King Lear (19 page)
Authors: William Shakespeare
EDGAR
Before you fight the battle,
ope
this
letter
35
:
Gives a letter
If you have victory, let the trumpet
sound
36
For him that brought it. Wretched though I seem,
I can produce a
champion
38
that will prove
What is
avouchèd
there. If you
miscarry
39
,
Your business of the world hath so an end,
And
machination
41
ceases. Fortune loves you.
ALBANY
Stay till I have read the letter.
EDGAR
I was forbid it.
When time shall serve, let but the herald
cry
44
And I’ll appear again.
Exit
ALBANY
Why, fare thee well: I will
o’erlook
46
thy paper.
Enter Edmund
EDMUND
The enemy’s in view: draw up your
powers
47
.
Offers a paper
Here is the guess of their true strength and forces
By diligent
discovery
49
, but your haste
Is now urged on you.
ALBANY
We will
greet the time
51
.
Exit
EDMUND
To both these sisters have I sworn my love,
Each
jealous
53
of the other, as the stung
Are of the adder. Which of them shall I take?
Both? One? Or neither? Neither can be enjoyed
If both remain alive. To take the widow
Exasperates, makes mad her sister Goneril,
And
hardly
shall I
carry out my side
58
,
Her husband being alive. Now then, we’ll use
His
countenance
60
for the battle, which being done,
Let her who would be rid of him devise
His speedy
taking off
62
. As for the mercy
Which he intends to Lear and to Cordelia,
The battle done and they within our power,
Shall
never see his pardon, for
my state
65
Stands on me to defend, not to debate.
Exit
running scene 19
Alarum
within. Enter, with Drum and Colours, Lear, Cordelia and Soldiers over the stage and exeunt. Enter Edgar and Gloucester
EDGAR
Here,
father
1
, take the shadow of this tree
For your good
host
2
. Pray that the right may thrive.
If ever I return to you again,
I’ll bring you comfort.
GLOUCESTER
Grace go with you, sir!
Exit [Edgar]
Alarum and
retreat
within
Enter Edgar
EDGAR
Away, old man! Give me thy hand, away!
King Lear hath lost, he and his daughter
ta’en
7
:
Give me thy hand, come on.
GLOUCESTER
No further, sir: a man may rot even here.
EDGAR
What, in ill thoughts again? Men must endure
Their going hence, even as their coming hither:
Ripeness
12
is all: come on.
GLOUCESTER
And that’s true too.
Exeunt
running scene 20
Enter in conquest, with Drum and Colours, Edmund, Lear and Cordelia as prisoners, Soldiers, Captain
EDMUND
Some officers take them away:
good guard
1
,
Until their
greater pleasures
2
first be known
That are to
censure
3
them.
To Lear
C
ORDELIA
We are not the first
Who with best
meaning
5
have incurred the worst.
For thee, oppressèd king, I am
cast down
6
:
Myself could else out-frown false fortune’s frown.
Shall we not see these daughters and these sisters?
LEAR
No, no, no, no! Come, let’s away to prison.
We two alone will sing like birds i’th’cage:
When thou dost ask me blessing, I’ll kneel down
And ask of thee forgiveness: so we’ll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At
gilded butterflies
, and hear
poor rogues
14
Talk of court news, and we’ll talk with them too —
Who loses and who wins, who’s in, who’s out —
And
take upon’s the mystery of things
17
,
As if we were
God’s spies
: and we’ll
wear out
18
In a walled prison
packs and sects
19
of great ones
That ebb and flow by th’moon
20
.
EDMUND
Take them away.
LEAR
Upon such
sacrifices
22
, my Cordelia,
The gods themselves
throw incense
23
. Have I caught thee?
He that parts us shall bring a
brand from heaven
24
And fire us hence like foxes. Wipe thine eyes:
The good years shall devour them,
flesh and fell
26
,
Ere they shall make us weep: We’ll see ’em
starved
27
first. Come.
Exeunt [Lear and Cordelia, guarded]
EDMUND
Come hither, captain, hark.
Gives a paper
Take thou this note, go follow them to prison.
One step I have advanced thee: if thou dost
As this instructs thee, thou dost make thy way
To noble fortunes. Know thou this: that men
Are as the time is; to be
tender-minded
33
Does not
become
34
a sword. Thy great employment
Will not
bear question
35
: either say thou’lt do’t
Or thrive by other means.
CAPTAIN
I’ll do’t, my lord.
EDMUND
About it, and
write happy
38
when th’hast done.
Mark, I say, instantly, and
carry
39
it so
As I have set it down.
Exit Captain
Flourish. Enter Albany, Goneril, Regan, Soldiers
ALBANY
Sir, you have showed today your valiant
strain
41
,
And fortune led you well. You have the captives
Who were the
opposites
43
of this day’s strife:
I do require them of you, so to
use
44
them
As we shall find their merits and our safety
May equally determine.
EDMUND
Sir, I thought it fit
To send the old and miserable king to some
retention
48
Whose
age had
charms
in it, whose
title
49
more,
To
pluck the common bosom
50
on his side
And
turn our impressed lances in our eyes
51
Which do command them. With him I sent the
queen
52
,
My reason all the same, and they are ready
Tomorrow, or at further space, t’appear
Where you shall hold your
session
55
.
ALBANY
Sir,
by your patience
56
,
I hold you but a
subject of
57
this war,
Not as a brother.
REGAN
That’s as we
list
59
to grace him.
Methinks our
pleasure might have been demanded
60
Ere you had spoke so far. He led our powers,
Bore the
commission
62
of my place and person,
The which
immediacy
63
may well stand up
And call itself your brother.
GONERIL
Not so hot:
In his own
grace
66
he doth exalt himself
More than in
your addition
67
.
REGAN
In my rights,
By me invested, he
compeers
69
the best.
ALBANY
That were the most
70
if he should husband you.
REGAN
Jesters do oft prove prophets.
GONERIL
Holla
72
, holla!
That eye that told you so looked but
asquint
73
.
REGAN
Lady, I am not well, else I should answer
To Edmund
From a
full-flowing stomach
75
.— General,
Take thou my soldiers, prisoners,
patrimony
76
:
Dispose of
them, of me: the
walls
77
is thine:
Witness the world
78
that I create thee here
My lord and master.
GONERIL
Mean you to
enjoy
80
him?
ALBANY
The
let-alone
81
lies not in your good will.
EDMUND
Nor in thine, lord.
ALBANY
Half-blooded
83
fellow, yes.
To Edmund
REGAN
Let the drum strike and prove my title thine.
ALBANY
Stay yet, hear reason. Edmund, I arrest thee
On capital treason, and,
in
86
thy arrest,
This
gilded serpent
.
For
87
your claim, fair sister,
I
bar it
88
in the interest of my wife:
’Tis she is
subcontracted
89
to this lord,
And I, her husband, contradict your
banns
90
.
If you will marry,
make your loves to
91
me,
My lady is
bespoke
92
.
GONERIL
An
interlude
93
!
ALBANY
Thou art armed, Gloucester: let the trumpet sound:
If none appear to prove upon thy person
Thy heinous, manifest, and many treasons,
There is my
pledge
: I’ll
make it
97
on thy heart,
Throws down a glove
Ere I taste bread, thou art in
nothing
98
less
Than I have here proclaimed thee.
REGAN
Sick, O, sick!
Aside
GONERIL
If not, I’ll ne’er trust
medicine
101
.
EDMUND
There’s my exchange:
what
102
in the world he’s
That names me traitor, villain-like he lies.
Throws down a glove
Call by the trumpet: he that dares approach,
On him, on you — who not? — I will maintain
My truth and honour firmly.
Enter a Herald
ALBANY
A herald, ho!
To Edmund
Trust to thy
single virtue
108
, for thy soldiers,
All levied in my name, have in my name
Took their discharge.
REGAN
My sickness grows upon me.
ALBANY
She is not well: convey her to my tent.—
[Exit Regan, led]
Come hither, herald. Let the trumpet sound
And read out this.
A trumpet sounds
HERALD
Reads
‘If any man of
quality or degree
115
within the
lists
116
of the army will maintain upon Edmund, supposed Earl
of Gloucester, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear by
the third sound of the trumpet: he is bold in his defence.’
First trumpet
HERALD
Again!
Second trumpet
HERALD
Again!
Third trumpet
Trumpet answers within
Enter Edgar armed
His helmet visor down
ALBANY
Ask him his purposes, why he appears
Upon this call o’th’trumpet.
HERALD
What are you?
Your name, your quality, and why you answer
This present summons?
EDGAR
Know, my name is lost
By treason’s tooth bare-gnawn and
canker-bit
127
:
Yet am I noble as the adversary
I come to
cope
129
.
ALBANY
Which is that adversary?
EDGAR
What’s he that speaks for Edmund Earl of Gloucester?
EDMUND
Himself: what say’st thou to him?
EDGAR
Draw thy sword,
That, if my speech offend a noble heart,
Thy arm may do thee justice: here is mine.
Draws
Behold, it is my privilege —
The privilege of mine
honours —
137
My oath and my profession. I
protest
138
,
Maugre
thy strength,
place
139
, youth and eminence,
Despise thy victor sword and
fire-new
140
fortune,
Thy valour and thy heart, thou art a traitor:
False to thy gods, thy brother and thy father,
Conspirant
143
gainst this high illustrious prince,
And from th’extremest
upward
144
of thy head
To the
descent
145
and dust below thy foot
A most
toad-spotted
146
traitor. Say thou no,
This sword, this arm and my best spirits are
bent
147
To prove upon thy heart whereto I speak,
Thou liest.
EDMUND
In wisdom I should ask thy name,
But since thy outside looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue some
say
152
of breeding breathes,
What safe and
nicely
153
I might well delay
By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn.
Back do I toss these treasons to thy head,
With the
hell-hated lie
156
o’erwhelm thy heart,
