King Lear

Though well we may not pass upon his life²⁶

Without the form of justice, yet our power

Shall do a court’sy²⁸ to our wrath, which men

May blame but not control.

Enter Gloucester and Servants

Who’s there? The traitor?

REGAN    Ingrateful fox! ’Tis he.

CORNWALL    Bind fast his corky³¹ arms.

GLOUCESTER    What means your graces?

Good my friends, consider you are my guests:

Do me no foul play, friends.

CORNWALL    Bind him, I say.

Servants bind him

REGAN    Hard, hard. O, filthy traitor!

GLOUCESTER    Unmerciful lady as you are, I’m none.

CORNWALL    To this chair bind him.— Villain, thou shalt find—

Regan plucks his beard

GLOUCESTER    By the kind gods, ’tis most ignobly done

To pluck me by the beard.

REGAN    So white⁴¹, and such a traitor?

GLOUCESTER    Naughty⁴² lady,

These hairs which thou dost ravish⁴³ from my chin

Will quicken⁴⁴ and accuse thee. I am your host:

With robbers’ hands my hospitable favours⁴⁵

You should not ruffle⁴⁶ thus. What will you do?

CORNWALL    Come, sir, what letters had you late from France?

REGAN    Be simple answered⁴⁸, for we know the truth.

CORNWALL    And what confederacy have you with the traitors

Late footed⁵⁰ in the kingdom?

REGAN    To whose hands you have sent the lunatic king? Speak.

GLOUCESTER    I have a letter guessingly⁵² set down,

Which came from one that’s of a neutral heart,

And not from one opposed⁵⁴.

CORNWALL    Cunning.

REGAN    And false.

CORNWALL    Where hast thou sent the king?

GLOUCESTER    To Dover.

REGAN    Wherefore to Dover? Wast thou not charged at peril⁵⁹—

CORNWALL    Wherefore to Dover? Let him answer that.

GLOUCESTER    I am tied to th’stake and I must stand the course⁶¹.

REGAN    Wherefore to Dover?

GLOUCESTER    Because I would not see thy cruel nails

Pluck out his poor old eyes, nor thy fierce sister

In his anointed⁶⁵ flesh stick boarish fangs.

The sea, with such a storm as his bare head

In hell-black night endured, would have buoyed⁶⁷ up

And quenched the stellèd⁶⁸ fires:

Yet, poor old heart, he holp the heavens to rain⁶⁹.

If wolves had at thy gate howled that stern⁷⁰ time,

Thou shouldst have said ‘Good porter, turn the key⁷¹.’

All cruels else subscribe⁷²: but I shall see

The wingèd vengeance⁷³ overtake such children.

CORNWALL    See’t shalt thou never. Fellows⁷⁴, hold the chair.—

Upon these eyes of thine I’ll set my foot.

GLOUCESTER    He that will think to live till he be old,

Cornwall grinds out his eye

Give me some help! O cruel! O you gods!

REGAN    One side will mock another: th’other too.

CORNWALL    If you see vengeance—

SERVANT    Hold your hand, my lord:

I have served you ever since I was a child,

But better service have I never done you

Than now to bid you hold.

REGAN    How now, you dog?

To Regan

SERVANT    If you did wear a beard upon your chin,

I’d shake it on this quarrel.— What do you mean⁸⁶?

They draw and fight

CORNWALL    My villain⁸⁷?

SERVANT    Nay, then, come on, and take the chance of anger⁸⁸.

To a Servant

REGAN    Give me thy sword. A peasant stand up thus?

Kills him

SERVANT    O, I am slain! My lord, you have one eye left

To see some mischief on him⁹¹. O!

Dies

CORNWALL    Lest it see more, prevent it. Out, vile jelly!

Puts out

Gloucester’s other eye

Where is thy lustre now?

GLOUCESTER    All dark and comfortless. Where’s my son Edmund?

Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature⁹⁵

To quit⁹⁶ this horrid act.

REGAN    Out⁹⁷, treacherous villain!

Thou call’st on him that hates thee: it was he

That made the overture⁹⁹ of thy treasons to us,

Who is too good to pity thee.

GLOUCESTER    O, my follies! Then Edgar was abused¹⁰¹.

Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!

REGAN    Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell

His way to Dover.

Exit [a Servant] with Gloucester

How is’t, my lord? How look you?¹⁰⁵

CORNWALL    I have received a hurt: follow me, lady.—

Turn out that eyeless villain: throw this slave

Upon the dunghill.— Regan, I bleed apace¹⁰⁸:

Untimely¹⁰⁹ comes this hurt. Give me your arm.

Exeunt

Act 4 Scene 1

running scene 12

Enter Edgar Disguised as Poor Tom

EDGAR    Yet better thus, and known to be contemned¹,

Than still contemned and flattered². To be worst,

The lowest and most dejected thing of fortune,

Stands still in esperance⁴, lives not in fear:

The lamentable change is from the best⁵,

The worst returns to laughter. Welcome, then,

Thou unsubstantial air that I embrace!

The wretch that thou hast blown unto the worst

Owes nothing to thy blasts.

Enter Gloucester and an Old Man

But who comes here? My father, poorly led¹⁰?

World, world, O world!

But that thy strange mutations¹² make us hate thee,

Life would not yield to age¹³.

OLD MAN    O, my good lord, I have been your tenant and your

father’s tenant these fourscore¹⁵ years.