King Lear
Act I Scene 1: The Earl of Gloster introduces
his illegitimate son Edmund to the Earl of Kent and says he has a legitimate
son as well. King Lear arrives with his
daughters; Goneril, Regan and Cordelia and says that he will abdicate and
divide Britain among his sons-in-law, The Dukes of Albany and Cornwall, and
either the Duke of Burgundy, or the King of France who are suitors of
Cordelia. He will give the largest share
to which daughter can convince him she loves him the most. Goneril and Regan declare their love, but
Cordelia states that her love is that of a daughter to a father and she will
also love her husband. Infuriated, Lear
disinherits her; Kent tries to dissuade him and Lear banishes him. Burgundy rejects Cordelia, but the King of
France agrees to marry and take her back to France. The two older sisters decide to control their
senile father.
Act 1 Scene 2: Edmund rails against being a bastard and plans, by use of a forged
letter, to steal Edgar's inheritance.
Gloster enters, demands to see the letter which suggests that Edmund
helps Edgar to kill their father. Edmund
pretends it was just to test his morals and asks Gloster to overhear a
conversation between the two boys.
Glocester leaves. Edmund remarks how easily his father has been taken in
and when Edgar appears tells him that his father is angry with him and that he
should arm himself.
Act I Scene
3: Goneril
instructs Oswald to treat her farther and his followers badly in order to
humble him.
Act I Scene 4: Kent, disguised as a servant,
is accepted by Lear. Oswald is rude to
the King and is delighted when Kent rails against him and drives him away. The Fool mocks the King for giving away his authority. Goneril enters and scolds her father for the
conduct of his men, demands he halves their number; he declares he will leave
and goes to Regan. Albany protests over
his wife's behaviour, but she sends Oswald with a letter to Regan detailing her
tactics.
Act I Scene 5: Lear sends Kent with letter to
Regan. The Fool taunts Lear for being at
his daughters' mercy.
Act II Scene 1: Edmund is stirring up trouble
and as Gloster approaches tells Edgar to flee; he says that he will pretend to
prevent his flight, but will help him escape.
He draws a sword, fakes a fight, cuts himself and tells Gloster that
Edgar assaulted him when he opposed the murder plot. Gloster declares he will have Edgar captured
and executed, and vows to legitimise Edmund.
Cornwall and Regan arrive on a visit, praise Edmund and take him into
their service.
Act II Scene 2: Kent insults and pummels Oswald
as Edmund, Cornwall, Regan and Gloster appear.
He is asked to explain his behaviour and declares that Oswald is a
hypocrite. Cornwall places Kent in the
stocks; Gloster protests, but is ignored.
Left alone Kent muses on a letter he has received from Cordelia who has
learned of Lear's humiliation.
Act II Scene 3: Edgar has escaped from the
search party, but knows he has been outlawed.
He decides to disguise himself as a wandering lunatic, Tom o' Bedlam.
Act II Scene 4: Lear, seeking Regan arrives at
Gloster's castle and finds Kent in the stocks.
Kent is called a fool, by The Fool for following a powerless master. Gloster reports that Regan and Cornwall will
not receive Lear who begins to rage, but restrains himself. Kent is freed after Regan and Cornwall
arrive. Regan defends her sister against
Lear's complaints as Goneril and they unite in demanding that their father dismiss
his retinue; he wavers. Between tears
and anger a storm has arisen and Lear, Kent, The Fool and Gloster (for a short
while) leave.
Act III Scene 1: Kent meets a gentleman who
reports that Lear is raging in the storm with only The Fool for company. Kent asks the gentleman to report this to
Cordelia who is in Dover with a French army.
Act III Scene 2: Lear raves in the storm,
cursing his daughters; Kent arrives and urges the King to take shelter in a
hovel. The Fool predicts disruption for
England.
Act III Scene 3: Gloster tells Edmund that
Cornwall has forbidden him to accommodate Lear, also telling him that he has
received a letter telling of a French invasion.
Edmund decides to inform on his father to get his inheritance.
Act III Scene 4: Lear, Kent and The Fool
approach the hovel and Lear declares he'd rather stay in the storm than have
thoughts inside, but he sends The Fool in; thinks about the poor and
homeless. The Fool rushes out followed
by Edgar (now Tom o' Bedlam) who raves about being pursued by devils. Lear sympathises with him, thinking that he
has been betrayed by his daughters.
Edgar asserts that he is being punished for being a decadent, an immoral
servant who slept with his mistress plus more.
Gloster appears and offers them shelter and confides in Kent saying that
Lear's daughters seek his death.
Act III Scene 5: Edmund has revealed his
father's correspondence with the French army and Cornwall orders Gloster's
arrest.
Act III Scene 6: Gloster leaves Lear, Kent, The
Fool and Edgar in a warm room; Lear falls asleep having acted out a criminal trial
of his two daughters. Gloster enters and
warns them to leave immediately. Kent
and The Fool, carrying the sleeping Lear, leave. Edgar reflects that his own fate is not so
bad compared with that of the mad king.
Act III Scene 7: Cornwall sends Edmund and
Goneril with the letter to the Duke of Albany.
Oswald arrives with news of the whereabouts of the king and is ordered
to find Gloster and then follow Edmund and Goneril. Glocester is brought before Regan and
Cornwall; Gloster says that he will see them punished by fate. Cornwall puts his eyes out. A servant can't bear to see this and fights
Cornwall, wounding him. Regan grabs a sword
and kills the servant and tells Gloster that he backed the wrong son. Cornwall's condition is worse than he thought
and she takes him out. The other two
servants agree to lead Gloster and find Tom.
Act IV Scene 1: An old man leads the blind
Gloster to Edgar who grieves to see his father in such a condition. However, as he is still an outcast, he
resumes his role of Tom o' Bedlam and agrees to take Gloster to the
cliffs. The old man goes off for
clothes.
Act IV Scene 2: Oswald meets Goneril and Edmund,
tells them that Albany is pleased to know of Cordelia's invasion, but is
displeased that Edmund has informed on his father. Goneril sends Edmund, after a very sexually
charged farewell, plus a hint of a murder plot against Albany, with a message
to Cornwall to muster an army. Albany enters
and berates Goneril for her evil; she replies that he is a coward. A messenger arrives with the news of
Cornwall's death and of Gloster's blinding.
Goneril, in an aside, worries that Regan, now a widow may take Edmund to
bed. Albany vows to revenge Gloster.
Act IV Scene 3: In Dover the gentleman tells
Kent of Cordelia's tearful response to the news of Lear. Kent replies that Lear is in Dover, but, out
of shame, will not see Cordelia.
Act IV Scene 4: Cordelia orders a search party
when she hears that her father is wandering, wearing a crown of weeds and
flowers. The physician tells her that
Lear's malady may be eased by rest and sedatives are available. News arrives that the armies of Albany and
Cornwall are approaching.
Act IV Scene 5: Oswald reports to Regan that
Goneril has convinced Albany to fight against Cordelia, plus a letter from
Goneril to Edmund which makes Regan jealous.
She gives Oswald a token from herself to give Edmund with Goneril's
letter. She adds that if Oswald finds
and kills Gloster he will be rewarded.
Act IV Scene 6: Edgar, now dressed as a
peasant, convinces Gloster that they have reached the cliff top and pretends to
leave because he must humour his father's despair in order to cure it. Gloster leaps forward and falls to the
ground. Edgar then pretends to be a
passer-by at the bottom of the cliff and says that he has seen Gloster at the
top of the cliff with a hideous demon.
Gloster accepts the idea that the gods have miraculously preserved him
from an evil impulse and vows to accept his affliction. Lear appears, covered in wild flowers and
raving madly, a gentleman, with a search party arrives and takes Lear to
Cordelia; he tells Edgar the location of the English army. Oswald appears and attacks Gloster, but Edgar
kills him. Before he dies he asks his
killer to deliver his letters to Edmund; Edgar reads a letter from Goneril
proposing that Edmund kills Albany and marries her!
Act IV Scene 7: Cordelia greets her father, but
he mistakes her for a spirit and gradually realises that he is still
alive. The physician says that he needs
more rest and he is taken indoors leaving Kent and the gentleman to discuss the
coming battle.
Act V Scene 1: Regan interrogates Edmund about
Goneril and Goneril says to herself that she would rather lose the battle than
see Regan get Edmund. Edgar appears,
still dressed as a peasant, and gives Albany the letter he took from Oswald and
proposes that after the battle Albany call for a challenger to prove in trial
by combat that its contents are true.
Edmund has a very laddish soliloquy in which he reflects that Albany's
leadership is needed in the battle, but then hopes that Goneril will get him
killed so that Edmund can have Goneril.
He observes that Albany has promised mercy to Lear and Cordelia, but he,
Edmund, will not permit it.
Act V Scene 2: Edgar leaves Gloster and goes
to fight. Retreating soldiers pass by;
Edgar returns and says that Lear and Cordelia have been captured. He urges Gloster to flee; after a slight
indecision on Gloster's part they go together.
Act V Scene 3: Edmund sends Lear and Cordelia to prison. Lear pleased to be with Cordelia. Edmund sends an officer after them with
written instructions. Albany, arriving
with Regan and Goneril arrests Edmund and Goneril for treason saying a
challenger will soon appear. Regan feels
sick and goes. Edgar appears in full
armour, fights Edmund and wounds him badly.
Albany produces the letter. Exit
Goneril. The dying Edmund confesses his
crimes and Edgar identifies himself and says that when he finally told his
father who he was the shock killed Gloster.
A gentleman reports that Goneril has confessed to poisoning Regan and
has then committed suicide. Edmund says
he ordered someone to kill Lear and Cordelia.
A soldier is sent, but too late;
Lear enters with the dead Cordalia and mourns her death, but sometimes
thinking that she is still alive. He
sees Kent but cannot recognise him; the others realise that he is mad. Edmund's death is reported. Lear dies.
Albany appoints Kent and Edgar as associates to rule.
No comments:
Post a Comment