KING LEAR

By Willam Shakespeare
ACT 3 SCENE 1
SUMMARY
 ACT 3 SCENE 1
• Kent, out looking for Lear, runs into a Gentleman. The Gentleman
describes seeing Lear out in the storm, from which even fierce animals
("the cub drawn bear" [14] and "belly-pinched wolf" [15]) are hiding, with
only the Fool to keep him company
• .eeing that the Gentleman is on his side, Kent confides in him that there is
division between Albany and Cornwall, which is still a secret. And he asks
the Gentleman to go to Dover and report of the "unnatural and
bemadding sorrow" (3.1.42) to which the King has been subjected.
Although he does not reveal his real identity, he gives the Gentleman his
purse, containing a ring, which he should show Cordelia who will be at
Dover. Kent says she will recognize it.
 ACT 3 SCENE 2
SUMMARY
• Lear rages out in the storm, calling upon it to "crack nature's molds" and
destroy everything "that makes ingrateful man" (3.1.10-11), while the
Fool urges him, in vain, to find shelter. "Here I stand your slave/ A poor,
infirm, weak, and despised old man" (21-2), Lear raves. When Kent
arrives on the scene, directing Lear to a hovel that he has found, Lear
finally relents, remarking that "the art of our necessities is strange/ and
can make vile things precious" (76-7). As they enter, the Fool predicts
that they are at the beginning of an era in which the "realm of Albion"
(i.e. England) will "come to great confusion" (98-9).
 ACT 3 SCENE 3
SUMMARY
• Back inside, Gloucester confides in Edmund that he does not like the
"unnatural dealing" (3.3.2) that Goneril and Regan have shown to their
father. Edmund agrees. Gloucester then tells Edmund that there is
division between Albany and Cornwall and that he has received a letter
with further information, too dangerous to be spoken, which will
eventually bring Lear revenge. Gloucester asks Edmund to distract
Cornwall while he sneaks off to aid Lear.
• Once Gloucester has exited, Edmund informs the audience that he will
immediately report everything that his father has told him to Cornwall, in
the hopes that he himself will gain what his father loses: "the younger
rises when the old doth fall" (3.3.25).
 ACT 3 SCENE 4
• Lear, Kent and the Fool arrive at the hovel. Lear still insists that the "tempest in his
mind" has taken "all feeling" from his senses beyond his anger and sadness at his
daughter's ingratitude. As the Fool goes inside the hovel, Lear pauses to reflect that
he has spent too little time thinking about his poor subjects who were regularly
exposed to such hardships. If powerful people spent more time thinking about such
matters, he decides, they would be more generous with what they have, making the
heavens more just.
• The Fool darts back out, reporting that someone is in the hovel: a spirit named Poor
Tom. Edgar emerges raving as if possessed by the "fiend," or devil, in his Bedlam
beggar disguise. Lear comments over and over that Edgar could only have been
brought to this lowly state by "unkind" or "pelican daughters" (3.4.77; 81). Then he
goes on to observe that Edgar would be better off dead than exposing his
"uncovered body" (109) to the storm and that he has reduced himself to the state of
an animal (as Edgar said was his plan in 2.3): "unaccommodated man is no more
than such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art" (113-5).
 ACT 3 SCENE 4
SUMMARY
• Gloucester approaches with a torch. Failing to recognize the disguised
and raving Edgar as his son, he leads Lear, Kent, Edgar, and the Fool to a
house.
 ACT 3 SCENE 4
ANALYSIS
• As his daughters' violation of their duties to him, and the physically
punishing experience of natural chaos in the form of the storm, drive Lear
to madness, his reduced (nearly animal) state gives him a moment of
insight into the lives of those less privileged—which he implies he lacked
when he was king.
• In Lear's eyes, Edgar, a madnman wearing just the barest rags for
clothes, offers a stark contrast to his unjust daughters, dressed in their
furs and robes. This semi-animal, semi-human figure emerges from the
natural chaos of the storm, and exists outside the usual social/legal order
(remember, Edgar is fleeing justice: the price his own father has put upon
his head).
 ACT 3 SCENE 4
ANALYSIS
• Gloucester's failure to recognize his own child, echoing Lear's failure to
recognize his long-faithful servant Kent, provides a literal emphasis to
Lear and Gloucester's metaphorical "blindness" to the true qualities of
their respective children.
 ACT 3 SCENE 4
LITERARY DEVICES
• Dramatic Irony
• n Act 3, Scene 4, Lear and his compatriots are in dire need of some shelter from
the storm. Kent discovers a hovel on the heath, and the Fool heads in to make
sure it is empty. Unbeknownst to them, Edgar—disguised as Poor Tom—has also
sought shelter in the same spot, leading to a moment of dramatic irony
• Irony
• Lear’s Reflections: As Lear observes Edgar’s ragged appearance, he comments
that Edgar could only have reached this lowly state due to his “unkind” or
“pelican daughters.” Lear implies that Edgar’s suffering is a result of his
daughters’ cruelty.
• Irony: In reality, it is Lear’s own daughters who have betrayed him, yet he fails
to recognize their ingratitude. The contrast between Edgar’s destitution and
Lear’s daughters’ opulence highlights the irony of their roles1.
 ACT 3 SCENE 4
LITERARY DEVICES
• irony: While Lear’s daughters enjoy privilege, Edgar’s suffering exposes the
harsh realities faced by the less privileged. This irony underscores the play’s
themes of justice and injustice1.
• Metaphors:
• As Lear faces the raging storm, he reflects on his own mental turmoil. He uses
a storm-related metaphor to describe his feelings:You think it matters that this
storm Soaks us to the skin. So it does, to you. Lear compares the external
tempest to the turmoil within his mind. Just as the storm assaults their
physical bodies, his inner turmoil affects him deep
• Gloucester, who fails to recognize Edgar (his own son) in disguise, echoes
Lear’s blindness to Kent’s true identity. This metaphor extends beyond
physical sight to symbolize their inability to perceive their children’s genuine
qualities2.
 ACT 3 SCENE 4
QUIZ
• What does Lear reflect upon while pausing just outside the hovel while the storm rages?
• His own misfortunes and the storm
• His daughters' betrayal and their future
• The hardships faced by his poor subjects
• The need to regain his power and authority

• What does Lear's moment of insight while pausing outside the hovel during the storm suggest about
his behavior when he was king?
• He always cared deeply for his subjects
• He lacked empathy for those less privileged
• He was a generous and just ruler
• He gave his subjects what they needed but no more than that
• What does Lear believe caused Edgar (disguised as a Bedlam beggar) to have ended up in his lowly
state?
 ACT 3 SCENE 4
QUIZ
• What does Lear believe caused Edgar (disguised as a Bedlam beggar) to have ended up
in his lowly state?
• His own mistakes
• Pure bad luck
• The chaos of the storm
• The cruelty of his daughters
• What does Gloucester's failure to recognize the disguised Edgar in the hovel emphasize
symbolically?
• Lear and Gloucester's blindness to their children's qualities
• The blindness of humankind to the power of nature
• The confusion of war about to descend on England
• The bond between Edgar and Gloucester that endures beyond superficial recognition
 ACT 3 SCENE 5
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Cornwall enters with Edmund, carrying the letter reporting news of the
invasion from France (which Gloucester mentioned to Edmund in 3.3).
Edmund waffles, feigning remorse at having betrayed his father.
• Edmund's handing over Gloucester as a traitor is an ultimate violation of
the father-child bond.
 ACT 3 SCENE 5
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Granting Edmund the title of Earl of Gloucester, Cornwall then sends him
to find his father and arrest him. Edmund assents, although he continues
to lament a 'sore conflict' (3.5.23) between his duty and his blood.
Cornwall reassures Edmund that he, Cornwall, will be Edmund's "dearer
father" (26) from here on.
• Cornwall suggests that just as he can take on the traditional legal role of
a father in granting a political title that would usually come from
inheritance, he can also replace a biological father of flesh and blood.
Incidentally, as he falls for Edmund's performance of hesitation about
turning in Gloucester, he misjudges Edmund just as Gloucester and Edgar
have before.
 ACT 3 SCENE 5
QUIZ
• What does Edmund's betrayal of Gloucester's secrets to Cornwall signify?
• Loyalty to his kingdom over loyalty to his family
• Edmund's remorse for his past actions
• The impossible choices Edmund always faces as an illegitimate son
• A profound violation of the father-child bond
• What is ironic about Cornwall's promise that he will act as Edmund's father after
Edmund has arrested Gloucester?
• Cornwall is secretly Edmund's biological father
• Cornwall is falling for Edmund's act just as Gloucester did
• Edmund's regret over betraying Gloucester will eventually make him betray Cornwall
• A and C
 ACT 3 SCENE 6
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Inside the house to which he has shown them, Kent thanks Gloucester,
and then reports that Lear has gone entirely mad. Gloucester exits as
Lear, the Fool, and Edgar enter, raving together. Lear has Edgar and the
Fool sit down, announcing that they are the jury for an imaginary trial of
the "she-foxes" (24) Goneril and Regan, which he persists carrying out as
Kent entreats him to rest and Edgar remarks that he is finding it difficult
to restrain his tears.
• Carrying out the imaginary trial—which is almost like a mad parody of the
ceremonial love-test Lear put his daughters to in the first scene of the
play—Lear shows how far he has descended into madness. Ironically, in
this hallucinated parallel trial he has better insight into the nature of the
"she-foxes" (and what he now knows as their animal heartlessness) than
he did in 1.1.
 ACT 3 SCENE 6
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• In the middle of the trial of Regan, Gloucester returns. Told once again by Kent
that Lear's "wits are gone" (92), Gloucester tells Kent that he has overheard a plot
against Lear's life. Gloucester then says he has arranged for Lear to be secretly
transported to Dover in a litter. He asks Kent to help him get Lear on the litter. All
exit except Edgar, who remains on stage. Briefly stepping out of the character of
Poor Tom, Edgar expresses his deep pity for Lear, saying that he feels so badly for
Lear that he can hardly feel his own pain. Yet he also remarks on the similarity
between the two of them: "he childed as I fathered" (120). Then he exits as well.
• Like Kent, Gloucester shows himself willing to risk himself personally out of loyalty
to Lear and what he perceives as right political order (Lear in power, allowed to
maintain control) and familial order (Lear not subject to cruelty by his daughters).
Although his father continues to misrecognize him, Edgar's moment of pain
explicitly draws out the similarities between the Lear/Cordelia and
Gloucester/Edgar situations.
 ACT 3 SCENE 6
LITERARY DEVICES
• Dramatic irony: The audience knows Edgar’s true identity, but neither
Lear nor Gloucester recognizes him. This creates dramatic irony—the
characters remain ignorant, while the audience understands the
situation1.
• Parody : Lear’s madness and the parallel trial of Goneril and Regan serve
as a mad parody of the love-test he subjected his daughters to in the
play’s opening scene.
• Irony: Lear blames Edgar’s plight on his “unkind” daughters, unaware
that it is his own daughters who have betrayed him.
 ACT 3 SCENE 6
QUIZ
• Which of the following best describe Lear's imaginary trial of the "she-foxes" that he
holds with Edgar and the Fool as witnesses ?
• It reflects his newfound clarity about his daughters' true nature
• It functions as a parody of the love-test Lear held at the beginning of the play
• It is an attempt by Lear to regain control over his family
• A and B
• What similarities are drawn between the Lear/Cordelia and Gloucester/Edgar
relationships?
• Both involve the importance of power and control
• Both are based on around betrayal and regret
• Both center around misrecognition and loyalty
• Both focus on the natural and political order
 ACT 3 SCENE 7
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Cornwall enters with Regan, Goneril, Edmund and servants. Handing
Goneril the letter with news that the army of France has landed, and
telling her to send it to her husband Albany, he sends servants to find
Gloucester. Then Cornwall tells Edmund to leave, as the revenge he plans
to take on the traitorous Gloucester is far too brutal for a son to behold.
Oswald arrives to report that, thanks to Gloucester, Lear has been carried
away to Dover.
• Cornwall and Regan's decision to turn on Gloucester, who is their host,
highlights the destruction of custom and order in Britain. Cornwall's
comment about how brutal his violence against Gloucester is a further
expression of lawlessness and chaos.
 ACT 3 SCENE 7
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Just then, Gloucester enters. Immediately Cornwall and Regan accuse him
as a traitor. Regan even plucks a hair from his "white beard." Gloucester
reproaches them, saying that they are breaking the laws of hospitality by
turning on their host. As they keep haranguing him, he gives up, noting
that he, like a bear in a bear-baiting show, is "tied to th' stake" and "must
stand the course" (67). Gloucester tells Regan that he helped Lear escape
because he could not bear to see how she and Goneril treated him.
• Once caught, and as helpless as a show animal, Gloucester acknowledges
that he has acted out of an inward sense of justice—of how both familial
relations and political order should work. He could not bear to watch what
was taking place. Plucking his white beard, Regan disrespects his age
(whereas in 2.1 she had asked him for wise counsel).
 ACT 3 SCENE 7
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Cornwall interjects, saying that Gloucester never will see such a thing.
Cornwall ties Gloucester down and pulls out one of Gloucester's eyes. He is
preparing to pull out the second eye when one of his servants interjects.
The servant pleads that Cornwall to stop this course of action. Cornwall,
angered that the servant would dare to interrupt him, draws his sword. The
two fight. Cornwall is seriously wounded. However, Regan takes a sword
from a second servant and stabs the first in the back, killing him. Cornwall
forces out Gloucester's other eye, crying "out, vile jelly!" (101).
• Turning the language of vision and blindness that has been metaphorical up
until this point brutally literal, Cornwall will transform Gloucester, who failed
to see his son's true character, into a walking symbol of blindness.
Cornwall's servant, however, still viscerally responds to an inward sense of
order and balks at this injustice.
 ACT 3 SCENE 7
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Blinded, Gloucester calls out to Edmund for help: "enkindle all sparks of
nature/ to quit this horrid act" (105-6). Regan informs Gloucester that
Edmund hates him, that it was Edmund himself who betrayed his father.
Devastated, Gloucester realizes that he was misled regarding Edgar. He
calls upon the gods to forgive him and to help Edgar prosper.
• Ironically, only when he is literally blinded is Gloucester able to see the
truth about his sons. His call to the gods to let Edgar prosper reflects his
residual belief that the heavens are capable of guarding order and justice.
 ACT 3 SCENE 7
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Wounded Cornwall and Regan leave Gloucester with the second and third
servants, instructing them to throw him out of his house. The servants
discuss among themselves how horrible they find Cornwall and Regan's
actions. Resolving to find "the Bedlam" (125), i.e. the disguised Edgar, to
lead Gloucester to safety, they first fetch flax and egg whites to help stop
the bleeding from Gloucester's face.
• Throwing Gloucester out of his own house, Cornwall and Regan not only
violate the laws of hospitality but continue the process of using their
authority to disarrange the usual order of the kingdom. Yet the servants'
disgust at Regan and Cornwall's actions suggest that there remains a
sense of moral order and justice within England that will resist the moral
vacuum among England's new leaders.
 ACT 3 SCENE 7
QUIZ
• What does Cornwall and Regan's decision to turn on their host Gloucester emphasize?
• The importance of loyalty in times of war
• Gloucester's betrayal of those whom he should serve
• The growing power of Regan at the expense of Goneril
• The destruction of custom and order in Britain
• How does Regan particularly insult Gloucester immediately after accusing him of being a
traitor?
• She puts him in the stocks outside his own castle
• She describes him as a bear in a bear-baiting show
• She plucks a hair from his white beard
• She slaps him across the face
• What does the brutal act of Cornwall pulling out Gloucester's eyes signify?
• Cornwall's final descent into tyranny
• Gloucester becoming a literal symbol of blindness
• The strength of Regan's growing authority across England
• All of the above
 ACT 3 SCENE 7
QUIZ
• Who does Gloucester call out to for help after being blinded?
• Edmund
• Edgar
• Lear
• Regan
• What is ironic about Regan revealing to Gloucester that Edmund hates him after Gloucester has
been blinded?
• Gloucester comes to see the truth only after losing his sight
• Edmund has begun to deeply regret his betrayal of his father
• Edmund will end up turning on Regan because of the cruelty she is flaunting
• All of the above
• How do the servants react to Cornwall and Regan's actions towards Gloucester?
• They are amused and follow Cornwall and Regan's orders
• They are appalled and secretly help Gloucester
• They are shocked and refuse to follow their orders
• They remain indifferent and follow orders because they have no choice
 ACT 4 SCENE 1
SUMMARY
• Edgar talks to himself on the heath, reflecting that his situation is not
as bad as it could be. He is immediately presented with the horrifying
sight of his blinded father. Gloucester is led by an old man who has
been a tenant of both gloucester and gloucester’s father for eighty
years. Edgar hears gloucester tell the old man that if he could only
touch his son edgar again, it would be worth more to him than his lost
eyesight. But edgar chooses to remain disguised as poor tom rather
than reveal himself to his father. Gloucester asks the old man to bring
some clothing to cover tom, and he asks tom to lead him to dover.
Edgar agrees. Specifically, gloucester asks to be led to the top of the
highest cliff.
 ANALYSIS
• Edgar's realization, upon seeing his blinded father, that it is impossible
to know when you are at the worst, because things can always get
even worse, suggest that there is no limit to the potential of unjust
power to produce destruction and suffering. Gloucester, meanwhile, in
the face of his own errors and the awful brutality of the world, has
given up on living except for a desire to meet his true son once more.
 ACT 4 SCENE 1
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• The Old Man tells Gloucester that they had found Poor Tom. Gloucester
notes that the previous night he saw such a mad beggar who "made
[him] think man a worm" (37). He has learned, he says, about human
lowliness: "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods;/ They kill us for
their sport" (41-2). He still does not recognize that the "naked fellow" (46)
is his son. Sending the Old Man who was leading him back to fetch some
clothing for "Poor Tom" (who is naked), Gloucester offers Poor Tom all the
money in his purse to take him to the cliffs at Dover (where he intends to
commit suicide).
• Gloucester, when he first saw Poor Tom, thought him to be as low as a
worm. But now Gloucester realizes that all men are like worms in the eyes
of the gods – mere playthings, to be killed for fun. In the face of the
terrible things he has done and seen, Gloucester despairs and wants only
to cease to exist.
 ACT 4 SCENE 1
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
 LANGUAGE DEVICES
• Irony: the opening lines by Edgar contain irony. He contrasts being
“openly despised” with being “secretly despised but fooled by
flattery.” The irony lies in the fact that open disdain is preferable to
hidden contempt masked by flattery. The juxtaposition of these
contrasting ideas creates a thought-provoking effect.
• Paradox: Edgar’s statement, “when things are worst, however, they
can only get better,” presents a paradox. It seems contradictory at
first glance—how can things improve when they are already at their
worst? Yet, it reflects the resilience of the human spirit and the
possibility of hope even in dire circumstances.
 LANGUAGE DEVICES
• Rhetorical question: Gloucester’s question, “but who comes here?”
Serves as a rhetorical device. It doesn’t require an answer; instead, it
heightens the tension and anticipation as Gloucester encounters
someone unexpected.
• Dramatic irony: the audience knows that the “peasant” leading
gloucester is actually his son, Edgar, disguised as “poor mad tom.”
This dramatic irony adds depth to the scene, as Gloucester remains
unaware of Edgar's true identity.
 LANGUAGE DEVICES
• Pathos: Gloucester’s emotional outburst—“world, oh, world! / It’s
hatred of your strange changes that / helps us accept death”—evokes
pathos. His frustration and disillusionment with the world’s
unpredictability resonate with the audience.
• Characterization: the dialogue between Gloucester and the old man
reveals their contrasting perspectives. Gloucester dismisses the old
man’s help, emphasizing his own stubbornness and pride. Meanwhile,
the old man’s loyalty and longevity on Gloucester’s land highlight his
humility and devotion.
 LANGUAGE DEVICES
• Symbolism: the cliff overlooking the sea symbolizes danger,
uncertainty, and the brink of despair. Gloucester’s request to be led
there reflects his inner turmoil and desire for release from suffering.
• Foreshadowing: Gloucester’s statement, “from that place i shall need
no leading,” foreshadows a significant event. The cliff becomes a
pivotal location in the play, where Gloucester’s fate takes a dramatic
turn.
 ACT 4 SCENE 1
QUIZ
• What does Edgar realize when he sees his blinded father?
• Thats things can always get worse than they are
• The importance of family in the face of adversity
• The need for revenge against Cornwall and Regan
• The significance of maintaining his disguise
• What is Gloucester's one remaining desire after being blinded and thrown out of his house?
• To take revenge on Cornwall and Regan
• To regain his sight and power
• To meet Edgar once more
• To find a way to restore order in the kingdom
• What does Gloucester's reflection on humans as "flies to wanton boys" suggest?
• That humans have great power over their own fate
• That humans are subject to the whims of the gods
• That humans should work together for the greater good
• That humans are inherently evil and deserving of punishment
 ACT 4 SCENE 2
SUMMARY
• Goneril and Edmund arrive outside of her palace, and Goneril expresses
surprise that Albany did not meet them on the way. Oswald tells her that
Albany is displeased with Goneril’s and Regan’s actions, glad to hear that the
French army had landed, and sorry to hear that Goneril is returning home.
• Goneril realizes that Albany is no longer her ally and criticizes his cowardice,
resolving to assert greater control over her husband’s military forces. She
directs Edmund to return to Cornwall’s house and raise Cornwall’s troops for
the fight against the French. She informs him that she will likewise take over
power from her husband. She promises to send Oswald with messages. She
bids Edmund goodbye with a kiss, strongly hinting that she wants to become
his mistress.
 ANALYSIS
• Goneril, who has spurned the ties of duty between parent and child
(and, indeed, sibling and sibling, allowing Cordelia to be taken away)
now proceeds to disrespect and violate the bonds of love and duty
connecting husband and wife.
• As Lear was forced to come to terms with his daughters' cruelty, now
Albany fully recognizes that of his wife. Like Lear (and Kent to Oswald),
he describes her and Regan's misdeeds in animal terms.
• Albany, like Lear, still obviously sets some stock in divine justice and
natural order. Goneril, however, is absorbed only with her own selfish
and lustful concerns: her sexual desire for Edmund.
• Like Kent and Gloucester before him, Albany is now willing to risk
himself, making his purpose vengeance and the restoration of a just
political authority and order.
 ACT 4 SCENE 2
QUIZ
• How does Goneril violate the bonds of love and duty in her relationship with Albany?
• By showing loyalty to her sister instead
• By refusing to communicate with Albany
• By being unfaithful to him with Edmund
• By ignoring his stated wishes
• What does Albany call Goneril and Regan when he denounces them for mistreating their father?
• Snakes
• Wolves
• Vultures
• Tigers
• What is Goneril's main concern after hearing about Cornwall's death?
• Mourning the loss of her friend and her sister's husband
• Worrying that Regan will seduce Edmund away from her
• Preparing for an imminent attack from France
• Focusing on how Cornwall's death opens up the path to total power for her
• “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. They're like having in-
class
 ACT 4 SCENE 2
QUIZ

• What is Goneril's main concern after hearing about Cornwall's death?

• Mourning the loss of her friend and her sister's husband
• Worrying that Regan will seduce Edmund away from her
• Preparing for an imminent attack from France
• Focusing on how Cornwall's death opens up the path to total power for her
• What does Albany vow after learning about Gloucester's actions and punishment at
the hands of Edmund, Regan, and Cornwall?
• To thank Gloucester for his loyalty to Lear and seek revenge for his lost eyes
• To confront and imprison Edmund no matter the cost
• To abandon his pursuit of justice and focus on self-preservation
• To join forces with Edmund to gain more power for himself
 ACT 4 SCENE 2
SUMMARY
Albany enters and denounces Goneril (and Regan) in scathing terms for
their mistreatment of their father: "Tigers, not daughters, what have you
performed?" (49). Although Goneril tries to shut him up by calling him a
coward, he persists, calling her a devil, and says that if Goneril were not
a woman he would tear her to pieces.
As Lear was forced to come to terms with his daughters' cruelty, now
Albany fully recognizes that of his wife. Like Lear (and Kent to Oswald),
he describes her and Regan's misdeeds in animal terms.
 ACT 4 SCENE 2
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• However, a servant interrupts them, bursting in with news of Gloucester's
blinding and that Cornwall has died of the wound he received from his
servant. Albany, who had not known of Gloucester's blinding, cries out
that Cornwall's death is proof that the gods exist: "this shows you are
above,/ you justicers" (95-6). Goneril, however, is worried that the
widowed Regan will now seduce Edmund from her. She hurries off to
answer the messenger's letter.
• Albany, like Lear, still obviously sets some stock in divine justice and
natural order. Goneril, however, is absorbed only with her own selfish and
lustful concerns: her desire for Edmund.
 ACT 4 SCENE 2
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• Left alone with the Messenger, Albany asks whether Edmund is with
Gloucester. The Messenger explains that it was Edmund who informed
against him. Albany vows that he will thank Gloucester for his love toward
Lear and will revenge his lost eyes. He summons the Messenger to give
him more information.
• Like Kent and Gloucester before him, Albany is now willing to risk himself,
making his purpose vengeance and the restoration of a just political
authority and order.
 ACT 4 SCENE 3
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
• In the French war camp, Kent asks a Gentleman about Cordelia's
reaction to the letter that he sent in 3.1. The Gentleman reports that
she was moved to deep pity for her father and rage against her
sisters. Kent states that "the stars above us govern our conditions"
(39), because there could be no other explanation for how siblings
could be so different from each other.
• Kent, like Albany in 4.2, still has faith in the power of the heavens.
However, he uses it to explain the (otherwise inexplicable) differences
between Cordelia and her siblings, not to guarantee order. Kent, like
Albany in 4.2, still has faith in the power of the heavens. However, he
uses it to explain the (otherwise inexplicable) differences between
Cordelia and her siblings, not to guarantee order.
 ACT 4 SCENE 3
LITERARY DEVICES
• Several literary devices are employed in the excerpt:
1.Dialogue: The entire passage is composed of dialogue between
characters, which drives the narrative forward and reveals their
thoughts, emotions, and actions.
2.Imagery: Vivid imagery is used to evoke sensory experiences and
create mental pictures for the reader, such as tears trickling down
Cordelia's cheek and shaking holy tears from heavenly eyes.
3.Symbolism: The mention of "the stars" symbolizes fate or destiny,
suggesting that external forces shape human lives.
4.Alliteration: There are instances of alliteration, such as "delicate
cheek" and "holy tears."
5.Metaphor: Kent's statement, "It is the stars, the stars above us, That
determine our characters!"
 ACT 4 SCENE 3
LITERARAY DEVICES
• employs metaphor to compare celestial bodies to influences shaping
human nature and destiny.
• Personification:
Cordelia's tears are personified as "holy tears" and her
eyes as "heavenly eyes," attributing human characteristics to non-
human entities.
• Irony: There's situational irony in Kent's comment about his "real
name" and the association with him, hinting at a deeper backstory or
identity.
• Foreshadowing: The dialogue hints at future events and character
developments, such as Lear's refusal to see Cordelia and the
impending conflict between Albany's and Cornwall's armies.
 ACT 4 SCENE 3
QUIZ
• What does Kent suggest as the reason for the differences between
Cordelia and her siblings?
• Parenting and upbringing
• The influence of the stars
• Personal choices and experiences
• The presence of evil spirits
• Why does Lear refuse to see Cordelia in Dover?
• He is angry with her for leaving
• He is ashamed of his behavior
• He is afraid of Cordelia's reaction
• He believes Cordelia is against him as well
 ACT 4 SCENE 4
SUMMARY
• Cordelia, attended by the Gentleman from 4.3 and a Doctor sends out a
search party of one hundred soldiers for her father, who, she has heard, is
raving "mad as the vexed sea" (4.4.2). She then promises the doctor that
whoever cures Lear can have everything she owns. The doctor responds
that, in order to be cured, the mad king needs rest.
• A messenger enters with news that the British are marching on the
French camp. Cordelia responds that she is aware, explaining that the
whole purpose of France's war on England is to avenge her father: "No
blown ambition doeth our arms incite,/ But love, dear love, and our aged
father's right" (30-1).
 ACT 4 SCENE 4
ANALYSIS
• Clearly concerned for her father, and prepared to give up anything to
restore him, Cordelia proves that she places utmost importance on her
duties as a child, setting them before wealth or political power.
• As the British army approaches, the face-off between the self-interested
children (Edmund, Goneril, and Regan) and the selfless Cordelia comes to
a head.
 ACT 4 SCENE 4
QUIZ
• What does Cordelia promise the doctor if he can cure Lear?
• To make him a nobleman
• To give him everything she owns
• To give him a permanent position as physician in her court
• To reward him with a diamond ring she wears
• What do Cordelia's actions in trying to find Lear and her promises to the doctor about curing Lear
reveal about her?
• She puts her duties as a child above her wealth or power
• She is willing to do anything to defeat her sisters
• She is above all loyal to Britain
• All of the above
• What is the primary motivation for France's war on England, according to Cordelia?
• To establish justice across Britain
• To put in place French rule over England
• To avenge her father and restore his rights
• To defeat Edmund, Goneril, and Regan
 ACT 4 SCENE 5
SUMMARY
• Back at Gloucester's former palace, widowed Regan questions Oswald
about Goneril and Edmund. She pauses to explain that Edmund himself
has gone to kill Gloucester—whose pitiful appearance, blinded and
wandering, is turning the people against the British—and to also assess
the power of the French army. Then, she resumes pestering Oswald,
asking him to open the letter that he is carrying from Goneril to Edmund
and let her read it. Oswald refuses, but Regan insists that he take the
following news to Goneril: Cornwall is dead, Edmund and Regan have
spoken and concluded that it is more convenient for him to marry Regan
than her sister.
 ACT 4 SCENE 4
SUMMARY
• Regan concludes by saying that she will show favor to whoever kills "that
blind traitor" (41), Gloucester.. Oswald responds that if he runs into him
en route to Goneril, he will kill Gloucester. Then Oswald rushes off.
 ACT 4 SCENE 5
ANALYSIS

• Presumably, Regan desires Edmund both as a sex-object and as a

protector of her political power, now that she is a widow. Her persistent
selfishness, which led her to abuse her father, will now erode her bond
with her sister, with whom she has been united up to this point.

• Regan concludes by saying that she will show favor to whoever kills "that
blind traitor" (41), Gloucester.. Oswald responds that if he runs into him
en route to Goneril, he will kill Gloucester. Then Oswald rushes off.
 ACT 4 SCENE 5
QUIZ
• How does Regan's desire for Edmund affect her relationship with her sister Goneril?
• It strengthens their bond
• It causes them to become political allies
• It erodes the bond they have shared up to this point
• It has no significant impact on their relationship
• What does Regan's command to Oswald regarding the blind Gloucester reveal about her
character?
• Her underlying kindness
• Her cunning political acumen
• Her fundamental brutality
• Her desire for reconciliation
• What trait does Oswald display when he agrees to kill Gloucester if he encounters him?
• A capacity to do what needs to be done
• A willingness to obey powerful people
• A strong sense of justice and loyalty
• A desire for personal revenge
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
SUMMARY
• Edgar, now dressed as a peasant, pretends to lead Gloucester up a steep
cliff, while in fact they are going over flat ground. At the "summit" Edgar
gives a long speech on "how fearful and dizzy it is to cast one's eyes" (17)
over the edge. Taking his bait, Gloucester asks to be led to the cliff and,
giving Edgar a purse with a valuable jewel in it, asks him to go away.
Edgar does so, and says to himself that he is only playing with
Gloucester's despair in this way only in order to cure it.
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
SUMMARY
• Standing at the "edge" of the nonexistent cliff, Gloucester address the
"mighty gods": he is renouncing the world "in [their] sights" and that if
he could bear their "great opposeless wills" any longer, he would live
out his life (44-8). However, since he cannot, he asks them to bless
Edgar. Then he "leaps"—falling to the ground in a faint. Edgar now
pretends to be a new person who saw Gloucester leaps from the
"cliff," and approaches Gloucester. Although Gloucester asks to be left
alone, Edgar refuses: he keeps telling Gloucester that it is a miracle
that he has survived his fall and persuades Gloucester that the
creature that led him to the edge of the cliff was in fact the devil. "The
clearest gods," Edgar tells his father, "have preserved thee" (90-1).
• Even though he has suffered so much, Gloucester still believes that a
divine order exists. Speaking of the world in the gods' "sights," he
further describes them as spectators who have the ultimate insight
into human affairs. When Edgar approaches him after the "fall," he,
too, describes the gods as looking out for humans.
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
SUMMARY
• Lear enters, raving and mad. Edgar cannot help but exclaim in grief at his
appearance: "O, what a heart- breaking sight!" (104). Hearing Lear,
Gloucester recognizes his voice and calls out to him, asking to kiss the
king's hand. Lear, however, continues raving. Cordelia's gentleman and a
group of attendants enter. Spotting Lear, they entreat him to come to
Cordelia, but he flees. As Cordelia's men pursue Lear, Edgar asks one of
the Gentleman for an update. He reports that the battle between the
British forces of Edmund, Goneril, and Regan and the French force led by
Cordelia is imminent.*(fast – approaching)
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
SUMMARY
• Gloucester begs the "ever-gentle gods" (241) for forgiveness for his
attempted suicide. Edgar approaches him. As he takes Gloucester's
hand, however, Oswald appears. Rejoicing to have spotted the
"eyeless head" (254) of Gloucester—who Regan bid him to kill in 4.5—
he draws his sword. Edgar intercedes, still in the persona of a peasant.
Puzzled that a peasant would risk himself for a traitor, Oswald orders
Edgar to stand down. They fight; Edgar kills Oswald. As he dies, he
asks Edgar to take the money in his purse and bury him, and take the
letters therein and deliver them to Edmund, Earl of Gloucester.
• Edgar opens Oswald's purse and reads the letter in it—which is from
Goneril to Edmund, attempting to persuade him to murder Albany and
marry her. Shocked, Edgar resolves to head off and find the
"murderous lechers" (304) Edmund and Goneril, and eventually to
reveal all to Albany. He approaches Gloucester, who has been
privately grieving to himself, and, calling him "father," takes his hand
and leads him away.
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
ANALYSIS
• Showing exemplary dutifulness to his father, Edgar encourages him to
believe one further illusion, which, however, should cure him of his woes.
On stage, Edgar's description of the huge hill where there is none sounds,
however, almost as deluded as Lear's mad ravings.
• Even though he has suffered so much, Gloucester still believes that a
divine order exists. Speaking of the world in the gods' "sights," he further
describes them as spectators who have the ultimate insight into human
affairs. When Edgar approaches him after the "fall," he, too, describes the
gods as looking out for humans.
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
ANALYSIS
• Raving mad, Lear fulfills his own worries before the storm and the
prophecy of the Fool in 1.4 that he would become like a Fool playing word
games. Edgar sees Lear's madness as a symbol of the current dissolution
of Britain. The imminent battle indicates that that dissolution, in one form
or another, is about to come to a head.
• Right after Gloucester has evoked the gods as spectators and protectors,
Edgar is brave enough to stand up and defend his father, despite his
father's former misjudgment and mistreatment of him. In his selflessness,
Edgar's actions parallel Cordelia's. The self-interested and ambitious
Oswald, failing to recognize Edgar, is puzzled by his gesture of selfless
devotion.
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
ANALYSIS
• The coincidental confrontation with Oswald gives Edgar insight into all the
machinations taking place between Lear's children, as their personal
allegiances fall apart in the political chaos they have created. But,
meanwhile, Edgar has now revealed himself to his father, restoring that
family bond.
 LITERARY DEVICES
• Dialogue: The passage primarily consists of dialogue between Gloucester and Edgar,
which reveals their thoughts, emotions, and actions.
• Imagery: Vivid imagery is used to describe the setting, such as the steep hill, the
fishermen on the beach appearing as small as mice, and the sense of dizziness and
blurred sight.
• Metaphor: Edgar pretends that they are on a cliff, which serves as a metaphor for
Gloucester's mental and emotional state, as well as his impending physical fall
• .Irony: There's irony in Gloucester's mistaken perception of the situation, thinking
he's on level ground when he's actually on the brink of a cliff, as well as in Edgar's
deception to cure his father's despair by pretending to lead him to his death.
• Foreshadowing: Edgar's actions and dialogue foreshadow Gloucester's literal fall
from the cliff and subsequent blindness.
• Symbolism: The cliff symbolizes Gloucester's desperation and desire to end his
suffering, as well as his figurative fall from grace.
• Dramatic irony: The audience knows more about the situation than Gloucester does,
especially regarding Edgar's true identity and intentions, adding tension and depth
to the scene.
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
QUIZ
• What is Edgar's purpose in pretending to lead Gloucester up a steep cliff?
• To take revenge on his father
• To cure Gloucester's despair
• To give Gloucester a merciful death
• To reveal his true identity
• What does Gloucester ask the "mighty gods" to do before he "leaps"?
• To punish his enemies
• To restore his sight
• To bless Edgar
• To take revenge on Edmund
• When Oswald tries to kill Gloucester, what does Edgar do?
• He watches from a distance
• He runs away to find help
• He intercedes and fights Oswald
• He tries to reason with Oswald
 ACT 4 SCENE 6
QUIZ
• What does the dying Oswald ask Edgar to do?
• To apologize to Regan for his failure
• To deliver the letters he carries to Edmund
• To warn Cordelia of the impending danger
• To seek revenge on those who wronged him
• After reading the letter that Oswald was carrying from Goneril to Edmund,
what does Edgar decide to do?
• Confront Goneril and Edmund himself
• Try to stop the battle based on what he has learned
• Reveal everything to Albany
• Hide the letter and use it later to get revenge on Edmund
 ACT 4 SCENE 7
SUMMARY
• Back in the French camp, Cordelia thanks Kent for all the service that he
has shown her father and asks him to take off his peasant's clothing.
However, Kent insists, he must remain in disguise for a short while longer.
Cordelia then asks the Doctor how her father is doing. The Doctor replies
that he is asleep. Cordelia prays: "O, you kind gods,/ Cure this great breach
in his abused nature" (16-7). The Doctor says that they will wake him up.
Two servants enter, carrying Lear on a chair. The Doctor cues for music to
be played. Cordelia kisses her father while commenting on her
astonishment at her sisters' cruelty in throwing Lear out into the storm:
"Mine enemy's dog,/ Though he had bit me, should have stood that night/
Against my fire" (42-4).
• Cordelia shows decency, and the faith in the gods, exhibited primarily by
older characters in the play, such as Lear and Gloucester. Like Lear, too,
she marvels at the unkindness of her sisters using an animal comparison
(she would have been kinder to her enemy's dog than they were to their
own father). That she would be kind to an enemy's dog reflects her innate
and a-political sense of decency and justice.
 ACT 4 SCENE 7
• At the doctor's urging and with music, Lear wakes up, at first unsure
whether he is alive or dead. Cordelia asks him to look at her and give
her his benediction. He fears he is "not in [his] perfect mind" (72) but
believes that the woman in front of him is Cordelia. She assures him
that she is and that he is in his own kingdom. Cordelia asks him to
take a walk with her. Begging her to "forget and forgive," because he
is "old and foolish" (99), he accepts. They exit.
• Kent remains on stage with a Gentleman. They discuss the state of the
battle: Edmund is leading the British force. The Gentleman states that
there is a rumor that Kent himself is with Edgar in Germany. After he
has departed, Kent remarks that the outcome of his ruse, disguising
himself, will depend on how the day's battle is fought.
 ACT 4 SCENE 7
ANALYSIS
• Cordelia shows decency, and the faith in the gods, exhibited primarily by
older characters in the play, such as Lear and Gloucester. Like Lear, too,
she marvels at the unkindness of her sisters using an animal comparison
(she would have been kinder to her enemy's dog than they were to their
own father). That she would be kind to an enemy's dog reflects her innate
and a-political sense of decency and justice.
• Upon first waking up, unsure of his state, Lear is reluctant to trust the
senses, which have so misled him—both when he misjudged his children
and in his madness. The reunion between Lear and Cordelia joyfully
restores the family bond trampled on everywhere else in the play up to
this point.
 ACT 4 SCENE 7
ANALYSIS
• The Gentleman's failure to recognize Kent, however, reminds the
audience that many of the misrecognitions and blindnesses of the play
have yet to be resolved as the conflict comes to a head
 ACT 4 SCENE 7
QUIZ
• What does Cordelia use as an example to express her disbelief in her sisters' cruelty
toward Lear?
• An abandoned child
• A wounded soldier
• An enemy's dog
• A starving wolf
• What does Lear ask Cordelia to do as they prepare to take a walk together?
• To never leave him again
• To restore his kingdom
• To forgive him
• To avenge their loss
• What rumor does the Gentleman share with Kent?
• That Albany is planning to betray Edmund
• That Kent is with Edgar in Germany
• That Goneril and Regan may turn on each other
• That Cordelia will restore Lear to the throne if she wins
 ACT 5 SCENE 1
SUMMARY
• Edmund, leading the British forces with Regan, sends a messenger to
Albany to confirm that Albany will send his forces to join theirs. Regan,
meanwhile, pesters Edmund about whether or not he has been intimate
with Goneril.
• Edmund tells Regan not to fear, just as Albany and Goneril approach.
• Goneril remarks to herself that she would rather lose the battle to the
French than have Regan come between her and Edmand.
• Although Albany stresses that he is joining them against their common
enemy of the French, not because he approves of their treatment of Lear
and Gloucester, he and Goneril join Edmund and Regan.
 ACT 5 SCENE 1
SUMMARY
• Edmund says he will join Albany shortly at his tent. Regan forces Goneril
to walk off with her.
• As the others depart, Edgar, still in disguise as a beggar, approaches
Albany. Edgar gives Albany the letter from Goneril to Edmund that he
intercepted from Oswald, and tells Albany to read it before the battle.
Then, Edgar says, if the British side wins, Albany must have a herald
sound a trumpet and Edgar will appear again
 ACT 5 SCENE 1
SUMMARY
• Just as Albany is starting to read( the letter of Goneril given to him by
Edgar), Edmund appears and hands him a report describing the strength
of the French army. Albany takes it and exits, hurriedly.
• Alone on stage, Edmund explains that he has sworn his love to both
Goneril and Regan and muses about which it would be more convenient
for him to marry. Resolving to leave that problem for the time being, he
further reveals that, if the British are victorious, although Albany wishes
to spare Lear and Cordelia, he never will.
 ACT 5 SCENE 1
ANALYSIS
• Goneril's obsessive jealousy of Edmund, and Regan's suspicion of Goneril,
show the accelerating decay of their relationship and alliance. Albany,
meanwhile, stresses that he is only temporarily suspending his principles
voiced in 4.2 for the sake of maintaining the integrity of the British
kingdoms. (He has not changed in his disapproval of the 'tiger
daughters.’)
• By delivering the letter to Albany, Edgar will grant Albany full insight into
his wife's character—and how her treachery will violate their marriage as
well as her familial bonds. Edgar, meanwhile, is laying in place the plan to
avenge himself on his brother.
 ACT 5 SCENE 1
• Edmund's deceit of the two sisters reveals that they, too, are capable of
misjudging. Edmund's malicious opportunism has an almost unlimited
depth, even when compared to such treacherous people as Goneril and
Regan.
 ACT 5 SCENE 1
QUIZ
• How can the British army led by Edmund, Regan, Goneril, and Albany be
best described
• Unified by its opposition to the invading French
• Focused on its duty to protect Britain
• Split by internal dissent and rivalry
• All of the above
• What does Goneril remark to herself regarding the battle against the
French and her relationship with Edmund?
• She hopes to win the battle and marry Edmund
• She is worried about Edmund's safety in the battle
• She thinks the battle will prove her loyalty to Edmund
• She would rather lose the battle than lose Edmund
 ACT 5 SCENE 1
QUIZ
• What does the disguised Edgar ask Albany to do before the battle?
• Confront Goneril and Edmund
• Read the letter he gave him
• Have a herald sound a trumpet
• Join forces with the French
• What do Edmund's musings before the battle about his plans if the British
win reveal about him?
• He is entirely selfish and opportunistic
• He is motivated entirely by the desire for revenge
• He seeks the downfall of the current political order
• All of the above
 ACT 5 SCENE 2
• Edgar leads Gloucester to the shade of a tree, so that he can rest there
during the battle. Then Edgar leaves his father, assuring that if he ever
returns again, he will bring him comfort. He exits. After the sound of an
alarm signaling a retreat, Edgar appears onstage again. He reports that
the French forces have lost and Lear and Cordelia have been taken
prisoner. Gloucester says that he would like to die and rot on the spot, but
Edgar insists on leading him along.
 ACT 5 SCENE 2
ANALYSIS
• Edgar leads Gloucester to the shade of a tree, so that he can rest there
during the battle. Then Edgar leaves his father, assuring that if he ever
returns again, he will bring him comfort. He exits. After the sound of an
alarm signaling a retreat, Edgar appears onstage again. He reports that
the French forces have lost and Lear and Cordelia have been taken
prisoner. Gloucester says that he would like to die and rot on the spot, but
Edgar insists on leading him along.
 ACT 5 SCENE 2
QUIZ
• Where does Edgar take Gloucester to rest during the battle?
• Under a tree
• Inside a tent
• Beside a river
• In a cave
• What aspect of the play does Shakespeare emphasize by keeping the
battle between the English and the French offstage?
• Political intrigue
• The nature of kingship
• Familial relationships
• The consequences of war
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
SUMMARY
• Edmund orders that the captured Lear and Cordelia be taken away to
prison. Cordelia, speaking with Lear, wonders if they should ask to see
Goneril and Regan. But Lear, delighted to be with Cordelia again, says no.
He says that they will enjoy prison, where they can laugh and sing and
tell old stories and mock the courtiers and their petty political gossip. He
says that in prison they will live longer than "hordes" of rulers who will
come and go on the whims of fortune. They exit. As they go, Edmund
calls back a Captain, one of the soldiers accompanying them and hands
him a letter, instructing him that if he kills Lear and Cordelia he will gain
"noble fortunes" (35). The Captain says that he will do it.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
• Albany, Goneril, Regan and other soldiers enter to the sound of a flourish
from a trumpet. Albany asks to have Lear and Cordelia brought to him so
that they can be protected until they can be judged. Edmund explains
that he has already sent them off. Albany reminds Edmund that he does
not think of him as a brother, yet, but merely as an ally in the war. Regan
interjects that she will give him herself and her property—all he requires
to become Albany's brother. Goneril interjects that Regan should not get
ahead of herself, and the two descend into squabbling, which Regan cuts
off only because she feels sick to her stomach. In brief, she tells Edmund
that he can take her soldiers, prisoners, and inheritance; she here makes
him her "lord and master" (92).
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
SUMMARY
• Albany cuts all off when he announces that he is placing Edmund, as well as
Regan, under arrest for capital treason. Albany calls for his men to let the
trumpet sound and throws down his glove: if no one appears to fight with
Edmund, in order to avenge his treasons, Albany vows that he himself will do
so. As this is going on, off to one side, Regan grows increasingly sick. Goneril
remarks to herself that Regan had better be sick—Goneril herself has poisoned
her out of jealousy over Edmund. Denying that he is a traitor, Edmund accepts
the challenge, throwing down his glove, as Regan is helped to exit.
• While Albany is setting the stage for Edgar's revenge on Edmund, he is also
living up to his vow in 4.2 that he would avenge Lear's suffering and
Gloucester's lost eyes. His gesture, undertaken out of a sense of desire to
guarantee just order by his authority, takes place just as the subplot between
Goneril and Regan comes to a head, breaking their sisterly bond forever.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
• A herald reads a declaration calling for any man who would like to declare
that Edmund is a traitor to come forth. He sounds the trumpet three
times. On the third sounding, Edgar enters, armed (with his face
covered). He refuses to identify himself: he has lost his name, he says,
because of treason. Yet, he says, he is noble and will fight to prove
Edmund a traitor. Edmund accepts. They fight. Edmund is wounded.
When Edmund falls, Goneril becomes hysterical, cursing Edmund because
he was not obligated by the laws of war to accept a challenge from an
unknown assailant. Albany cuts her off, brandishing the letter that she
wrote to Edmund, plotting against his life. Goneril shuts him up,
reminding him that political power is hers, not his. She exits. Noting that
she seems hysterical, Albany sends a soldier after her.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
• Encouraging the fallen Edmund to "exchange charity" (200) with him, Edgar then
identifies himself, concluding that "the gods are just, and of our pleasant vices/
Make instruments to plague us" (204-5), observing that Gloucester was punished for
his adultery with Edmund's mother by the loss of his eyes. Edmund agrees: "the
wheel is come full circle" (209). Edgar then explains everything that happened. He
finishes by describing how he revealed himself to his father only right before
leaving to fight Edmund. Gloucester, unable to bear his mixture of joy and grief,
died on the spot. Edgar adds that Kent came upon them, as Gloucester was dying,
and revealed himself as having served Lear in disguise, all this time.
• Edgar, after revealing himself and ending the deception of his disguise, invokes the
gods to explain that all the suffering that has happened is part of a just order that
has now restored him to his rightful place. Edgar's revelation of Kent's identity
furthers the process of unveilings that need to take place before all characters gain
insight into everything that the audience (or the gods as divine spectators) have
seen.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
• As Edgar is wrapping up his story, a Gentleman runs in, crying for help,
with a bloody knife. He exclaims that he has just taken it from the heart of
Goneril—who, after confessing to having poisoned Regan, committed
suicide. Edmund confesses that he had pledged to wed both, and that now
all three will be united in death. Albany orders the Gentleman to bring in
the bodies. As he speeds off to do so, Kent arrives asking to see Lear.
Reminded, Albany asks Edmund where Lear and Cordelia can be found.
Edmund, saying he would like to do some good before he dies, orders them
to send someone quickly to the king and his daughter—for he has written
instructions for his Captain to kill them (earlier in 5.3). Edmund gives the
messenger-soldier his sword, as a sign of the authenticity of the message.
He explains that he instructed his soldier to hang her, and make it look like
suicide, as Albany orders that he be carried off.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
• At this moment, Lear enters with Cordelia's body in his arms, crying: "Howl, howl,
howl […] she's gone forever" (309-11). Although, he explains, half-mad, he killed
the man who hanged her, he did so too late to save her. Then, seeing Kent, he
asks, confused, who he is, noting that his "eyes are not o' th' best" (337). Kent
identifies himself and explains that he has been serving Lear, in disguise as his
servant Caius, all this time. Kent also reports to Lear that his two other daughters
have committed suicide, but Lear does not seem to understand. Albany quiet Kent,
pointing out that it is no use to attempt to explain such things to Lear now.
• Lear is so devastated to be confronted with the loss of his one loyal child—a loss
that ultimately resulted from his own misjudging her at the beginning of the play—
that he can hardly process the fact that his entire family has now been annihilated.
His confusion upon seeing Kent revealed, like his confusion upon waking up and
being reunited with Cordelia in 4.7, reminds the audience that he is half-mad.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
• Albany orders that the corpses on stage be carried away, so that all can
begin their general mourning. He then tells Kent and Edgar that they will
rule over and rebuild Britain. Kent, however, says that he, too, must soon
commit suicide in order to rejoin his master. Edgar announces that they
all must learn the lessons of these sad times, "to speak what we feel, not
what we ought to say." He concludes: "The oldest have borne most. We
that are young shall never see so much nor live so long" (393-4).
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
ANALYSIS
• Reunited with Cordelia, Lear seems to see prison as offering the same
kind of opportunity that he thought he would get by giving up power: an
escape from political responsibility that will let him stand outside the
usual rules of the court and be amused by it. Yet Lear's idea is based on
an assumption that, as tradition and custom dictates, Edmund will treat
his prisoners well until they can stand trial. But Edmund cares only about
power, not tradition, and he plays off the greed and ambition of others,
such as the Captain, to corrupt them too.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
ANALYSIS
• A messenger enters, reporting that Edmund is dead. Albany brushes off
this "trifle" (359), then declares that, for the duration of Lear's life, they
will return absolute power to him and all will be rewarded or revenged
upon, according to their behavior. Lear, however, descends into raving
with grief over Cordelia: "Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life,/ And
thou no breath at all?" he asks. "Thou'lt come no more,/ Never, never,
never, never never" (370-2). He faints with grief; as he does, Kent prays
that Lear's heart break, finally releasing him. Lear dies.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
ANALYSIS
• Edgar initially obscures his identity because he feels he lost it, when he
was disinherited by his father and forced to take on the vagrant character
of Poor Tom. With Edgar's rightful revenge on Edmund, the tides start to
turn from the lowpoint (where Cordelia and the French lost their battle)
back toward a restoration of just order in England. It is ironic that Edmund
is killed because he himself is deceived by a disguise, and does not
recognize his brother Edgar as his challenger. Finally, the rules and rituals
of the duel between Edgar and Edmund can be seen as symbolizing the
re-establishment of the social and legal order that had been trampled but
not entirely destroyed by the foolishness of Lear and the selfishness of
Regan, Goneril, and Edmund.
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
QUIZ
• What does Lear believe about his time in prison with Cordelia?
• They will suffer as they deserve to for losing the battle
• They will be uncomfortable but safe from further harm
• They will enjoy their time together free from politics
• They will be in constant danger
• What does Albany request that Edmund do regarding Lear and Cordelia?
• Execute them immediately
• Bring them to him for protection until they can be judged
• Keep them imprisoned until they can be brought to trial
• Banish them from the kingdom
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
QUIZ
• What is the cause of Regan's discomfort after the battle?
• Goneril poisoned her
• A sudden onset of an illness
• A wound from the battle
• It is a ruse to avoid punishment from Albany
• On what grounds does Albany arrest Edmund and Regan?
• Poisoning Goneril
• Disloyalty to their father
• Betraying Britain
• Capital treason
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
QUIZ
• What can the rules and rituals of the duel between Edgar and Edmund be
interpreted as symbolizing?
• The traditional British social order Edmund had tried to destroy
• The legal loopholes Edmund had tried to use to disinherit Edgar
• The reliance on tradition rather than insight that had blinded Lear
• All of the above
• After defeating Edmund, what does Edgar say about the gods' role in the
events that transpired?
• The gods are fickle and play with humans for their own pleasure
• The gods are indifferent to human suffering
• The gods are just and use human vices to enact their own punishments
• The gods have no influence over human actions
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
QUIZ
• What happened to Goneril after confessing to poisoning Regan?
• She was arrested and imprisoned
• She was executed by Albany
• She fled the kingdom
• She committed suicide
• How does Lear react to Kent's revelation of Goneril and Regan's suicides?
• He expresses deep sorrow
• He is vengeful and angry
• He does not understand
• He is relieved and at peace
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
QUIZ
• After the deaths of Edmund, Goneril, and Regan, what does Albany
declare?
• Lear will return to power for the duration of his life
• He will take the throne himself and rule justly
• He intends to divide power between himself and Lear
• He will take the throne and consult Lear on minor matters
• How does Lear die?
• He is killed by Albany
• He dies from grief
• He is murdered
• He commits suicide
 ACT 5 SCENE 3
QUIZ
• For what implied reason does Albany suggest that Kent and Edgar should jointly rule
Britain?
• They are the two highest ranking noblemen left after the war
• They have the best claim to the throne through their blood relationships to Lear
• They were the only two people to always behave nobly
• All of the above
• What do Edgar's comments, as he ascends to the throne, that everyone should "speak
what we feel, not what we ought to say" and that "the oldest have borne most" indicate?
• As a leader he will return Britain to a reverence of honesty and the older generations
• As a leader he will rule more competently than the Lear did in his old age
• As a leader he will not be influenced by flatterers or stories of victimhood
• As a leader he will protect the commoners of Britain from exploitation by the powerful