and to be armed until Edmond tells him it is safe
1.3 - Lear is staying with Goneril and she complains about the insults he and his knights are giving
her. She says it is absurd for him to try and order that which he no longer controls and orders her
servants to treat him coldly. She says she will write to her sister to come up with a plan to deal with
this.
1.4 - Kent comes to Lear disguised and Lear allows him to serve him. Lear questions the terrible
and disrespectful service he has received at the house of his daughter Goneril. He talks to one of
his knights who confirms that the hospitality is terrible and not befitting a King. Oswald insults the
King and Kent hurts him. The Fool comes in and makes terrible jokes about how much of a Fool
Lear is to have put himself in such a position where he is at the command of his daughters and is
landless. The King decides to leave with his men after his daughter tells him to make them behave
better. He says he will go to Regan and tells Albany not to come as it is his wife who was so terrible.
Goneril sends a message to Regan telling her about how she was unhappy with the Kings company.
Kent enters disguised -- and approaches Lear -- Lear asks who he is and he says he is a 48 year old
person who wishes to serve the King -- Lear decides to go for it as long as he does not dislike him
after dinner --- he shouts for his food
Lear calls for his daughter to question this horrible service and Oswald leaves without answering -- a
Knight goes and tells the King that he appears to have fallen out of favor with this house and his
daughter
The King notices that there has been a general falling off in the quality of care he has received

65 - Oswald comes in and insults the King -- Kent beats him and throws him out -- the King says he
will love Kent for that
81 - enter the fool after he has been three times called for -- the fool makes jokes about his having
banished his daughters from him as they are no longer his subjects -- in fact, the fool calls them his
mothers
The Fool comments on how foolish Lear was to both divide his country and to give the land away -dividing his crown was terrible
170 - the Fool tells Lear that he should have paid attention to his daughters frowns when he didnt
have to as opposed to now when he is at their mercy
175 - Goneril tells Lear to reign in his followers -- to which Lear responds "are you our daghter?" -Goneril repeats her request that he reduce the number of his following to people more appropriate to
his age and better behaved.
240 - Lear calls for his men and tells them they will go to his other daughter -- he tells Albany that he
is horrible as he let his wife treat him so -- he also notes that all his men are of only the best qualities
He leaves and Goneril tells Albany that she fears his 100 knights -- she sends Oswald off to Regan to
tell her of her concerns and frustrations with her father and to bid her not to allow him to stay with her.
1.5 - Lear sends Kent off with a letter to Regan. The fool tells Lear that Regan will behave just as
Goneril did -- 35 - the Fool tells him he is old but not wise -- Lear responds praying that he not be
mad
Act 2
2.1 - Edmund tells Edgar to flee as his father is looking for him and he pretends to fight him. His
father sees the wounds on Edmund and orders Edgars arrest. Edmund says he attacked him when
Edmund refused to help murder his father. Cornwall and Regan arrive because they do not want to
be at home to admit Lear when he arrives. They tell Gloucester they need his counsel.
Curan tells Edmund that Cornwall and Regan will be staying with Gloucester tonight and asks him if
he has heard the rumors of late
20 - Edmund tells Edgar he must flee -- he then suggests they make a scene of it and has Edgar cut
him a few times and then runs off -- Edmund then tells Gloucester that Edgar was saying horrible
things about him
45 - Edmund says that Edgar fought him because he would not join him in murdering his father -Gloucester says he will do everything in his power to capture and execute Edmond
60 - Cornwall and Regan say that Edgar was probably one of Lears rioting knights (which Edmond
affirms) and that they are hear because Goneril warned her that her father was coming to her castle and
she would rather not be there to welcome them
They tell Gloucester they need his counsel
2.2 - Kent meets and fights with Oswald. Edmund and Cornwall break them up and when they find
that Kent tripped Oswald after the King hit him, Oswald orders him in the stocks. Gloucester argues
that the King should punish him, but Cornwall says no, and Kent is locked up.
Kent meets Oswald before Gloucesters house and insults him -- Oswald dose not recognize him -Kent then begins to beat him until Edmund, Cornwall, and Regan enter and break up the fight.
They ask Kent why he is angry with Oswald and he keeps going on and on about how bad a person he
is without saying what he did
105 - Oswald says he beat him when the king hit him and the King approved -- Cornwall orders Kent
put in the stocks and Kent tells him that to do this to the Kings messenger is foolish -- Cornwall will
not be deterred -- Gloucester tries to convince him that it is for the King to punish him, but he wont
have it
2.3 - Edgar announces that in order to escape capture he will disguise himself as a beggar.
2.4 - Lear finds Kent in the stocks and goes to Gloucester to demand to see Cornwall and Regan.
They say they are ill and will not see him. He is incensed and demands to speak to them. They come
but just as Lear is lodging his complaints Goneril arrives. The two daughters play off each other to
get Lear to agree to get rid of half his train and go back to Goneril. He is mad and storms off into
the night. The two sisters agree to let him take not one man with him. They then council Gloucester
to lock his doors as the Kings men are violent and a storm is coming up.
Lear finds Kent in the stocks and is shocked to hear that his daughter and her husband would have
done such a thing.

25 - Kent tells him that Oswald got their first and his message made his sour
The Fool tells Kent that so many of the Kings followers left because they could sense that he was
losing his power
100 - Lear returns and tells them that the Duke and his daughter said they are not feeling well and
would not speak with him -- he is incensed and orders Gloucester to go back and demand that they
speak with him presently
120 - Cornwall and Regan come out and the King thanks her and tells of her sisters wickedness to
which Regan replies that she is sure her sister did nothing improper -- Regan tells him to go back to
her sister and beg forgiveness
164 - Lear curses Goneril but says that he will never curse Regan as she knows the true obligations of
a child and will not treat her father cruelly
180 - Lear demands to know who put his servant in the stocks, but he is interrupted by the trumpet
announcing Gonerils arrival -- enter Oswald
195 - Cornwall admits to putting Kent in the stocks and Regan replies to his amazement there over -196 -- "I pray you, father, being weak seem so." -- she then tells him to abandon half his train and
return to his sister as she is away from home and cannot provide for them -- Lear says he will not go to
Goneril but will instead stay with Regan with his 100 knights.
230 - Regan says that he cant really stay with her and encourages him to consider going back to her
sister with only 50 knights -- pointing out that he doesnt have need for that many and that having so
many live under the command of two households is very difficult.
240 - Regan ups the anti by saying that she now understands the difficulties of having so many people
and will only take 25 if he goes to stay with her
250 - Lear decides to go with Goneril with only 50 as that is twice what Regan offered and therefore
concludes that she loves him twice as well
They suggest that he not bring any for both households already have lots of servants to tend to him
260 - Lear goes off on a tirade about extracting revenge from them -- he doesnt know what it will be
but he is sure he will not cry over it. He then leaves and a storm comes up.
Regan and Goneril council Gloucester to lock his doors as the King has a violent following and the
weather is bad.