King Lear (44 page)

Act 4 Scene 3

^4.3
Colours
military banners

²
vexed
angry, turbulent

³
rank fumiter
abundant fumitory (a vigorously growing weed)

³
furrow weeds
weeds that grow in the furrows of plowed fields

⁴
burdocks
weeds with prickly flower heads or burs

⁴
hemlock
plant producing a potentially lethal sedative

⁴
cuckoo-flowers
name given to various wildflowers growing when the cuckoo calls (i.e. May/June)

⁵
Darnel
type of grass that grows as a weed among corn

⁵
idle
useless

⁸
What … wisdom
what can human knowledge do

⁹
bereavèd
stolen, lost

¹⁰
outward worth
worldly goods

¹²
repose
rest, sleep

¹³
that … operative
there are many effective medicinal herbs that can induce that in him

¹⁷
unpublished virtues
secret powers (of herbs)

¹⁸
aidant
helpful

¹⁸
remediate
remedial, healing

²⁰
rage
frenzy

²¹
wants the means
i.e. lacks the sanity

²⁴
preparation
equipped military force

²⁷
France
i.e. the King of France

²⁸
importuned
importunate, pressing

²⁹
blown
swollen with pride/corrupt

Act 4 Scene 4

^4.4
Location: the Earl of Gloucester’s residence

⁴
ado
fuss

⁸
import
mean, contain

¹⁰
posted
hurried

¹¹
ignorance
folly

¹⁵
nighted
darkened (literally, and in terms of his fortunes)

¹⁵
descry
discover

¹⁷
after
go after

¹⁹
ways
roads

²¹
charged my duty
swore me to obedience

²³
Belike
perhaps/probably

²⁴
I’ll love thee
Regan switches to the familiar thee to cajole him—love implies the promise of favors, sexual or otherwise

²⁹
oeillades
amorous glances

²⁹
speaking
eloquent

³⁰
of her bosom
in her confidence/sexually intimate

³²
Y’are
ye (you) are

³³
take this note
note this well

³⁵
convenient
fitting

³⁶
gather more
infer the rest

³⁹
call … her
have more sense

⁴³
meet
i.e. meet him

Act 4 Scene 5

^4.5
Location: somewhere out in the open, near Dover

¹
that same hill
the hill I mentioned (i.e. the cliff Gloucester described at the end of Act 4 Scene 1)

¹¹
phrase and matter
style and sense

¹⁷
choughs
jackdaws or other birds of the crow family

¹⁷
wing
fly across

¹⁷
midway
i.e. middle regions of

¹⁸
gross
large

¹⁹
samphire
aromatic plant used in pickling; it was picked from cliffs by men suspended on ropes

²²
yond
yonder, that

²²
bark
small ship

²³
her cock
(the size of) her cock boat, a small boat towed behind a ship

²⁵
th’unnumbered idle pebble
countless insignificant pebbles

²⁷
the deficient
my defective

²⁸
Topple
topple me

³²
leap upright
jump up in the air

³⁴
Here, friend’s
here, friend, is

³⁶
Prosper it
cause it to prosper

⁴⁰
trifle
play

⁴⁶
opposeless
irresistible

⁴⁷
My … nature
the smoldering wick and hated remains of my life

⁵¹
conceit
imagination

⁵³
Yields
submits willingly

⁵⁴
this
this time, now

⁵⁶
pass
die

⁵⁷
What
who (Edgar adopts another persona)

⁵⁹
aught
anything

⁶⁰
precipitating
falling headlong

⁶¹
shivered
shattered

⁶³
at each
end to end

⁶⁷
bourn
boundary (between land and sea)

⁶⁸
a-height
on high

⁶⁸
shrill-gorged
shrill-throated

⁷³
beguile
cheat

⁸⁴
whelked
twisted

⁸⁵
fiend
i.e. tempting him to the sin of suicide

⁸⁵
happy father
fortunate old man (
father
was a form of address for an elderly man, though Edgar plays with the literal sense)

⁸⁶
clearest
brightest, purest

⁸⁶
make … impossibilities
acquire honor for themselves by performing things that are impossible in the human world

⁹³
free
untroubled

⁹⁴
The … thus
were he (Lear) in his right mind, he would never permit himself to dress like this (or possibly “Gloucester’s senses will not be able to withstand seeing his master like this”)

⁹⁶
touch
accuse, blame/lay hands on

¹⁰⁰
press-money
money paid to military recruits when they were conscripted (Lear seems to imagine he is recruiting an army)

¹⁰⁰
crow-keeper
scarecrow/person employed to scare crows from the crops

¹⁰¹
Draw … yard
draw your bow to its fullest extent (the length of a longbow’s arrow, which, at about thirty-six inches, was the same as the length of a cloth-seller’s measuring rod)

¹⁰²
gauntlet
armored glove thrown down as a challenge to a duel

¹⁰³
prove it on
make good my cause against

¹⁰³
brown bills
long-handled weapons, painted or varnished brown and topped with axe-like blades; or soldiers carrying such weapons

¹⁰³
well flown, bird
the language of falconry, here used to describe an arrow’s flight

¹⁰⁴
I’th’clout
cloth at the center of an archer’s target

¹⁰⁴
hewgh
perhaps Lear imitates the sound of the arrow as it flies through the air or hits the target

¹⁰⁴
word
password (continues Lear’s military fantasy)

¹⁰⁵
Sweet marjoram
Edgar invents a password that relates to Lear’s headgear and to the plant’s alleged medicinal properties in treating brain disorders

¹⁰⁹
like a dog
i.e. as if they were fawning dogs

¹⁰⁹
had … there
i.e. was wise even while I was still a child

¹¹¹
divinity
theology

¹¹²
me
i.e. my teeth

¹¹³
peace
be still

¹¹⁶
ague-proof
immune to fever and shivering

¹¹⁷
trick
characteristic, individual quality

¹²¹
cause
charge, offense

¹²⁴
goes to’t
does it, has sex

¹²⁵
lecher
fornicate

¹²⁷
got
begot, conceived

¹²⁸
luxury
lechery, lust

¹²⁸
for … soldiers
i.e. more sex means more children to man his army

¹³⁰
between … snow
forecasts frigidity between her legs

¹³¹
minces virtue
affects chastity

¹³¹
shake the head
i.e. in disapproval

¹³³
fitchew
polecat/prostitute

¹³³
soilèd
fed with green fodder, so lively, skittish

¹³⁴
riotous
unrestrained, lustful

¹³⁵
centaurs
mythical creatures that were human above the waist and horse below; reputed to be lustful

¹³⁶
But … girdle
only as far as the waist

¹³⁶
inherit
possess, have power over

¹³⁸
hell
slang term for the vagina

¹³⁸
sulphurous
suggests both hell and syphilis

¹³⁹
burning … consumption
alludes to painful syphilitic burning, odor and decay (consumption)

¹⁴⁰
civet
perfume

¹⁴⁰
apothecary
person who prepared and sold drugs, spices, perfumes etc.

¹⁴³
mortality
being human/death

¹⁴⁵
so
similarly

¹⁴⁷
squinny
squint

¹⁴⁷
Cupid
Roman god of love, traditionally depicted as blind or blindfolded

¹⁴⁸
challenge
written challenge to a duel

¹⁴⁸
penning
style/handwriting

¹⁵⁰
take … report
believe it if I heard it reported

¹⁵³
case
sockets

¹⁵⁵
heavy case
sorrowful predicament

¹⁵⁷
feelingly
literally, through touch/with great emotion

¹⁵⁹
justice
judge

¹⁶⁰
simple
humble

¹⁶¹
handy-dandy
take your pick (from the child’s game of guessing which clenched hand contains something)

¹⁶⁵
a … office
given authority, even a dog will be obeyed

¹⁶⁷
beadle
parish officer, responsible for punishing thieves, prostitutes, and vagabonds

¹⁶⁹
use
employ sexually

¹⁶⁹
kind
manner

¹⁷⁰
usurer
moneylender, notorious for charging excessively high interest

¹⁷⁰
cozener
cheat

¹⁷²
Place … gold
i.e. when sins are committed by the rich

¹⁷³
hurtless
harmlessly

¹⁷⁴
it
i.e. sin

¹⁷⁵
able ’em
authorize them

¹⁷⁸
scurvy politician
despicable schemer

¹⁷⁹
Now … now
perhaps comforting Gloucester, perhaps distracted by his boots

¹⁸¹
matter and impertinency
sense and nonsense

¹⁸⁴
hither
i.e. into this world

¹⁸⁹
block
style of hat or mold for hats (perhaps Lear removes his headgear)/block from which to mount a horse/tree stump (stage may even give rise to a sense of “scaffold and executioner’s block”)

¹⁹⁰
delicate
ingenious

¹⁹¹
put’t in proof
try it out

^4.3
Gentleman
perhaps the same man that Kent gave instructions to in Act 3 Scene 1

¹⁹⁷
natural fool
born fool (as opposed to a professional jester)

²⁰¹
seconds
supporters (as for a duel)

²⁰²
salt
i.e. tears

²⁰⁴
die
plays on the sense of “orgasm”

²⁰⁴
bravely
handsomely

²⁰⁵
jovial
cheerful/majestic (like Jove, king of the gods)

²⁰⁶
Masters
sirs

²⁰⁹
Sa … sa
hunting cry, from French
ça
(“that’s it,” “it’s there”)

²¹²
nature
i.e. human nature

²¹²
general curse
curse of original sin

²¹³
twain
Adam and Eve (but also suggests Goneril and Regan)

²¹⁴
gentle
noble

²¹⁵
speed you
(may God) prosper you

²¹⁶
toward
impending

²¹⁷
vulgar
widely known

²¹⁹
by your favour
if you would be so good

²²¹
main … thought
sight of the main army is expected hourly

²²⁴
Though that
though

²²⁴
on special cause
for a special reason (i.e. to find Lear)

²²⁹
worser spirit
evil angel/bad side of my nature

²³⁴
known … sorrows
deeply felt sorrows I have experienced

²³⁵
pregnant … pity
disposed to compassion

²³⁶
biding
dwelling

²³⁸
benison
blessing

²³⁹
To … boot
in addition, and may it benefit you

²⁴⁰
proclaimed prize
i.e. a man with a price on his head

²⁴⁰
happy
fortunate

²⁴¹
framed flesh
conceived and born

²⁴³
thyself remember
recall your sins (i.e. prepare to die)

²⁴⁸
published
proclaimed

²⁵¹
’Chill
I shall

²⁵¹
’chill … ’casion
I shall not let go, sir, without further occasion (cause); for his new persona, Edgar adopts a West Country accent in which he substitutes “v” for “f” and “z” for “s”

²⁵³
your gait
on your way

²⁵⁴
An … vortnight
if I could have been killed by boasting, I would not have lasted a fortnight (or “it would have been shorter by a fortnight”)

²⁵⁶
che vor ye
I warrant you, I promise you

²⁵⁶
i’se
I shall