Revision as of 08:17, 14 April 2011

Summary

Act 1

Act 1 Scene 1

Discussion between Gloucester and Kent about King Lear's division of kingdom; introduction of Edmund (Gloucester's bastard); Lear's test of love to daughters; Goneril and Reagan please Lear; Cordelia cannot heave her heart into her mouth, is disowned by Lear; the king of France and Burgundy, both there for Cordelia's hand in marriage, are told she has no land; Burgundy leaves, France is impressed, and Cordelia leaves for France; Goneril and Regan scheme, knowing they have all authority over the kingdom

Act 1 Scene 2

Edmund dissatisfied with treatment of bastards; expresses resentment of Edgar; starts to discredit Edgar; first forges letter from Edgar plotting to kill Gloucester to obtain his inheritance; he tells Edgar that Gloucester is angry with him and that he should carry a sword

Act 1 Scene 3

Lear spends time at Goneril's castle; Goneril complains about Lear and his obnoxious group; she tells her servants to behave rudely toward him

Act 1 Scene 4

Kent (loyal to Lear but banished by him) appears as peasant Caius; they beat up on Oswald for being rude; fool tells Lear that giving away his power was a mistake; Goneril speaks with Lear, tells him he and his group are obnoxious and he has to send away some of his group of 100; Lear is angry, curses her, leaves Goneril to stay with Regan; Goneril argues with Albany

Act 1 Scene 5

Fool makes fun of Lear about his bad decision and guesses that Regan will also treat Lear badly; they leave for Regan's castle

Act 2

Act 2 Scene 1

Edmund learns Regan and husband (duke of Cornwall) coming to Gloucester's castle that night; also learns of dispute between duke of Cornwall (Regan's husband) and duke of Albany (Goneril's husband); tells Edgar duke of Cornwall is angry for Edgar siding with Albany; encourages Edgar to flee since Gloucester found his hiding place; they feign a fight for Gloucester, Edgar runs away; Cornwall and Regan arrive, Regan learns about Edgar, suspects that Lear's group of servants put him up to killing Gloucester

Act 2 Scene 2

Kent meets Oswald outside Gloucester's castle, makes fun of him and attacks him; Cornwall, Regan, Gloucester respond; Cornwall puts Kent in stock, Gloucester objects b/c he is Lear's servant; Cornwall and Regan maintain Kent must be punished; Kent reads letter from Cordelia, falls asleep

Act 2 Scene 3

Edgar enters, turns himself into poor Tom, beggar

Act 2 Scene 4

Lear arrives at Gloucester's castle, sees Kent in stocks, Regan refuses to meet with them, Regan later meets with him and tells him he is being unreasonable and should return to Goneril; Lear curses Goneril; Goneril shows up at castle, they insist he give up half his men, then a quarter, then none; Lear curses them and leaves; Gloucester asks them to shelter Lear, but they refuse and lock doors

Act 3

Act 3 Scene 1

Raging storm; Kent learns Lear and his fool are somewhere in the area; tells knight to go to Dover and find friends to help Lear's cause, find Cordelia; he then searches for Lear

Act 3 Scene 2

Lear wanders in storm, curses weather; fool tells him to humble himself to his daughters and seek shelter; Lear refuses; Kent finds them, leads them to shelter

Act 3 Scene 3

Gloucester tells Edmund that he is uncomfortable w/ treatment of Lear, wants to look for him; received letter about French army landed in England, letter in room; tells Edmund to keep Cornwall distracted while he (Gloucester) looks for Lear; Edmund plans to immediately go to Cornwall, uncovering Gloucester as traitor and allowing him to obtain his father's title and land

Act 3 Scene 4

Kent leads Lear and fool to shelter; Lear doesn't want to go into shelter, and stays outside praying and reflecting on how he treated wretched/homeless poorly; fool runs out of shelter because of spirit inside; it is Edgar as poor Tom; Lear goes inside, talks with Edgar, sympathizes with him; Gloucester finds them, tries to bring Lear back to the caastle; Kent and Gloucester convince Lear to go into castle, but he insists on taking Edgar

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 Gloucester tells Edmund that he is uncomfortable w/ treatment of Lear, wants to look for him; received letter about French army landed in England, letter in room; tells Edmund to keep Cornwall distracted while he (Gloucester) looks for Lear; Edmund plans to immediately go to Cornwall, uncovering Gloucester as traitor and allowing him to obtain his father's title and land
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 ===Act 3 Scene 4===
-Kent leads Lear through the storm to the hovel. He tries to get him to go inside, but Lear resists, saying that his own mental anguish makes him hardly feel the storm. He sends his Fool inside to take shelter and then kneels and prays. He reflects that, as king, he took too little care of the wretched and homeless, who have scant protection from storms such as this one.
+Kent leads Lear and fool to shelter; Lear doesn't want to go into shelter, and stays outside praying and reflecting on how he treated wretched/homeless poorly; fool runs out of shelter because of spirit inside; it is Edgar as poor Tom; Lear goes inside, talks with Edgar, sympathizes with him; Gloucester finds them, tries to bring Lear back to the caastle; Kent and Gloucester convince Lear to go into castle, but he insists on taking Edgar
-The Fool runs out of the hovel, claiming that there is a spirit inside. The spirit turns out to be Edgar in his disguise as Tom O’Bedlam. Edgar plays the part of the madman by complaining that he is being chased by a devil. He adds that fiends possess and inhabit his body. Lear, whose grip on reality is loosening, sees nothing strange about these statements. He sympathizes with Edgar, asking him whether bad daughters have been the ruin of him as well.
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-Lear asks the disguised Edgar what he used to be before he went mad and became a beggar. Edgar replies that he was once a wealthy courtier who spent his days having sex with many women and drinking wine. Observing Edgar’s nakedness, Lear tears off his own clothes in sympathy.
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-Gloucester, carrying a torch, comes looking for the king. He is unimpressed by Lear’s companions and tries to bring Lear back inside the castle with him, despite the possibility of evoking Regan and Goneril’s anger. Kent and Gloucester finally convince Lear to go with Gloucester, but Lear insists on bringing the disguised Edgar, whom he has begun to like, with him.
 ===Act 3 Scene 5===
@@ Line 175: / Line 171: @@
 Albany gives Edgar and Kent their power and titles back, inviting them to rule with him. Kent, feeling himself near death, refuses, but Edgar seems to accept. The few remaining survivors exit sadly as a funeral march plays.
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King Lear: Difference between revisions

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