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What Happens in
Shakespeares
King Lear
Comprising the whole of Shakespeares text annotated
By
Nick Buchanan
King Lear
Dramatis Personae
LEAR - King of Britain
GONERIL Eldest Daughter of Lear
REGAN Second Daughter of Lear
CORDELIA - Youngest Daughter of Lear
DUKE OF CORNWALL Husband to Regan
DUKE OF ALBANY Husband to Goneril
DUKE OF BURGUNDY Suitor to Cordelia
KING OF FRANCE - Suitor and later Husband to Cordelia
FOOL Lears entertainer
EARL OF GLOUCESTER Friend of Lear
EDGAR - Son of Gloucester (later disguised as Poor Tom)
EDMUND - Illegitimate Son of Gloucester.
OSWALD - Steward of Goneril.
EARL OF KENT Courtier of Lear (later disguised as Caius)
CURAN - Courtier of Gloucesters household
OLD MAN A Servant of Gloucester
DOCTOR - Attendant on Cordelia
GENTLEMAN - Attendant on Cordelia
A CAPTAIN Employee of Edmund.
A HERALD
Servants to Cornwall.
Knights of Lear's train, Captains, Messengers, Soldiers, and Attendants
Scene: Britain
Act 1
Act 1 Scene 1
King Lear
Act 1: Scene 1
King Lear's palace
The play opens with friends and family waiting around in Lears palace
he will enter soon and set about dividing his inheritance between his
three daughters. As he is eighty-odd years old, he wants to shake all
cares and business from [his] age; Conferring them on younger
strengths.
We first meet the Earl of Kent and the Earl of Gloucester both friends
of Lear. We also meet Edmund, who is Gloucesters illegitimate son.
As with so many of Shakespeares plays, the opening dialogue reveals
a key theme that will be revisited throughout the play. In King Lear,
the leitmotif introduced here is the contrast between appearance and
reality; between what merely seems and what is. In the very first line
of the play, Kent remarks that he thought Lear favoured one son in law
(the Duke of Albany) more than the other (the Duke of Cornwall):
KENT:
I thought the King had more affected the Duke of
Albany than Cornwall.
Had more affected means was fonder of, loved more, favoured more.
Albany comes from Albanacte whose region was from the River Humber to the point of
Caithness (Holinshead); that is from Hull, all the way up to Caithness in Scotland. In this play,
which opens with the division of a kingdom, the characters themselves are named after regions.
Cornwall included a region far greater than todays Cornwall. Indeed it extended much nearer
to London.
As they wait for Lear to appear, they continue with their small-talk.
Kent asks Gloucester if the man nearby (Edmund) is one of
Gloucesters sons. Even in such a minor line, the question concerns
matters of appearance and reality. Gloucester playfully concedes that
Edmund is his, though illegitimate. He also tells Kent that he has
another son (Edgar) who is a year older and legitimate, adding that his
affection for both is equal (thus echoing Lears perceived equal favour
for Albany and Cornwall). Gloucester introduces Edmund to Kent, and
they promise a duty of service to one another.
KENT:
Is not this your son, my lord?
Act 1 Scene 1
GLOUCESTER:
His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge.
I have so often blushed to acknowledge him that now I
am brazed to it.
10
Breeding means upbringing (but puns on intercourse to set up the conceive pun which
follows)
At my charge means my responsibility (could mean financial responsibility, i.e. charged to
my account.)
Brazed to it means unashamed of it, brazen to fact, bold about it.
KENT:
I cannot conceive you.
Conceive means understand (but Gloucester then puns on it exploiing its other meaning as
one who becomes pregnant).
GLOUCESTER:
Sir, this young fellow's mother could;
whereupon she grew round-wombed, and had indeed,
sir, a son for her cradle ere she had a husband for her
bed. Do you smell a fault?
Ere means before.
Fault is also slang for womens genitals. So this doubles as a bawdy joke.
KENT:
I cannot wish the fault undone, the issue of it being
so proper.
The Fault undone as well as its obvious meaning, this also plays upon the bawdy use of fault
meaning Vagina. Thus, the fault undone means the vagina uncopulated.
Issue means result (i.e. Edmund himself).
Proper means handsome, fine looking.
Gloucester tells Kent he has another son who is older than Edmund
and he loves them both the same:
GLOUCESTER:
But I have a son, sir, by order of law, some
year elder than this, who yet is no dearer in my account.
Though this knave came something saucily to the world,
before he was sent for, yet was his mother fair; there
was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be
acknowledged.
By order of law means legitimately, lawfully.
Some means about.
20
EDMUND:
Sir, I shall study deserving.
GLOUCESTER:
He hath been out nine years, and away he
shall again. The King is coming.
30
Act 1 Scene 1
Lear enters with his daughters (Goneril, Regan and Cordelia), the Duke
of Albany (Gonerils Husband), the Duke of Cornwall (Regans
husband) and attendants.
Gloucester has just told us that he loves both of his children equally.
Lear will now test if his three daughters all love him equally. The
informal prose of Kent, Edmund and Gloucesters chit-chat is now
traded for the more formal poetry of the Kings court. Lear begins by
asking Gloucester to call the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy
(both suitors to Cordelia):
Sound a sennet. Enter one bearing a coronet.
Enter KING LEAR, CORNWALL, ALNBANY,
GONERIL, REGAN, CORDELIA and Attendants
Sennet is a trumpet call, heralding entrances and exits.
Coronet means crown.
KING LEAR:
Attend the lords of France and Burgundy,
Gloucester.
GLOUCESTER:
I shall, my liege.
Exeunt GLOUCESTER and EDMUND
Attend means Wait on, bring into attendance, bring here, fetch, let them attend.
KING LEAR:
Meantime we shall express our darker purpose.
Give me the map there. Know that we have divided
In three our kingdom; and 'tis our fast intent
To shake all cares and business from our age,
Conferring them on younger strengths, while we
Unburdened crawl toward death.
40
The antithesis between strong youth and the weak elderly is a theme
which runs throughout the whole play. Shakespeare uses further
Act 1 Scene 1
Youngest daughters means Cordelias.
Sojourn means stay.
Answered means offered a response, conclusion.
Kents opening line I thought the king had more affected the Duke of
Albany, than Cornwall, is now revisited in Lears question of which
daughter loves him (affects him) most:
Tell me, my daughters,
Since now we will divest us both of rule,
Interest of territory, cares of state,
Which of you shall we say doth love us most?
50
From their answers Lear will determine which of them will receive the
most. Whoever has the most natural affection for him will gain the
largest portion of his kingdom. But already he is mistaking lip-service
for actual love:
That we our largest bounty may extend
Where nature doth with merit challenge. Goneril,
Our eldest born, speak first.
Bounty means gift, offering.
Challenge means lay claim to it, stake a claim.
Goneril suggests that words are inadequate to express her love, which
is more valuable to her than her eyesight, movement and freedom:
GONERIL:
Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter,
Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty,
Wield means handle, shape, express, contain. The metaphor is of a sword which is too heavy
to be lifted or used properly (such is the gravitas of her love).
Space means movement, scope, freedom to roam.
Liberty means the enjoyment of freedom, the experience of self-determination.
Sight and seeing are recurrent motifs in King Lear. Through them we
explore how we get our information about the outside world and how
rich or poor our vision is. Goneril is only referring to eye-sight as
something less dear than her love for her father. Her litany continues
as it started, full of hyperbole:
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;
No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour,
Grace means virtue.
She goes on to say that she loves him as much as any father found
himself to be loved by his child:
As much as child e'er loved or father found;
Eer means ever.
60
Act 1 Scene 1
70
In effect, Regan is saying the love which Goneril speaks is the love I
practice in all my actions. Regans intent is clear; she not only
professes the same love as her sister, but also insists that Lear give her
land of equal portion (and prize me at her worth). It is as if she is not
just playing the game of flattery, but also telling Lear how much her
flattery should be worth. This exchange of nice words for land is very
clear in Regans mind indeed her mercenary nature gets the better
of her and halfway through her speech (above) she claims to love her
father even more than Goneril (whose performance she now says
comes too short).
that I profess
Myself an enemy to all other joys
Which the most precious square of sense possesses,
And find I am alone felicitate
In your dear highness' love.
That means in that, because.
Precious square of sense means balanced good sense.
Alone means only.
Felicitate means joyful, happy.
Act 1 Scene 1
KING LEAR:
To thee and thine hereditary ever
Remain this ample third of our fair kingdom;
No less in space, validity, and pleasure,
Than that conferred on Goneril.
80
Hereditary ever means offspring forever (this echoes his bequeathment to Goneril earlier To
thine and Albanys issue be this perpetual).
Validity means value.
Lear refers to Cordelia as Our Joy he is quite clear about her being
his favourite. This must have made her silence all the harder to bear.
Lear speaks of Cordelias suitors in terms of the land they own. As with
this whole love auction, he is equating love with land; as if choice
ought to be decided on assets alone.
CORDELIA:
Nothing, my lord.
Cordelias lines are most likely delivered with great sadness and
discomfort. After all she loves her father. Too many productions have
her as an ice-maiden or a shrinking violet. She is of course neither.
Her response could be seen as an Elizabethan attempt at No
Comment. She simply wishes to abstain from this empty pageant of
affection. Lear misreads her response as an affront to him as if her
Nothing referred in some way to him, or indicated the measure of
her love for him:
KING LEAR:
Nothing?
CORDELIA:
Nothing.
The whole engine of the play is driven from Cordelias previous two
replies. From this point onwards, Lear begins his sad steps towards
estrangement from Cordelia, then Kent, then finally himself (and his
own sanity):
KING LEAR:
Nothing will come of nothing. Speak again.
90
Nothing will come of nothing comes from the latin Maxim, ex nihilo
nihil fit (first argued by Parmenides) which Shakespeare probably
knew. Sixty years after this play was written the phrase was
appropriated by many in the Enlightenment to express their challenge
to the religious assertion that creation sprang from nothing.
Whilst Lear is referring to Cordelias inheritance when he says Nothing
will come of nothing, we see the irony of his comments in that
everything in this play is driven from Cordelias nothing; her nothing
causes everything which follows:
CORDELIA:
Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty
According to my bond, no more nor less.
Bond means filial obligation, the bond of natural affection, duty.
But Cordelia does not wish to link her inheritance with any
proclamations of love let alone false ones. She responds with a
Act 1 Scene 1
realistic appraisal of her love (which clearly lacks the overblown claims
of her sisters words).
CORDELIA:
Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, loved me:
I return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Good my lord was a common form of address in Shakespeares time is usually affectionate
like my dear lord.
Begot means conceived.
I return those duties...fit means I reciprocate in an appropriate manner.
Obey you...honour you this line echoes the marriage service in the Prayer book (Wilt thou
obey him, love, honour and keep him?) and it precedes her discussion about her sisters marital
obligations.
To dispel any further ideas that Cordelia is wan and twee, it is worth
noting that she now (in front of everyone) proceeds to take her sisters
to task over their false claims of love:
Why have my sisters husbands, if they say
They love you all? Haply when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.
100
she appears naive as to the likely impact of her short replies. She
might have got a better response by making clear her desire not to
participate in such a show of love. Instead she offers only clipped and
terse responses. Perhaps she lacks tact and diplomacy. Her short
answers are too easily mistaken for insolence or disrespect. Lear
continues to view her refusal to participate as a sign of her
indifference towards him:
KING LEAR:
So young, and so untender?
CORDELIA:
So young, my lord, and true.
110
Act 1 Scene 1
Property of blood means family ties, blood obligations.
This could mean Lear himself (i.e. he holds her away from him), or it could mean her
inheritance (i.e. the land on the map) or it could mean this moment (as in this moment on).
It is worth noting that this first part of King Lear is very like a fairy
tale...Once upon a time a King had three daughters and one day he
gathered them together to ask which of them loved him the most...
The ending of Lear, of course, is far from fairytale; far from... and they
all lived happily ever after.
Already the themes of appearance and reality are looming large.
Cordelia was disinherited because Lear thought her unloving (when in
fact she loved her father dearly) and Goneril and Regan were
rewarded because Lear thought them loving (when in fact they only
spoke as if they were loving in order to get his land).
Kent cannot bear this miscarriage of justice and he appeals to Lear:
KENT:
Good my liege --
120
th
Set my rest means retire to, retire with (the phrase comes from the 16 and 17 Century card
game Primero where it means risk all on. Shakespeare is probably alluding to the fact that he
would have betted everything on Cordelia, as well as the fact that she is the daughter he would
wish to reside with most).
Nursery means nursing, care (i.e. of Lear).
In effect, Lear is saying lets see her find a husband without her
having any inheritance; lets see her marry with just her pride on
offer. Rashly, Lear then gives away his power and authority to Goneril
and Regan.
I do invest you jointly with my power,
Pre-eminence, and all the large effects
That troop with majesty.
130
Act 1 Scene 1
Pre-eminence means superiority.
Large effects means wide ranging perks, extras.
That troop with majesty means which accompany royalty (i.e. the trappings of privilege).
But (to borrow a line from Henry IV Part 2) Uneasy lies the head that
wears the crown. In the case of Albany and Cornwall, they have none
of the qualities necessary for leadership and diplomacy.
Kent courageously tries to intervene once more. Before he publicly
criticises Lear, he first reminds the King of the respect, honour, love
and loyalty he has always afforded him:
KENT:
Royal Lear,
140
It is worth noting that within the space of seven lines Kent has gone
from addressing the King as Royal Lear to Old Man. Appealing to the
Leadership of his King, he finds only the foibles of an old man. He tells
Lear that he is not afraid to speak when he has seen the King taken-in
by flattery, and he resolves to tell Lear straight because he can see the
Kings mistakes. He hopes Lear will repent:
Think'st thou that duty shall have dread to speak,
When power to flattery bows? To plainness honour's bound,
When majesty stoops to folly.
Act 1 Scene 1
Thou is a rough way of addressing the King (second person singular) emphasizing Kents
bluntness and the urgency of his point.
Much of what Kent says here proves prophetic; Lear does go mad. He
appeals once more for Lear to retain his power and not to lose his true
authority to this monstrous impulsiveness, telling him that Cordelias
answers were not an indication of a lack of love, but rather they were
quieter because they were not hollow:
Reserve thy state,
And, in thy best consideration, check
This hideous rashness. Answer my life my judgment,
Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least,
Nor are those empty-hearted whose low sounds
Reverb no hollowness.
150
Cordelia and Kents exchanges with the King form a great contrast. In
Cordelias case, Lear wanted more (Speak again, nothing will come
of nothing). With Kent, Lear wants less (no more, out of my sight
etc.) In both cases Lear wishes them to Mend [their] speech... lest it
may mar [their] fortunes.
Kent persists (putting himself in danger) telling Lear that he would
gladly lay down his life for him, especially when the Kings safety is at
stake:
KENT:
My life I never held but as a pawn
To wage against thy enemies; nor fear to lose it,
Thy safety being motive.
Pawn means a piece which is easily sacrificed (Chess).
Wage means use, risk, gamble with.
Motive means goal, motivator, spur.
In this, Kent has shown great vision he sees, not just the action, but
In imploring Lear to see better, when Lear says Out of my sight, Kent
refers to another great theme of the play, that of sight and seeing. In
the beginning of Act 1 Scene 2 this theme will be explored further, and
as the play unfolds it will become a powerful theme.
Kent continues to try to break through Lears stubbornness, and Lear
counters him at every turn:
KING LEAR:
Now by Apollo --
160
KENT:
Now, by Apollo, King,
Thou swear'st thy gods in vain.
KING LEAR:
O, vassal! Miscreant!
Laying his hand on his sword
Apollo is the Sun God who is also the God of Archery (both appropriate to the previous
dialogue about aim, targets and seeing).
Vassal means an inferior, a wretch.
Miscreant means an unbeliever (because Kents reply suggested he did not believe in Apollo).
It is probable that Lears reaching for his sword is merely a rash threat;
nevertheless it is an act of violence against a loyal servant and friend.
Even the husbands of Goneril and Regan appeal to the Kings better
judgement:
Act 1 Scene 1
Kent then reminds Lear that he can kill the doctor who brings accurate
diagnosis, but that would simply leave him with the disease. He tells
Lear that as long as he has the breath to speak, he will say that Lear
has done wrong.
KENT:
Kill thy physician and thy fee bestow
Upon thy foul disease. Revoke thy gift,
Or whilst I can vent clamour from my throat,
I'll tell thee thou dost evil.
Revoke thy gift means retain that which you are giving away. This probably refers to
Cordelias portion which has been given to Goneril and Regan (or it could refer to the broader
issue of Lear dividing his kingdom).
Vent clamour means shout out a cry, make a noise.
At this point, Lear looks like an ego out of control; truth is ignored and
he has only insults for good people. In this case he has just called his
good friend a traitor, and now he goes further, to banish and hate
him also.
He tells Kent that because he tried to make him reverse his decision
(which he has never done before) and with such a forceful manner,
trying to prevent the Kings judgement from becoming law (which
neither Lear nor his office can allow)...:
That thou hast sought to make us break our vow,
Which we durst never yet, and, with strained pride
170
...Lears power will have direct effect (he asserts his royal authority).
Kent is to be banished:
Our potency made good, take thy reward.
Potency means power, authority, command.
Made good means expressed, executed, fulfilled, finding expression.
Reward means just deserts, sentence, punishment.
In this first part of the play, Lear is very like the archetype of Jove; the
God of the Old Testament who is jealous and quick to anger, the God
who tests his subjects to breaking point - asking Abraham to kill his
own son as a show of love, and tormenting Job to prove to Lucifer that
his servant loves him whatever his circumstance. His rages are
thunderous and he demands obedience.
Kent comments that if the king insists on behaving this way, then he
will resign himself to liberty elsewhere. Kent now speaks in four
couplets; first to Lear, then Cordelia, then to Goneril and Regan,
before finally offering a farewell to everyone. The tone of his speech is
more general and less direct than his previous exchanges with Lear:
Act 1 Scene 1
KENT:
Fare thee well, King, sith thus thou wilt appear,
Freedom lives hence and banishment is here.
180
Kent then defends and encourages Cordelia, by wishing that the Gods
safeguard her; he confirms to her that she was fair and spoke the
truth:
To Cordelia
He tells Goneril and Regan that he hopes they live up to their flowery
words of love (since he knows what they are made of, he probably
says it more to shame them for their deceitfulness):
To Regan and Goneril
GLOUCESTER:
Here's France and Burgundy, my noble lord.
190
In the least means is the least (i.e. what is the cheapest dower you would be willing to accept).
Present means immediate.
BURGUNDY:
Most royal majesty,
I crave no more than hath your highness offered,
Nor will you tender less.
Tender less means offer less (might also be a pun on tenderless).
Burgundys answer here insists that the king offer no less than he had
promised. His pushy Nor will you tender less, sounds very similar to
Regans earlier selfish insistence on remuneration And prize me at
her worth.
Lears vanity has clouded his judgement. His excessive punishing of
Cordelia and Kent are really testimony to the fragility of his ego. His
response to Burgundy degrades Cordelia in a very hurtful and cruel
way; this is a father publicly announcing that his daughter is worthless
Act 1 Scene 1
to Burgundy directly he says (in effect) if you want her, you can have
her:
KING LEAR:
Right noble Burgundy,
When she was dear to us, we did hold her so;
But now her price is fallen. Sir, there she stands;
If aught within that little-seeming substance,
Or all of it, with our displeasure pieced,
And nothing more, may fitly like your grace,
She's there, and she is yours.
200
Dear means loved, precious (but also a pun on expensive once again love and material value
are interchangeable).
With our displeasure pieced means now combined with our displeasure (Lear appears to be
using sarcasm to tell Burgundy he will now get more for his money she comes now with our
hatred).
May fitly like your grace means may please your grace by its fitness.
BURGUNDY:
I know no answer.
Lear advises the King of France to place his love with someone else
worthier than Cordelia. He tells him that he would not wish to
estrange him by matching him with Cordelia:
To KING of FRANCE
Lear implores the King of France to look elsewhere for a wife for
someone worthier:
therefore beseech you
Tavert your liking a more worthier way
Than on a wretch whom Nature is ashamed
Almost tacknowledge hers.
210
Lear appears to be placing Cordelia, not just outside of his family, but
outside the whole human race. France then comments on the oddness
of Lears complete turnaround:
KING OF FRANCE:
This is most strange,
That she, whom even but now was your best object,
The argument of your praise, balm of your age,
The best, the dearest, should in this trice of time
Commit a thing so monstrous to dismantle
So many folds of favour.
Your best object means your favourite, the one you loved most.
Argument means subject, theme, focus.
To means to thus, so as to, to cause to.
Dismantle so many folds of favour means strip away the clothing of your favour (dismantle
means remove the outer mantle or layer) - an interesting image in a play full of disguise and
deceit.
France (who entered this scene only after Lears rage against Cordelia)
concludes that either Cordelia has done something so monstrous, as
to merit such wrath or else Lears earlier proclamations of love were
not pure or true.
Act 1 Scene 1
220
She has done nothing awful, despite Lears comments that Nature is
ashamed of her (line 212).
that you make known
It is no vicious blot, murder, or foulness,
No unchaste action or dishonoured step
That hath deprived me of your grace and favour,
Dishonoured means dishonourable.
She knows her fortunes are hurt by her lack of conniving and her
refusal to speak lies and flatter. Nevertheless she is glad to lack such
attributes even though it has cost her dearly:
But even for want of that for which I am richer;
A still-soliciting eye, and such a tongue
That I am glad I have not, though not to have it
Hath lost me in your liking.
230
Still soliciting means always begging, always selfishly looking for favours.
Lost means ruined, spoiled, trashed.
He wants Cordelia but he has the good grace to allow Burgundy his say
first (after all Lear was inviting Burgundys opinion first):
My lord of Burgundy,
What say you to the lady? Love's not love
When it is mingled with regards that stands
Aloof from thentire point. Will you have her?
She is herself a dowry.
240
Act 1 Scene 1
KING LEAR:
Nothing: I have sworn; I am firm.
Cordelia tells Burgundy that she has heard enough and that because
he is really after land and not herself, she would not wish to marry him
anyway:
CORDELIA:
Peace be with Burgundy!
Since that respect and fortunes are his love,
I shall not be his wife.
Since that means because, since, if, as.
Respect and fortunes means mercenary interests, affection for material things.
KING OF FRANCE:
Fairest Cordelia, that art most rich, being poor;
Most choice, forsaken; and most loved, despised.
Thee and thy virtues here I seize upon.
Be it lawful I take up what's cast away.
250
260
Act 1 Scene 1
KING LEAR:
Thou hast her, France: let her be thine, for we
Have no such daughter, nor shall ever see
That face of hers again. Therefore be gone
Without our grace, our love, our benison.
Come, noble Burgundy.
Benison means blessing.
KING OF FRANCE:
Bid farewell to your sisters.
CORDELIA:
The jewels of our father, with washed eyes
Cordelia leaves you. I know you what you are;
Jewels of our father means Goneril and Regan (who are treasured by Lear).
Washed eyes means tearful eyes (but could also mean cleansed vision as of one who now sees
clearly).
Cordelia is letting them know that she is not fooled by their show of
love she knows what they really are. And she is reluctant to call their
faults by their true name (so distasteful are they). Again the theme of
representation and reality is to the fore.
And, like a sister, am most loath to call
Your faults as they are named.
270
She invites them to look after the king, knowing that she is having to
leave him in the care of their false love. If she were still in favour, she
would see to it that he was looked after in a better place:
Love well our father.
To your professd bosoms I commit him.
But yet, alas, stood I within his grace,
I would prefer him to a better place.
So, farewell to you both.
REGAN:
Prescribe not us our duty.
Professed bosoms means loudly proclaimed warmth and love (from their big hearted words).
Commit means entrust (has connotations of someone relinquished to prison).
Within his grace means in his favour.
Prefer means recommend, suggest, advocate.
After Regan has just told Cordelia not to tell them what to do, Goneril
tells Cordelia to focus her attention on France suggesting that he has
charitably taken her. She adds callously that Cordelia has not been
dutiful and deserves her poor predicament:
GONERIL:
Let your study
Be to content your lord, who hath received you
At fortune's alms. You have obedience scanted,
And well are worth the want that you have wanted.
Study means concern, endeavour.
At fortunes alms means as an act of charity (as if Cordelia were a beggar who should be
grateful for whatever she gets).
Obedience scanted means failed to obey your father (scanted means stinted, as in
withholding, miserliness, ungiving).
The want that you have wanted refers to the lack of affection (from Lear) which Goneril
thinks matches Cordelias lack of affection (for Lear).
Cordelia tells her sisters that in time their deceits will be exposed and
they will be shamed. It is worth noting that (like Gonerils previous two
lines) Cordelia answers in another summarizing couplet:
CORDELIA:
Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides:
Who covers faults, at last with shame derides.
Well may you prosper!
280
KING OF FRANCE:
Come, my fair Cordelia.
Exeunt KING OF FRANCE and CORDELIA
Act 1 Scene 1
which she believes are important and will affect them both. She
believes Lear will leave his palace this evening (to stay with her):
GONERIL:
Sister, it is not little I have to say of what most
nearly appertains to us both. I think our father will
hence tonight.
Appertains means concerns (the nearly suggests that she is referring to growing concerns).
Hence means go hence (i.e. leave his palace - to stay with me).
Goneril then comments on her fathers mood swings and his obvious
lack of judgement, especially in disinheriting his once favourite,
Cordelia:
GONERIL:
You see how full of changes his age is. The
observation we have made of it hath not been little. He
always loved our sister most; and with what poor
judgment he hath now cast her off appears too grossly.
290
Grossly means obviously (i.e. his lack of judgement is now plain to see; obvious to everyone).
The rashness of which Goneril speaks was first noted by Kent earlier
when he urged Lear to Check this hideous rashness (Act 1, Scene 1,
Line 148). Regan believes that Lears impulsive behaviour, as
evidenced by Kents expulsion, will continue:
REGAN:
Such unconstant starts are we like to have from
him as this of Kent's banishment.
300
Then she invites Regan to present a united front to deal with their
father because he is becoming troublesome:
Act 1 Scene 1
Act 1 Scene 1
Thank you
- for sampling Act 1, Scene 1 of my 500 page
Guide to Shakespeares King Lear.
I hope you enjoyed it?
etc...
Act 1 Scene 1
- Nick Buchanan
n.buchanan@hotmail.co.uk