King Lear

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

Act 3 Scene 5

Edmund shows Cornwall the letter; Edmund sent to find Gloucester

Act 3 Scene 6

Gloucester, Kent, Lear, and the fool take shelter in small building; Gloucester leaves to find provisions; Lear holds mock trial of his daughters; Gloucester returns, tells Kent he overheard plot to kill Lear; Kent and the fool leave to take Lear to Dover

Act 3 Scene 7

Cornwall gives Goneril the treasonous letter, Albany sends his servants to arrest Gloucester; Edmund goes with Goneril to Albany's palace; Oswald tells Cornwall that Gloucester helped Lear escape to Dover; Gloucester brought before Regan and Cornwall; they tie him up; Cornwall tears out Gloucester's eye; Glocuester's servant comes in, fights Cornwall, is killed by Regan; Cornwall gouges out Gloucester's remaining eye; he calls out to Edmund, Regan tells him Edmund betrayed him to Cornwall; Gloucester realizes Edgar is the son who truly loves him; Cornwall and Regan leave to treat Cornwall's wound; Cornwall's and Regan's servants are shocked/horrified at what happened, treat Gloucester's wounds, hand him over to Edgar (poor Tom)

Act 4

Act 4 Scene 1

Edgar sees blind Gloucester; Edgar decides to remain disguised as poor Tom; he asks Tom to lead him to Dover, to the top of the highest cliff

Act 4 Scene 2

Goneril, Edmund arrive outside Albany's castle, Oswald reveals that Albany displeased with Goneril's and Regan's actions, happy about French army, unhappy that Goneril is returning; Goneril calls Albany a coward; Edmund put in charge of Albany's troops, tells him to return to Cornwall's house and raise Cornwall's troops to fight French; when Edmund leaves she suggests she wants to marry him; Albany arrives and argues with Goneril; messenger informs them Cornwall died of his wounds; Albany horrified at Gloucester's blinding; Albany learns Edmund betrayed Gloucester, resolves to take his revenge on Edmund

Act 4 Scene 3

Kent talks to someone in French camp who describes Cordelia's reaction to Kent's letter about Lear; Lear arrived in Dover but refuses to see Cordelia out of shame; Albany and Cornwall's armies marching to Dover

Act 4 Scene 4

Cordelia, in charge of French troops, orders 100 to find Lear; Lear is hidden in cornfields, singing to himself; doctor says Lear needs sleep to recover; messenger comes with news of Albany and Cornwall's armies

Act 4 Scene 5

At Gloucester's castle, Oswald informs Regan that Albany's army marching to Dover; she reveals that she wants to marry/"be involved with" Edmund; gives Oswald a token/letter to deliver to Edmund; promises a reward for Oswald if he finds/kills Gloucester

Act 4 Scene 6

Edgar leads Gloucester to Dover; they go up a hill, Edgar waits nearby while Gloucester prays to the gods, intending to commit suicide; he falls, Edmund wakes him up; he pretends to be an ordinary gentlemen (still doesn't reveal he is Edgar), tells Gloucester he saw Gloucester fall from the cliffs, that he was with a devil at the top of the cliff, that the gods have preserved him; Lear meets Edgar and Gloucester on the plain; recognizes Gloucester, babbles to them; Cordelia's soldiers find Lear, Lear runs away; Oswald meets Edgar and Gloucester on the plain; Edgar pretends to be another person (peasant), defends Gloucester, kills Oswald; Edgar reads Oswald's letters, finds one from Goneril to Edmund encouraging him to kill Albany so Goneril and Edmund can be together; decides to show it to Albany

Act 4 Scene 7

Cordelia and Kent speak, Lear is brought in; Cordelia forgives him