Scene Summaries (King Lear)

I.I

• Kent and Gloucester are surprised because they thought Lear liked Albany more but he is dividing the kingdom equally

• Edmund introduced - he is a b*stard but Gloucester seems to love him

• Lear wants his daughters to say how much they love him

  • Divide kingdom accordingly

• Goneril and Regan gass him up

• Cordelia says ‘nothing’

  • Why does his daughters have husbands if they love Lear with ALL their hearts

  • Lear is PISSED

• Burgundy wont marry Cordelia because he wont get any money from it

  • So France takes her

• Goneril and Regan are plotting

  • They think banishment of Kent and Cordelia show his age (he’s going cray cray)

I.II

• Edmund reflects on how unfair it is that he is a b*stard

• Edmund gives Gloucester a letter from Edgar (It’s actually written by Edmund!)

  • ‘Edgar’ wants to kill his father to get his money

• Gloucester asks Edmund to investigate Edgar

• Edmund talks about how its the stars fault he is evil

• Edmund tells Edgar that Gloucester is mad at him and he should flee

  • Edgar does so.

I.III

• Goneril tells us that Lear hit Oswald (her servant) for criticising Lear’s Fool

• Goneril complains about Lear and says if he does worse then give him to Regan

I.IV

• Kent has disguised himself so he can still help Lear

• Kent asks to work for Lear

• Lear can’t find his fool

• He then abuses and hits Oswald (a lot)

• Fool appears and makes fun of Lear

  • Coxcomb/crown

  • Nothing

• Goneril has a go at Lear for having so many rowdy knights around

• Lear asks nature to sterilise Goneril so she may never have a thankless child

• Lear goes to Regan because Goneril won’t let him have his 100 knights

• Goneril sends a letter to Regan before Lear gets there to tell her the sitch.

I.V

• Lear gets Kent to send a letter to Regan

• Fool says some stuff

II.I

• Curan tells Edmund there might be a war between Albany and Cornwall

• Edmund tells Edgar to run and draw his sword as if defending himself

  • Shows Edgar as a villain

  • Edmund wounds himself

• Cries to Gloucester telling him Edgar ran away!

• Regan and Cornwall come to Gloucester’s castle so they are not at their castle when Lear arrives

• Telling Regan and Cornwall what happened, they start and alliance with Edmund due to his virtue and obedience.

• Regan does not want to deal with Lear until she has spoken to Goneril, hence being at Gloucester’s castle

II.II

• Kent is just like unnecesarily mean to Oswald?

  • Tries to attack him

• Edmund, Gon, Reg, Corn, Glou all enter and stop the fighting

• Oswald explains that Kent doesn’t like him because the king doesn’t and hit him and kicked him

• Kent is placed in the stocks

• Gloucester doesn’t like this

• Kent has a letter from Cordelia

II.III

• Edgar dirties himself up and becomes Poor Tom

II.IV

• Lear finds Kent in the stocks

• Fool talks for ages

• Lear is angry and has Gloucester bring Regan and Cornwall

• Kent set free from stocks

• Lear thinks Regan will be on his side in the whole Goneril business, yet she asks him to beg forgiveness from Goneril

• Lear begs Regan to take him (on his knees)

• Lear learns Cornwall put Kent in the stocks

• Regan says Lear should go with Goneril

  • Lear is against this as she wants him to halve his knights

• Regan says only 25 knights

  • Lear tries to go back to Goneril who used to allow 50 (not anymore!)

• Lear is super sad and angry now

  • But he won’t cry because he is not a woman

    • STORRMMMM BEGIINNNSSS

• Regan will take Lear but no followers

III.I

• Gentleman tells Kent that Lear is going mad in the storm

• Kent tells Gentleman that there is a war brewing between Albany and Cornwall an France is coming to England

• Kent also tells Gentleman to find Cordelia

III.II

• Old man yells at cloud

• Kent finds Lear and Lear, Kent and Fool seek shelter

III.III

• Gloucester has been kicked out his castle by Regan and Cornwall

• Gloucester confirms fear of war

III.IV

• Kent, Lear and Fool find a resting place

• Lear looks on the poverty and feels bad for how he has ignored it

• Poor Tom enters and Lear believes Tom is mad because he has evil daughters

• Gloucester finds them all

• Gloucester takes them to a warm hovel

III.V

• Cornwall says that Albany is in cahoots with France

• Cornwall and Edmund plot to kill Gloucester.

• Cornwall takes on Edmund as his son

III.VI

• Gloucester hooks them up in a crib

• Lear, Edgar and Fool chat

  • Three different kinds of madness:

    • Real transformed

    • Feigned

    • Performative but guided

• The jury scene of Goneril and Regan

• Gloucester calls for Kent to take Lear to Dover as someone is trying to kill him and there is help waiting at Dover

• Edgar is no longer Poor Tom

III.VII

• Letter that France is landing

• They want to hang Gloucester, the traitor

  • no pluck his eyes instead

• They tie him up and ask for info on the king

  • he has gone to Dover to protect from Goneril and Regan

• Gloucester’s eyes are plucked out as he calls to the gods

• One of Cornwall’s servants calls to stop the blinding but is killed

• He learns that Edgar was wronged and Edmund was actually the evil one

• Two servants help Gloucester and lead him

IV.I

• Gloucester, led by an old man, is reunited with Edgar (unknowingly)

• Gloucester asks for Edgar (naked fellow) to be clothed

• Gloucester asks Poor Tom to lead him to Dover Cliff

IV.II

• Albany is happy that France have landed in England

• Goneril kisses Edmund :o

  • He’s kinda into it?

• Albany is pissed at Goneril, goes off at her

  • Goneril shouts back

• Messenger announces Cornwall died from the Servant

  • Makes Goneril worried bc Regan is now free from the abhorrent chains of marriage and might get with her boy toy Edmund

• Albany learns that Edmund is evil and wants to avenge Gloucester’s eyes.

IV.III

• Kent and Gentleman discuss:

  • King has gone back to France for a sec

  • Cordelia got Kent’s letter

    • she cried

• Kent gets the gentleman to attend to Lear

IV.IV

• Cordelia meets with a doctor after hearing about Lear’s madness

• British armies are starting towards the French

• She can’t wait to see Lear again

IV.V

• Oswald has a letter for Edmund from Goneril

  • Regan wants to know what is in it

• Regan tells Oswald to tell Edmund and Goneril that since Cornwall is dead she is better suited to marry Edmund.

IV.VI

• Edgar take Gloucester not to the cliff but describes it to him as if he is there

• Gloucester tries to throw himself off the cliff but falls forward

• Edgar (as a new character) tells him he fell of the cliff but survived!

• Enters Lear dressed in wild flowers

  • he’s fully cray cray now

• Gentleman comes to take Lear to Cordelia

• Oswald enters and tries to attack Gloucester

  • Intervened by Edgar

• Edgar kills Oswald and takes the letter meant for Edmund

  • Goneril is DOWN BAD for Edmund and wants to kill Albany so they can be together

• Edgar must save Albany but first takes Gloucester to a friend

IV.VII

• Cordelia and Kent reunite

• Cordelia asks doctor about Lear

  • He is sleeping a lot

• Lear brought in on a chair

• Lear thinks he is dead and Cordelia a spirit

• Lear remembers Cordelia and asks forgiveness

• Kent learns that Edmund is in charge of Cornwall’s kingdom now

• War is looking likely and bloody

V.I

• Regan and Edmund flirt a little

• Edgar give Albany the letter of Goneril’s plot to kill him

• Edmund can enjoy neither sister if they are both alive and Albany alive too

  • He needs Albany to help win the battle

  • Then let Goneril execute his death

V.II

• Edgar places Gloucester under a tree and leaves

• Lear and Cordelia lose the battle and are imprisoned

• Edgar drags Gloucester away after he expresses a desire to die

V.III

• Cordelia and Lear are taken to prison

  • Lear is happy that they are at least together

• Albany confronts Edmund for everything

  • But mostly being in love with his wife

• Albany challenges Edmund to a duel

• Regan feels sick and is taken out

• The herald calls for someone to come forward who believes Edmund is a traitor

  • Edgar comes forward

• Albany confronts about the letter

• Edgar reveals himself

• Edgar explains that Gloucester died after he told him he was to confront Edmund

• Edgar reveals Kent was in disguise

• Gentleman comes in and announces Goneril poisoned Regan and stabbed herself

• Edmund has ordered to hanging of Cordelia but tries to stop it as he is dying (stabbed by edgar in fight)

• Lear comes in carrying Cordelia’s body

  • He is torn between if she is alive or dead

  • He mentions he killed the man who hanged her

• Messenger relays that Edmund has died

• Lear dies

• Albany leaves the kingdom in the charge of Edgar and Kent

• Kent leaves to probably kill himself

• Edgar is seemingly the king now?