Authors: William Shakespeare
Storm still
LEAR
Thou wert better in a grave than to
answer
96
with thy
uncovered body this extremity of the skies. Is man no more
than this? Consider him well. Thou ow’st the worm no silk,
the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the
cat no perfume
99
. Ha?
Here’s three
on’s
are
sophisticated
100
. Thou art the thing itself:
unaccommodated
101
man is no more but such a poor bare,
forked animal as thou art. Off, off, you
lendings
102
! Come,
unbutton here.
Tears off his clothes
Enter Gloucester with a torch
FOOL
Prithee, nuncle, be contented: ’tis a
naughty
104
night
to swim in. Now a little fire in a wild field were like an old
lecher’s heart, a small spark, all the rest on’s body cold. Look,
here comes a
walking fire
107
.
EDGAR
This is the foul
Flibbertigibbet
: he begins at
curfew
108
and walks till the first
cock
: he gives the
web and the pin
109
,
squints
110
the eye and makes the hare-lip, mildews the white
wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth.
Chants?
Swithold
footed thrice
the
old
112
,
He met the
nightmare
and her
nine-fold
113
;
Bid her alight,
And,
aroint
116
thee, witch, aroint thee!
KENT
How fares your grace?
LEAR
What’s
118
he?
KENT
Who’s there? What is’t you seek?
GLOUCESTER
What are you there? Your names?
EDGAR
Poor Tom, that eats the swimming frog, the toad,
the tadpole, the
wall-newt
and the
water
122
, that in the fury of
his heart, when the foul fiend rages, eats cow-dung for
salads, swallows the old rat and the
ditch-dog
124
, drinks the
green
mantle
of the
standing
pool, who is
whipped
125
from
tithing
126
to tithing, and stocked, punished and imprisoned,
who hath had
three suits to his back, six shirts
127
to his body:
Horse to ride, and weapon to wear,
But mice and rats and such small
deer
129
Have been Tom’s food for seven long year.
Beware my follower. Peace,
Smulkin
131
, peace, thou fiend!
GLOUCESTER
What, hath your grace no better company?
EDGAR
The prince of darkness
is a gentleman:
Modo he’s
133
called, and Mahu.
To Lear
GLOUCESTER
Our
flesh and blood
, my lord, is grown so
vile
135
,
That it doth hate what
gets
136
it.
EDGAR
Poor Tom’s a-cold.
GLOUCESTER
Go in with me: my duty cannot suffer
T’obey in all your daughters’ hard commands:
Though their injunction be to bar my doors
And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you,
Yet have I ventured to come seek you out
And bring you where both fire and food is ready.
LEAR
First let me talk with this philosopher.—
To Edgar
What is the cause of thunder?
KENT
Good my lord, take his offer: go into th’house.
LEAR
I’ll talk a word with this same learnèd
Theban
147
.—
To Edgar
What is your study?
EDGAR
How to
prevent
149
the fiend and to kill vermin.
They talk apart
LEAR
Let me ask you one word in private.
To Gloucester
KENT
Importune
151
him once more to go, my lord:
His wits begin
t’unsettle
152
.
GLOUCESTER
Canst thou blame him?
Storm still
His daughters seek his death. Ah, that good Kent!
He said it would be thus, poor banished man!
Thou sayest the king grows mad: I’ll tell thee, friend,
I am almost mad myself. I had a son,
Now outlawed from my
blood
158
: he sought my life
But lately, very late. I loved him, friend:
No father his son dearer. True to tell thee,
The grief hath crazed my wits. What a night’s this!—
To Lear
I do beseech your grace—
LEAR
O,
cry you mercy
163
, sir.—
To Edgar
Noble philosopher, your company.
EDGAR
Tom’s a-cold.
To Edgar
GLOUCESTER
In, fellow, there, into th’hovel: keep thee warm.
LEAR
Come let’s in all.
KENT
This way, my lord.
LEAR
With him;
I will
keep still
170
with my philosopher.
To Gloucester
KENT
Good my lord,
soothe
171
him: let him take the fellow.
To Kent
GLOUCESTER
Take
him you on
172
.
To Edgar
KENT
Sirrah, come on: go along with us.
LEAR
Come, good
Athenian
174
.
GLOUCESTER
No words, no words: hush.
EDGAR
Child Rowland to the dark tower came
176
,
His
word
was
still
:
fie, foh and fum,
177
I smell the blood of a British man.
Exeunt
running scene 9
Enter Cornwall and Edmund
CORNWALL
I will have my revenge ere I depart
his
1
house.
EDMUND
How, my lord, I may be censured, that
nature
2
thus
gives way to loyalty,
something fears
3
me to think of.
CORNWALL
I now perceive it was not altogether your brother’s
evil disposition made him seek
his
death, but a
provoking
5
merit set a-work by a reprovable badness in himself.
EDMUND
How malicious is my fortune — that I must repent
to be
8
just! This is the letter which he spoke of
Shows a letter
which
approves
him
an intelligent party
9
to the advantages of
France. O heavens! That this treason were not, or not I the
detector!
CORNWALL
Go with me to the duchess.
EDMUND
If the matter of this paper be certain, you have
mighty business in hand.
CORNWALL
True or false, it hath made thee Earl of Gloucester.
Seek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our
Aside
EDMUND
If I find him comforting the king, it will stuff
his suspicion
19
more fully.— I will persevere in my course of
loyalty, though the conflict be sore between that and my
blood.
CORNWALL
I will lay trust upon thee, and thou shalt find a dear
father in my love.
Exeunt
running scene 10
Enter Kent and Gloucester
GLOUCESTER
Here is better than the open air, take it thankfully. I
will
piece out
2
the comfort with what addition I can: I will not
be long from you.
Exit
KENT
All the power of his wits have given way to his
impatience
5
: the gods reward your kindness!
Enter Lear, Edgar and Fool
Edgar disguised as Poor Tom
EDGAR
Frateretto
calls me, and tells me Nero is an
angler
6
in
the
lake of darkness
7
. Pray, innocent, and beware the foul
fiend.
FOOL
Prithee, nuncle, tell me whether a madman be a
gentleman or a
yeoman
10
?
LEAR
A king, a king!
FOOL
No, he’s a yeoman that has a gentleman
to
12
his son,
for he’s a
mad
13
yeoman that sees his son a gentleman before
him.
LEAR
To have
a thousand
15
with red burning spits
EDGAR
Bless thy five wits!
KENT
O pity! Sir, where is the patience now
That you so oft have boasted to retain?
Aside
EDGAR
My tears begin to take his part so much
LEAR
The little dogs and all,
Trey, Blanch and Sweetheart
23
, see, they bark at me.
EDGAR
Tom will
throw his head
at them.
Avaunt
24
, you curs!
Be thy mouth
or black or
25
white,
Tooth that
poisons
26
if it bite,
Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel
grim
27
,
Hound or spaniel,
brach
or
him
28
,
Or
bobtail tyke
or
trundle-tail
29
,
Tom will make him weep and wail:
For, with throwing thus my head,
Dogs leapt the
hatch
32
, and all are fled.
Do de, de, de
.
Sessa!
Come, march to
wakes
33
and fairs and
market towns. Poor Tom, thy
horn
34
is dry.
LEAR
Then let them
anatomize
35
Regan: see what breeds
about her heart. Is there any cause in nature that make
To Edgar
these hard hearts?— You, sir, I
entertain
37
for one of
my hundred; only I do not like the fashion of your garments:
you will say they are
Persian
39
; but let them be changed.
Enter Gloucester
At a distance
KENT
Now, good my lord, lie here and rest awhile.
LEAR
Make no noise, make no noise: draw the
curtains
41
.
So, so, we’ll go to supper i’th’morning.
Sleeps
FOOL
And I’ll go to bed at noon.
To Kent
GLOUCESTER
Come hither, friend: where is the king my master?
KENT
Here, sir, but trouble him not: his wits are gone.
GLOUCESTER
Good friend, I prithee take him in thy arms;
I have o’erheard a plot of death upon him:
There is a
litter
48
ready, lay him in’t
And drive toward
Dover
49
, friend, where thou shalt meet
Both welcome and protection. Take up thy master:
If thou shouldst dally half an hour, his life,
With thine and all that offer to defend him,
Stand in assurèd loss. Take up, take up,
They carry Lear
And follow me, that will
to some provision
54
Give thee quick conduct. Come, come, away.
Exeunt
running scene 11
Enter Cornwall, Regan, Goneril, Bastard [Edmund] and Servants
To Goneril
CORNWALL
Post
1
speedily to my lord your husband;
Gives a letter
show him this letter: the army of France is
landed.— Seek out the traitor Gloucester.
[Exeunt some Servants]
REGAN
Hang him instantly.
GONERIL
Pluck out his eyes.
CORNWALL
Leave him to my displeasure. Edmund, keep you our
sister
7
company: the revenges we are bound to take upon
your traitorous father are not fit for your beholding.
Advise
8
the
duke
where you are going, to a most
festinate
9
preparation: we are bound to the like. Our
posts
10
shall be swift
and
intelligent
11
betwixt us. Farewell, dear sister: farewell, my