The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (913 page)

To hold my very course. Prepare for dinner.

Exeunt

And give his knights the cold shoulder;

don't worry about the outcome; tell your comrades to do the same:

I want to use these things to my advantage, giving me

a chance to speak out: I'll write to my sister at once

to tell her to do the same. Get dinner ready.

Enter KENT, disguised

KENT

If but as well I other accents borrow,

That can my speech defuse, my good intent

May carry through itself to that full issue

For which I razed my likeness. Now, banish'd Kent,

If thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemn'd,

So may it come, thy master, whom thou lovest,

Shall find thee full of labours.

Horns within. Enter KING LEAR, Knights, and Attendants

If I use other accents as well,

to disguise my speech, my plans,

for which I shaved my beard,

may come to fruition. Now, exiled Kent,

if you can give service to the one who condemned you

it may turn out that your master, whom you love,

will find your labours useful.

KING LEAR

Let me not stay a jot for dinner; go get it ready.

Exit an Attendant

How now! what art thou?

Don't keep me waiting for my dinner; go and get it ready.

Hello! Who are you?

KENT

A man, sir.

A man, sir.

KING LEAR

What dost thou profess? what wouldst thou with us?

What's your trade, what do you want with me?

KENT

I do profess to be no less than I seem; to serve

him truly that will put me in trust: to love him

that is honest; to converse with him that is wise,

and says little; to fear judgment; to fight when I

cannot choose; and to eat no fish.

My trade is to be just who I am; to serve

loyally someone who trusts me: to love someone

who is honest; to talk with someone who is wise

and says little; to fear judgement; to fight

when I have to; and to be strong.

KING LEAR

What art thou?

Who are you?

KENT

A very honest-hearted fellow, and as poor as the king.

A man with a good heart, as poor as the King.

KING LEAR

If thou be as poor for a subject as he is for a

king, thou art poor enough. What wouldst thou?

If your poverty as a subject is comparable to his

poverty as a king, you are poor enough. What do you want?

KENT

Service.

To serve.

KING LEAR

Who wouldst thou serve?

Who do you want to serve?

KENT

You.

You.

KING LEAR

Dost thou know me, fellow?

Do you know who I am, fellow?

KENT

No, sir; but you have that in your countenance

which I would fain call master.

No, sir; but there is something in your face

which makes me want to call you my master.

KING LEAR

What's that?

What is it?

KENT

Authority.

Authority.

KING LEAR

What services canst thou do?

What services can you offer?

KENT

I can keep honest counsel, ride, run, mar a curious

tale in telling it, and deliver a plain message

bluntly: that which ordinary men are fit for, I am

qualified in; and the best of me is diligence.

I can keep a secret, ride, run errands, decipher

mysteries, and deliver a simple message clearly;

I'm good for anything ordinary men can do,

and my best quality is that I'm a hard worker.

KING LEAR

How old art thou?

How old are you?

KENT

Not so young, sir, to love a woman for singing, nor

so old to dote on her for any thing: I have years

on my back forty eight.

I am not so young, sir, that I would love a woman for singing,

nor am I so old that I would drool over her: in terms

of years I am forty-eight.

KING LEAR

Follow me; thou shalt serve me: if I like thee no

worse after dinner, I will not part from thee yet.

Dinner, ho, dinner! Where's my knave? my fool?

Go you, and call my fool hither.

Exit an Attendant

Enter OSWALD

You, you, sirrah, where's my daughter?

Come with me; you shall serve me: if I still

like you after dinner, you can stay.

Dinner, aha, dinner! Where's my knave? My fool?

You, go and call my fool here.

You there, where is my daughter?

OSWALD

So please you,--

Exit

If you'll excuse me–

KING LEAR

What says the fellow there? Call the clotpoll back.

Exit a Knight

Where's my fool, ho? I think the world's asleep.

Re-enter Knight

How now! where's that mongrel?

What does that chap say? Call the blockhead back.

Where's my fool, eh? I think the whole world has gone to sleep.

Now then! Where's that mongrel?

Knight

He says, my lord, your daughter is not well.

He says, my lord, that your daughter is ill.

KING LEAR

Why came not the slave back to me when I called him?

Why didn't the slave come back to me when I called?

Knight

Sir, he answered me in the roundest manner, he would

not.

Sir, he answered me in the rudest possible way, saying he would not.

KING LEAR

He would not!

He would not!

Knight

My lord, I know not what the matter is; but, to my

judgment, your highness is not entertained with that

ceremonious affection as you were wont; there's a

great abatement of kindness appears as well in the

general dependants as in the duke himself also and

your daughter.

My lord, I don't know what's going on; but as far

as I can see, your Highness is not welcomed with

the same respectful affection as in the past; all the

servants of the Duke seem to be disrespectful

and so does he himself and your daughter.

KING LEAR

Ha! sayest thou so?

Ha! You don't say?

Knight

I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, if I be mistaken;

for my duty cannot be silent when I think your

highness wronged.

I beg you to forgive me my lord, if I'm mistaken;

my duty won't allow me to keep quiet when I think

you are wronged.

KING LEAR

Thou but rememberest me of mine own conception: I

have perceived a most faint neglect of late; which I

have rather blamed as mine own jealous curiosity

than as a very pretence and purpose of unkindness:

I will look further into't. But where's my fool? I

have not seen him this two days.

You are just reminding me of my own suspicions: I

have recently noticed them being a little neglectful;

I thought that this was just my easily offended imagination,

not deliberate: I'll investigate this further.

But where is my fool? I haven't seen him for two days.

Knight

Since my young lady's going into France, sir, the

fool hath much pined away.

Since my young lady went to France, sir,

the fool has been very depressed.

KING LEAR

No more of that; I have noted it well. Go you, and

tell my daughter I would speak with her.

Exit an Attendant

Go you, call hither my fool.

Exit an Attendant

Re-enter OSWALD

O, you sir, you, come you hither, sir: who am I,

sir?

You don't need to tell me, I have noticed it. You, go

and tell my daughter I want to speak with her.

And you, go and call my fool here.

You, you sir, come here, sir: who am I, sir?

OSWALD

My lady's father.

You are my lady's father.

KING LEAR

'My lady's father'! my lord's knave: your

whoreson dog! you slave! you cur!

'My lady's father'! My Lord's knave: you

bastard dog! You slave! You dog!

OSWALD

I am none of these, my lord; I beseech your pardon.

I am none of these, my lord; please excuse me.

KING LEAR

Do you bandy looks with me, you rascal?

Striking him

Will you exchange stares with me, you rascal?

OSWALD

I'll not be struck, my lord.

You will not hit me, my lord.

KENT

Nor tripped neither, you base football player.

Tripping up his heels

We won't trip you up either, you lowlife footballer.

KING LEAR

I thank thee, fellow; thou servest me, and I'll

love thee.

Thank you, my boy; you can serve me, and I

will love you.

KENT

Come, sir, arise, away! I'll teach you differences:

away, away! if you will measure your lubber's