KING LEAR

KING LEAR
William Shakespeare

1. THREE DAUGHTERS OF KING LEAR

These events happened long ago when King Lear was ruling Britain.

King Lear had three daughters. Their names were Goneril, Regain and Cordelia. Now Lear was a very old man. He was over eighty years of age. He was tired of ruling his kingdom. He needed peace and rest. So he made up his mind to give up his throne and to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. But first he wanted to know how much they loved him.

At first Lear asked his eldest daughter. Goneril how much she loved him. She was the wife of the Duke of Albany. Goneril declared in front of the whole court. Sire I love you more than I can say. You are dearer to me than life itself. I love you with all my heart and I shall always love you so.”

Lear was satisfied. He called for the map of his kingdom and drew his finger found one third of it. “This part is yours.” He said to Goneril. “I give this to you and your heirs for ever.”

Lear then asked his second daughter the same questions. Regan was the wife of the duke of Cornwall. She declared, “Sire, I love you as much as my sister does. Indeed, I love you more my only happiness is in loving you. My love for you will never change.”

Regan’s answer pleased the old king and he gave her also a third of his kingdom.

Then it was his youngest and favorite daughter. King Lear expected her to speak even more lovingly than her sisters had done. However Cordelia just stood there and said nothing.

“Well the king said to her, “What can you say, Cordelia?”

Nothing she answered.

The king was astonished at her answer “Nothing will come of nothing,” he said sternly.


2. KING LEAR DISOWNS CORDELIA


Cordelia had been annoyed at her sister’s words. She knew that they were insincere their words were false. They had flattered their old father in order to get his land. She could not deceive him. There was no deceit in her nature. So she answered the king sincerely. She said, “Yes are my father. You have brought me up. You have taken care of me. I obey you love you and honour you as a dutiful daughter should. But I cannot say like my sisters that my love for you will never change. Nor can I give you all my love. When I marry I shall give much of my love to my husband.”

Hearing this King Lear was wild with anger. In his old age he would be very pleased to hear flattering words. He believed his elder daughters and turned on Cordelia in great anger.

“Ungrateful, heartless child! He called her “You are no longer my daughter. I disown you. I give your share of my kingdom to your sisters.”

Then the king called the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall, the husbands of Goneril and Regan. He gave one half of his kingdom to each of them. He would keep for himself only the mane of king and a hundred knights to serve him. His home would be in the castles of his loving daughters for he had decided to lie with each of them in turn.


3. KING LEAR BANISHES KENT

The courtiers listened in amazement as the old king disowned his youngest daughter. They knew that she loved him sincerely. They were surprised to hear him give away his kingdom to her insincere sisters. However they feared the king’s hasty temper. Only one of them was unwise. This was the Earl of Kent. He was a faithful and honest man.

“You have rewarded those who flattered you and you have punished your most loving and truthful daughter,” he said to Lear. “A wise and just king would have done the opposite.

These words made Lear very angry. He shouted angrily, “Kent, I banish you from my kingdom. You have five days to get ready to leave. If on the sixth day you are still here, you shall be put to death. Go! Get out of my sight!”

Kent turned away sorrowfully. He said farewell, to Cordelia sadly. He begged God to protect her. He said to her sisters. “Let your deeds show your love for your father!”


4. CORDELIA MARRIES WITHOUT A DOWARY


Among the courtiers were two young men. They had come to ask for Cordelia in marriage. They were the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France. Without a dowry the Duke of Burgundy would not marry Cordelia.
“And I would not marry him,” said Cordelia, “for he loves my dowry and not me!” on the other hand the king of France greatly admired Cordelia’s sincerity and courage. He said, I will gladly take what others throw away.”

“Take her then!” cried Lear. “She is no daughter of mine. Take her away with you at once I never want to see her face again go!”

Cordelia wept as she said farewell to her sisters, “Be kind to our father.” She begged them.

We know our duty. There is no need for you to tell us what to do.” They said mockingly. They also said, “Be kind to your husband. You ought to. He has taken you without a penny.”

With a heavy heart, Cordelia left her father’s palace. She knew that her sisters would treat her father badly.



5. THE CART IS DRAWING THE HORSE


Cordelia was right. First of all, the old king went to stay with his eldest daughter, Goneril Duchess of Albany. Soon he found out how false she was. She behaved to him most unkindly. She would not listen to his complaints and neglected him. She told the king to stop giving orders in her house. She was the mistress and he was only a guest there. But she treated him much.

Worse than a guest. Her servants followed their mistress’s example. They did not obey Lear’s orders. They were rude to the king and his attendants.

While Lear was at Goneril’s castle, a stranger came to him one day. He requested Lear to take him into his service. The king ar once liked the man as he looked honest and true. The man proved his loyalty and honesty that very evening. One of Goneril’s servants rudely answered the king and at once the stranger knocked him down. This pleased Lear and he took the stranger into his service at once.

Now this stranger was really the Earl of Kent in disguise. He loved Lear very much and was ready even to risk his life in order to help him. Therefore he had disguised himself as a servant instead of leaving Britain and had come to Goneril is palace. He hoped to be able to save the kind from Goneril’s knockdness. He also hoped that he could deep the old king from further acts of folly. When the king asked him what his name was, he answered that it was Caius.

Beside Caius, Lear had one other faithful friend. This man was his jester of fool. In those days a king always kept a jester or a fool in his court. His duty was to make his master laugh. Lear’s Jester was a wise fool. Much wisdom was seen in his seemingly foolish talk. Seeing Goneril’s unkindness to her father, he said to Lear. “In olden times fathers wanted obedient daughters. Now a days daughters want obedient fathers.” He added then, “The cart is drawing the horse,”

Lear was very fond of his fool. The fool also loved his master very much. Lear felt very unhappy over Goneril’s ill-treatment of him. The fool saw it and always tried to cheer up the king with his songs and jokes.

6. CAIUS IS PUT IN THE STOCKS

Goneril grew more and more unkind. She did not want Lear in her house. She tried to drive him away by her unkindness. Instead of a smile, she came to him with a displeased look. “Your attendants are a nuisance in my house,” she told him. You don’t need all that great number of knights. You ought to send away at least of half of them.” When the king refused to send any of them away, she herself sent away fifty of them.

The aged king now saw clearly how wicked hid daughter was. He cursed her for her falseness and cruelty. He angrily said, “May you never have a child! Or if you do may if treat you as you have treated me!” He would stay no longer in Goneril’s palace. “I have still a daughter who will receive me,” he said to her. He at once set out for the Duke of Cornwall’s castle. His remaining fifty knights his fool and Cairo followed him. He could not believe that Regain, the duchess of Cornwall, would treat him as badly ad Goneril had done.

Caius by chance met this servant outside Regan’s castle. He rightly thought that the servant was there for some wicked purpose. He called him a traitor. When the servant refused to fight with him, he beat him for his cowardice. For this, on the orders of Ragan, Caius was put into the stocks. Now the stocks were just in front of the castle. Hence when Lear arrived, the first thing that he saw was hid faithful Caius in the stocks.


7. THE WICKED DAUGHTERS OFFER


Lear was very angry. E at once entered the castle to demand and explanation. He was told that the duke and the Duchess could not see him. They were tired and had home to bed. He must be patient and wait. At this the king’s anger naturally increased. But grater than his fury was his grief, for he found that his second daughter was no better than his first.

Regan soon showed that she was as cruel as Goneril. When Lear told, Regan of Goneril’s unkind behavior, she said to him, “I cannot think that my sister would fail in her duty to you. I am sure that she is not to blame. After all, you are old men. You ought to listen to others who are wiser than you. I advise you to go back to Goneril. Tell her that you are sorry for all the trouble you have caused her. Beg her to take you back.”

This was more than Lear could bear “What!” he cried out in anger. “Do you expect me to go down on my knees and say to you and your sister, Dear daughters, I know that I am old and an old man, of course, has no right to go on living; soon my knees. I beg you to give me clothes, a bed and something to eat?” he paused to get his breath. Then he remembered his trusty servant in the stocks. “Tell me” he demanded, “Who dared to put my servant in the stocks?”

Regan paid no attention to her Father. His question was not answered. At that moment Goneril arrived. She had come in person in order to make sure that Regan was firm with their father.

“Go back to Goneril,” Regan told her father. “If you stay here, I cannot allow you to keep more than twenty five attendants. I cannot give food and shelter to more than that.”

“Well fifty is more than twenty-five after all,” the old king said in a low voice.

“Why should you keep any attendant at all?” Said Goneril. “You don’t need any. My servants will look after you if you stay at my house.”


8. KING LEAR GOES MAD WITH GRIFE

Lear grieved over their unkindness and wept. He was also very angry at their rude behavior and expressed it in angry words. He cursed them. “Your punishment will come,” he said to them. “One day you will suffer the torment that I am suffering now.” Lear’s wild anger touched the very skies and a dreadful storm began. The thunder roared a dreadful warning. Lightning flashed, and it brought death and destruction wherever it struck. The wind howled as if it would blow the earth into the sea. In such weather who would dare to go out of doors? He was out of his mind with grief and despair, he ran out into the fearful storm.
His faithful fool went with him. Together they wandered over the desolate health. There was no shelter at all for them. The wildness of the weather, however, did not trouble Lear as the wickedness of his daughters. The storm in his heart was more fire than the storm on the heath. Soon Lear and his fool were thoroughly wet with rain and half frozen.

In this dreadful state, they were found by Caius, the disguised Earl of Kent. He had escaped from the stocks.

“Oh, good sir, are you here?” he cried. Even creatures that love the night would not go out on a night like this. This fearful storm has driven even the beasts to their hiding places. Man’s nature cannot bear it.” Caius led the king and his fool to a broken hut; he had found that while he had been looking for them. The fool entered first but soon came out running. He was shaking with fear.

There’s a ghost in there! A ghost! Don’t go in!

In fact, it was not ghost but a madman. He called himself “Poor Tom”. Poor Tom’s cold.” He kept on saying. He was in rags and was a piteous sight.

“Have you given everything to your daughters, too?” Lear asked him. “Have they brought you to this?”

Then Lear turned to Caius and said sorrowfully. “Nothing but his unkind daughters could have brought him so low.” Caius heart was nearly breaking, for he saw that poor Lear was now quite out of his mind.






9. CORDELLA AND HER MAD FATHER

They spent the night in the hut. All four of them were more or less mad. The king’s daughters had driven him mad. The fool had always been a little out of his mind. The man who called himself poor Tom was mad and Caius was almost mad with grief. When at last the fury of the storm grew

King Lear sings and talks to the empty air less. Caius led the king to his castle. It was on the south coast of England, not far from France. Here among friends, poor mad Lear was safe. Now Caius threw off his disguise and as the earl of Kent, sailed over to France to tell Cordelia about these tragic happenings.

Cordelia begged her husband to gather an army to help Lear. Soon she was on her way to Britain with the French Army. They landed at Dover. Cordelia at once went to the castle of the Earl of Kent to see her father. The doctors advised her to wait till her father was a little bitter. “He will not know you now,” they said.

Poor and mad king! He often wandered through the fields. He wore a crown of wild flowers on his head. He sang and talked to the empty air. But his doctors were hopeful that he would be all right. “With time and our medicine, he will be all right again,” they said to Cordelia.

At last Cordelia was allowed to see her father. She wept at the sad change in him. She kissed him tenderly. At first Lear did not know who she was. Then he remembered slowly. “I am over eighty and I am old and foolish, I know,” he said piteously. “Sometimes I don’t know where I slept last night. But I feel that I know you, “He turned to the kind faces around him.” Don’t laugh at me, he said, “but isn’t this lady my daughter Cordelia?

Cordelia was happy because her father at last knew her. But Lear then remembered how badly he had treated her and was afraid that she did not love him. With tender words and kisses. Cordelia comfort-ed him. Lear became more peaceful. “For-give and forget,” he begged her. “I am old and foolish. Forgive and forget.”



10. THE TRAGIC END OF KING LEAR AND HIS DAUGHTERS

It was not long before Goneril and Regan heard of Cordelia’s coming with the French army. Their husbands, the dukes of Albany and Cornwall, Gathered a great army to fight against the French. There was a fierce battle an the French army was defeated. King Lear and Cordelia were taken prisoners.

Cordelia was put to death in prison. Lear found her dead and broke his heart. “Why should a dog, a cat a rat have life and you no life at all?” he asked sadly. Then he fell dead at her side.

In the meantime, what was happening to Goneril and Regan? They had been to their old father. Both sisters were in love with the same men, the Earl of Gloucester. He was a wicke and ambitious man. Gloucester’s plan was to marry one of them and get a half of the kingdom. When the duke of Cornwall. Regan’s husband, died she declare that she was going to marry the earl, Goneril became very jealous and out of jealousy poisoned her sister. The duke of Albany, Goneril’s husband, discovered his wife’s unfaithfulness and her crime. He put her into prison. There Goneril fell into despair and killed herself.

Such was the terrible end of those two wicked sisters. It was a fit punishment for their wickedness towards their old poor father.

Afterwards Britain was ruled by the Duke of Albany. He had the good Earl of Kent to advise him. Their rule brought peace and happiness to the trouble land.