King Lear (5 page)

Knights attendant upon Lear, other Attendants, Messengers, Soldiers, Servants, and Trumpeters

KENT
    I thought the king had more
affected
¹
the Duke of

Albany than Cornwall.

GLOUCESTER
    It did always seem so to us: but now in the division

of the kingdom it appears not which of the dukes he values

most, for
qualities are so weighed that curiosity in neither
⁵

can make choice of either’s moiety.

KENT
    Is not this your son, my lord?

GLOUCESTER
    His
breeding
⁸
, sir, hath been at my charge. I have so

often blushed to acknowledge him that now I am
brazed
⁹
to’t.

KENT
    I cannot
conceive
¹⁰
you.

GLOUCESTER
    Sir, this young fellow’s mother could; whereupon

she grew round-wombed and had indeed, sir, a son for her

cradle
ere
¹³
she had a husband for her bed. Do you smell a

fault
¹⁴
?

KENT
    I cannot wish the fault
undone
¹⁵
, the issue of it being

so
proper
¹⁶
.

GLOUCESTER
    But I have a son, sir,
by order of law
,
some
¹⁷
year elder

than this, who yet is no
dearer
in my
account
¹⁸
, though this

knave came something saucily to the world before he was

sent for: yet was his mother fair, there was good sport at his

making and the
whoreson
²¹
must be acknowledged.— Do you

know this noble gentleman, Edmund?

EDMUND
    No, my lord.

GLOUCESTER
    My lord of Kent: remember him hereafter as my

honourable friend.

EDMUND
    My services to your lordship.

KENT
    I must love you, and
sue
²⁷
to know you better.

EDMUND
    Sir, I shall study
deserving
²⁸
.

GLOUCESTER
    He hath been
out
²⁹
nine years, and away he shall

again. The king is coming.

LEAR
    
Attend
³¹
the lords of France and Burgundy,

Gloucester.

GLOUCESTER
    I shall, my lord.

LEAR
    Meantime we shall express our
darker
³⁴
purpose.

Give me the map there.

In three our kingdom, and ’tis our
fast intent
³⁶

To shake all cares and
business
³⁷
from our age,

Conferring them on younger strengths while we

Unburdened crawl toward death. Our
son
³⁹
of Cornwall,

And you our no less loving son of Albany,

We have this hour a
constant will
to
publish
⁴¹

Our daughters’
several dowers
,
that
⁴²
future strife

May be prevented now. The princes, France and Burgundy,

Great rivals in our youngest daughter’s love,

Long in our court have made their amorous
sojourn
⁴⁵

And here are to be answered. Tell me, my daughters —

Since now we will divest us both of rule,

Interest
⁴⁸
of territory, cares of state —

Which of you shall we say doth love us most,

That we our largest
bounty
⁵⁰
may extend

Where
nature doth with merit challenge
⁵¹
? Goneril,

Our eldest born, speak first.

GONERIL
    Sir, I love you more than word can
wield
⁵³
the matter,

Dearer than eyesight, space and liberty,

Beyond what can be valued rich or rare,

No less than life, with
grace
⁵⁶
, health, beauty, honour:

As much as child e’er loved or father found:

A love that
makes breath poor
and speech
unable
⁵⁸
:

Beyond
all manner of so much
⁵⁹
I love you.

CORDELIA
    What shall Cordelia speak? Love and be silent.

Points to the map

LEAR
    Of all these
bounds
⁶¹
, even from this line to this,

With
shadowy
forests and with
champaigns riched
⁶²
,

With plenteous rivers and
wide-skirted meads
⁶³
,

We make thee lady. To thine and Albany’s issues

Be this perpetual.— What says our second daughter?

Our dearest Regan, wife of Cornwall?

REGAN
    I am made of that
self-mettle
⁶⁷
as my sister,

And
prize me at her worth
⁶⁸
. In my true heart,

I find she names my very
deed
⁶⁹
of love:

Only she comes too short,
that
⁷⁰
I profess

Myself an enemy to all other joys

Which the most precious
square of sense
⁷²
professes,

And find I am
alone felicitate
⁷³

In your dear highness’ love.

CORDELIA
    Then poor Cordelia:

And yet not so, since I am sure my love’s

More
ponderous
⁷⁷
than my tongue.

LEAR
    To thee and thine
hereditary
⁷⁸
ever

Remain this ample third of our fair kingdom,

No less in space,
validity
⁸⁰
and pleasure

Than that conferred on Goneril.— Now, our joy,

Although our last and least, to whose young love

The
vines of France and milk of Burgundy
⁸³

Strive to be
interessed
, what can you say to
draw
⁸⁴

A third more opulent than your sisters’? Speak.

CORDELIA
    Nothing, my lord.

LEAR
    Nothing?

CORDELIA
    Nothing.

LEAR
    Nothing will come of nothing: speak again.

CORDELIA
    Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave

My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty

According to my
bond
⁹²
, no more nor less.

LEAR
    How, how, Cordelia?
Mend
⁹³
your speech a little,

Lest you may
mar
⁹⁴
your fortunes.

CORDELIA
    Good my lord,

You have
begot
me,
bred
⁹⁶
me, loved me:

I return those duties back as are right fit,

Obey you, love you and most honour you.

Why have my sisters husbands if they say

They love you all? Happily when I shall wed,

That lord whose hand must take my
plight
¹⁰¹
shall carry

Half my love with him, half my care and duty:

Sure I shall never marry like my sisters.

LEAR
    But goes thy heart with this?

CORDELIA
    Ay, my good lord.

LEAR
    So young and so
untender
¹⁰⁶
?

CORDELIA
    So young, my lord, and true.

LEAR
    Let it be so: thy truth then be thy dower,

For by the sacred radiance of the sun,

The mysteries of
Hecate
¹¹⁰
and the night,

By all the
operation
of the
orbs
¹¹¹

From whom we do exist and cease to be,

Here I disclaim all my paternal care,

Propinquity and property of blood
¹¹⁴
,

And as a stranger to my heart and me

Hold thee from
this
for ever. The barbarous
Scythian
¹¹⁶
,

Or he that makes his
generation
messes
¹¹⁷

To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom

Be as well
neighboured
¹¹⁹
, pitied and relieved

As thou my
sometime
¹²⁰
daughter.

KENT
    Good my
liege
¹²¹
—

LEAR
    Peace, Kent:

Come not between the dragon and his wrath.

I loved her most, and thought to
set my rest
¹²⁴

On her
kind
nursery
.— Hence, and
avoid
¹²⁵
my sight!—

So be my grave my peace, as here I give

Her father’s heart from her. Call France.
Who stirs?
¹²⁷

Call Burgundy.— Cornwall and Albany,

With my two daughters’ dowers
digest
¹²⁹
the third.

Let pride, which she calls
plainness
,
marry her
¹³⁰
.

I do invest you jointly with my power,

Pre-eminence, and all the
large effects
¹³²

That
troop with
¹³³
majesty. Ourself by monthly course,

With reservation of
¹³⁴
an hundred knights

By you to be
sustained
¹³⁵
, shall our abode

Make with you by due turn: only we shall retain

The name and all
th’addition to
a king: the
sway
¹³⁷
,

Revenue, execution of the rest,

Belovèd sons, be yours, which to confirm,

This coronet part between you.

Gives them coronet to break in half

KENT
    Royal Lear,

Whom I have ever honoured as my king,

Loved as my father, as my master followed,

As my great patron thought on in my prayers—

LEAR
    The bow is bent and drawn,
make from the shaft
¹⁴⁵
.

KENT
    Let it fall rather, though the
fork
¹⁴⁶
invade

The region of my heart: be Kent unmannerly

When Lear is mad. What wouldst
thou
¹⁴⁸
do, old man?

Think’st thou that duty shall have dread to speak

When power to flattery bows? To plainness honour’s bound

When majesty falls to folly.
Reserve thy state
¹⁵¹
,

And
in thy best consideration
¹⁵²
check

This hideous rashness.
Answer my life my judgement
¹⁵³
:

Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least,

Nor are those empty-hearted whose low sounds

Reverb no hollowness
¹⁵⁶
.

LEAR
    Kent, on thy life, no more.

KENT
    My life I never
held
but as
pawn
¹⁵⁸

To
wage
¹⁵⁹
against thine enemies, ne’er fear to lose it,

Thy safety being motive.

LEAR
    Out of my sight!

KENT
    See better, Lear, and let me still remain

The true
blank
¹⁶³
of thine eye.

LEAR
    Now, by
Apollo
¹⁶⁴
—

KENT
    Now, by Apollo, king,

Thou swear’st thy gods in vain.

LEAR
    O,
vassal
!
Miscreant
¹⁶⁷
!

Puts his hand on his sword or attacks Kent

ALBANY
AND
CORDELIA
Dear sir,
forbear
¹⁶⁸
.

KENT
    
Kill thy physician, and thy fee bestow
¹⁶⁹

Upon the
foul disease
¹⁷⁰
. Revoke thy gift,

Or whilst I can vent clamour from my throat,

I’ll tell thee thou dost evil.

LEAR
    Hear me,
recreant
¹⁷³
, on thine allegiance hear me!

That
¹⁷⁴
thou hast sought to make us break our vows,

Which we
durst
never yet, and with
strained
¹⁷⁵
pride

To come betwixt our
sentences
¹⁷⁶
and our power,

Which
nor our nature nor
our
place
¹⁷⁷
can bear,

Our
potency
made good
¹⁷⁸
, take thy reward:

Five days we do allot thee for provision

To shield thee from
disasters
¹⁸⁰
of the world,

And on the sixth to turn thy hated back

Upon our kingdom: if on the next day following

Thy banished
trunk
¹⁸³
be found in our dominions,

The moment is thy death. Away! By
Jupiter
¹⁸⁴
,

This shall not be revoked.

KENT
    Fare thee well, king:
sith
¹⁸⁶
thus thou wilt appear,

Freedom lives hence and banishment is here.—