THE TRAGEDY OF KING
LEAR.
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Table of contents
Act One. Scene One.
Scene Two.
Scene Three.
Scene Four.
Scene Five.
Act Two. Scene One.
Scene Two.
Act Three. Scene One.
Scene Two.
Scene Three.
Scene Four.
Scene Five.
Scene Six.
Scene Seven.
Act Four. Scene One.
Scene Two.
Scene Three.
Scene Four.
Scene Five.
Scene Seven.
Act Five. Scene One.
Scene Two.
Scene Three.
THE TRAGEDY OF
KING LEAR.
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Title statement
King Lear
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
ISBN No: 978-1-909941-52-6
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Shakespeare, under the general editorship of Dr Stanley
Wells: The complete works / William Shakespeare; general
editors, Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor; editors Stanley
Wells ... [et al.] ; with introductions by Stanley Wells. -Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1986. -- (Oxford Shakespeare).
Front cover
King Lear, the Fool, Kent, & Gloucester in the storm A3S4,
detail
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_West_Ki
Benjamin West, 1788
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ALBANY
Husband of Goneril
BURGUNDY
Duke of Burgundy and suitor for Cordelia's hand
CAPTAIN
Character note
CORDELIA
Youngest daughter of King Lear
CORNWALL
Husband to Regan
CURAN
A servant of Gloucester's household
EDGAR
Legitimate son of Gloucester
EDMUND
Illigitimate son of Gloucester
FOOL
Fool to King Lear
FRANCE
King of Suitor, suitor, and later husband, or Cordelia
GENTLEMAN1
Gentleman of Lear's court
GENTLEMAN2
Gentleman of Cordelia's court
GENTLEMAN3
Gentleman of Albany's court
GLOUCESTER
Duke of Gloucester, courtier to Lear, and father of
Edgar and Edmund
GONERIL
Eldest daughter of Lear, married to Albany
HERALD
Albany's herald
KENT
A courtier of Lear
KNIGHT
A knight of Lear's court
LEAR
King of Britain, father of Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia
MESSENGER
Messenger
OLDMAN
Oldman
OSWALD
Servant of Goneril's
REGAN
Daughter of Lear, married to Cornwall
SERVANT
Servant
Act One Scene One
>>>Start of play
Enter Kent, Gloucester, and Edmund.
>>>King is coming.
Sennet. Enter King Lear, Cornwall, Albany, Goneril, Regan,
Cordelia, and attendants.
>>>shall, my Lord.
Exit Gloucester.
>>>a Country new.
Exit Kent.
Flourish. Enter Gloucester with France, and Burgundy,
Attendants.
>>>Come Noble Burgundy.
Flourish. Exeunt Lear, Burgundy and attendants.
>>>my fair Cordelia.
Exit France and Cordelia.
Exeunt
>>>and i'th' heat.
Act One Scene Two
A1S1>>>and i'th' heat.
Enter Edmund.
>>>up for Bastards.
Enter Gloucester.
>>>honesty. 'Tis strange.
Exit Gloucester.
>>>on my bastardizing.
Enter Edgar.
>>>from you anon?
Exit Edgar.
>>>can fashion fit.
Exit Edmund.
Act One Scene Three
A1S2>>>can fashion fit.
Enter Goneril, and Oswald her Steward.
>>>it I'll answer.
Horns within.
>>>prepare for dinner.
Exeunt.
Act One Scene Four
A1S3>>>prepare for dinner.
Enter Kent [disguised].
>>>full of labours.
Horns within. Enter Lear and Attendants.
>>>where's my Daughter?
Enter Oswald.
>>>So please you----
Exit Oswald.
Enter Oswald.
>>>am I Sir?
>>>strucken my Lord.
Kent trips Oswald.
>>>you wisdom, so.
Exit Oswald.
>>>of thy service.
Enter Fool.
Sings
>>>one o'the parings.
Enter Goneril.
>>>of their Betters.
Enter Albany.
>>>Child. Away, away.
Exit Lear.
>>>dotage gives it.
Enter Lear.
Exit Lear.
>>>off for ever.
>>>Fool follows after.
Exit Fool.
>>>showed th' unfitness.
Enter Oswald
>>>well, th' event.
Exeunt
Act One Scene Five
A1S4>>>well, th' event.
Enter Lear, Kent, Gentleman1, and Fool.
>>>delivered your Letter.
Exit Kent.
>>>be cut shorter.
Exeunt Lear, Fool, and Gentleman.
Act Two Scene One
A1S5>>>be cut shorter.
Enter Edmund and Curan, severally.
Exit Curan.
>>>you well Sir.
>>>Brother I say,
Enter Edgar.
>>>Torches, so farewell.
Exit Edgar.
>>>stop, no help?
Enter Gloucester, and Servants with Torches.
>>>thee seek it.
Tucket within.
>>>make thee capable.
Enter Cornwall, Regan, and Attendants.
>>>are right welcome.
Exeunt. Flourish.
Act Two Scene Two
A2S1>>>are right welcome.
Enter Kent, and Oswald severally.
>>>ho, murder, murder.
Enter Edmund. Cornwall, Regan, Gloucester, Servants.
>>>Knave, I will.
Stocks brought out.
>>>I'll answer that.
>>>my Lord, away.
Exeunt, except Gloucester and Kent
>>>be ill taken.
Exit Gloucester.
reading the letter
>>>turn thy wheel.
Enter Edgar.
>>>I nothing am.
Exit Edgar.
Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman1.
>>>not, stay here.
Exit Lear.
>>>no knave perdy.
Enter Lear, and Gloucester
Notices Kent
>>>well betwixt you.
Exit Gloucester.
>>>buttered his Hay.
Enter Cornwall, Regan, Gloucester, Servants.
>>>to your Grace.
Kent here set at liberty.
>>>Sir, to'th' purpose.
Tucket within.
Enter Oswald.
>>>means your Grace?
Enter Goneril.
>>>cause of weeping.
Storm and Tempest.
>>>shall go mad.
Exeunt Lear and Fool.
>>>Lord of Gloucester?
Enter Gloucester.
>>>out o'the storm.
Exeunt.
Act Three Scene One
A2S2>>>out o'the storm.
Storm still. Enter Kent [disguised], and a Gentleman,
severally.
>>>Holla the other.
Exeunt.
Act Three Scene Two
A3S1>>>Holla the other.
Storm still. Enter Lear, and Fool.
Enter Kent.
>>>in a glass.
>>>to this Hovel.
Exeunt Lear and Kent.
>>>before his time
Exit Fool.
Act Three Scene
Three
A3S2>>>before his time
Enter Gloucester, and Edmund.
>>>you be careful.
Exit Gloucester.
>>>old doth fall.
Exit Edmund.
Act Three Scene
Four
A3S3>>>old doth fall.
Enter Lear, Kent, and Fool.
>>>Nature to endure.
Storm still.
>>>You houseless poverty,
Exit [Fool].
>>>Heavens more just.
Enter Edgar, and Fool.
>>>again, and there.
Storm still.
Storm still.
>>>him trot by.
>>>Come, unbutton here.
Enter Gloucester, with a Torch.
>>>thou blame him?
Storm still.
Exeunt.
>>>a British man.
Act Three Scene Five
A3S4>>>a British man.
Enter Cornwall, and Edmund.
Exeunt.
>>>in my love.
Act Three Scene Six
A3S5>>>in my love.
Enter Kent, and Gloucester.
>>>long from you.
Exit Gloucester.
>>>reward your kindness.
Enter Lear, Edgar, and Fool.
>>>them be changed.
Enter Gloucester.
>>>Come, come, away.
Exeunt.
Act Three Scene
Seven
A3S6>>>Come, come, away.
Enter Cornwall, Regan, Goneril, Edmund, and Servants.
>>>Lord of Gloucester.
Enter Oswald.
>>>Lord, and Sister.
Exit [Goneril, Edmund, and Oswald.]
>>>but not control.
Enter Gloucester, and Servants.
>>>stand up thus?
Kills him.
>>>way to Dover.
Exit servant(s) with Gloucester.
Exeunt.
>>>me your arm.
Act Four Scene One
A3S7>>>me your arm.
Enter Edgar.
>>>to thy blasts.
Enter Gloucester, and an Oldman.
>>>on't what will.
Exit [Oldman].
>>>shall lead thee.
Exeunt [Edgar as Poor Tom and Gloucester].
Act Four Scene Two
A4S1>>>shall lead thee.
Enter Goneril, Edmund, and Oswald.
Exit.
>>>ranks of death.
>>>come's my Lord.
Enter Albany.
>>>Oh vain Fool.
Enter a Messenger.
>>>more thou knowest.
Exeunt.
Act Four Scene
Three
A4S2>>>more thou knowest.
Enter with Drum and Colours, Cordelia, Gentlemen, and
Soldiers.
Enter Messenger.
Exeunt.
>>>to lead it.
>>>and see him.
Act Four Scene Four
A4S3>>>and see him.
Enter Regan, and Oswald.
>>>Fare thee well.
Exeunt.
Act Four Scene Five
A4S4>>>Fare thee well.
Enter Gloucester, and Edgar.
>>>fare thee well.
Gloucester falls.
>>>and patient thoughts
Enter Lear.
>>>kill, kill, kill.
Enter a Gentleman.
>>>sa, sa, sa.
Exit.
>>>is moved on.
Exit.
>>>boot, and boot.
Enter Oswald.
>>>Out Dunghill.
They fight.
>>>vor your foins.
Oswald falls.
>>>is more lawful.
Reads the Letter.
>>>from my griefs.
Drum afar off.
Exeunt.
>>>with a Friend.
Act Four Scene Six
Note that in the OED version, and in the
First Folio, there is no Act
Four Scene Six. This scene is called Act
Four Scene Seven. For this
edition it has been re-named.
The missing A4S7 is probably due to the
absence, from the First
Folio, of what is Act Four Scene Three in
Quarto, a scene where Kent
questions a Gentleman to find out why the
King of France has
returned to France, and how Cordelia has
reacted to the treatment of
Lear by her sisters.
A4S5>>>with a Friend.
Enter Cordelia, Kent, and Gentleman.
>>>is he arrayed?
Enter Lear in a chair carried by Servants.
>>>old and foolish.
Exeunt.
Act Five Scene One
A4S6>>>old and foolish.
Enter with Drum and Colours, Edmund, Regan, Gentlemen,
and
Soldiers.
>>>Duke her husband.
Enter with Drum and Colours, Albany, Goneril, Soldiers.
>>>I will go.
Exeunt both the Armies.
Enter Edgar.
>>>I'll appear again.
Exit Edgar.
>>>o'erlook thy paper.
Enter Edmund.
Exit.
Exit.
>>>greet the time.
>>>not to debate.
Act Five Scene Two
>>>not to debate.
Alarum within. Enter with Drum and Colours, Lear,
Cordelia, and
Soldiers, over the Stage, and Exeunt.
Enter Edgar, and Gloucester.
>>>with you Sir.
Alarum within. Enter with Drum and Colours, Lear,
Cordelia, and
Soldiers, over the Stage, and Exeunt.
Exit Edgar.
Alarum and Retreat within.
Enter Edgar.
>>>that's true too.
Exeunt.
Act Five Scene Three
A5S2>>>that's true too.
Enter in conquest with Drum and Colours, Edmund. Lear,
and
Cordelia, as prisoners, Soldiers, Captain.
FF = "Exeunt", Arden "Exeunt [Lear and
Cordelia, guarded]."
>>>starved first: come.
Exeunt Lear and Cordelia, guarded.
>>>set it down.
Exit Captain.
Flourish. Enter Albany, Goneril, Regan, Soldiers.
>>>A Herald, ho.
Enter a Herald.
>>>read out this.
A Trumpet sounds.
Herald reads.
>>>in his defence.
Trumpet.
2nd Trumpet.
3rd Trumpet.
Trumpet answers within.
Enter Edgar armed.
>>>Again.
>>>Again.
>>>ever. Trumpets speak.
Alarums, Fight. Edmund falls.
>>>arraign me for't?
Exit Goneril.
>>>Hearing of this.
Enter a Gentleman.
>>>Here comes Kent.
Enter Kent.
>>>alive or dead;
Goneril and Regan's bodies brought out.
>>>him hence awhile.
Enter Lear with Cordelia in his arms.
>>>us to him.
Enter a Messenger.
>>>there, look there.
He dies.
>>>live so long.
Exeunt with a dead March.