уильям шекспир - King Lear

With thine and all that offer to defend him,

Stand in assurèd loss. Take up, take up,

They carry Lear

And follow me, that will to some provision 54

Give thee quick conduct. Come, come, away.

Exeunt

Act 3 Scene 7

running scene 11

Enter Cornwall, Regan, Goneril, Bastard [Edmund] and Servants

To Goneril

CORNWALL Post 1speedily to my lord your husband;

Gives a letter

show him this letter: the army of France is

landed.— Seek out the traitor Gloucester.

[Exeunt some Servants]

REGAN Hang him instantly.

GONERIL Pluck out his eyes.

CORNWALL Leave him to my displeasure. Edmund, keep you our

sister 7company: the revenges we are bound to take upon

your traitorous father are not fit for your beholding. Advise 8

the duke where you are going, to a most festinate 9

preparation: we are bound to the like. Our posts 10shall be swift

and intelligent 11betwixt us. Farewell, dear sister: farewell, my

lord of Gloucester 12.

Enter Oswald

How now? Where’s the king?

OSWALD My lord of Gloucester hath conveyed him hence:

Some five- or six-and-thirty of his knights,

Hot questrists 17after him, met him at gate,

Who, with some other of the lord’s 18dependants,

Are gone with him toward Dover, where they boast

To have well-armèd friends.

CORNWALL Get horses for your mistress.

GONERIL Farewell, sweet lord, and sister.

Exeunt [ Goneril, Edmund and Oswald ]

CORNWALL Edmund, farewell.—

Go seek the traitor Gloucester,

Pinion him 25like a thief, bring him before us.

[Exeunt other Servants]

Though well we may not pass upon his life 26

Without the form of justice, yet our power

Shall do a court’sy 28to our wrath, which men

May blame but not control.

Enter Gloucester and Servants

Who’s there? The traitor?

REGAN Ingrateful fox! ’Tis he.

CORNWALL Bind fast his corky 31arms.

GLOUCESTER What means your graces?

Good my friends, consider you are my guests:

Do me no foul play, friends.

CORNWALL Bind him, I say.

Servants bind him

REGAN Hard, hard. O, filthy traitor!

GLOUCESTER Unmerciful lady as you are, I’m none.

CORNWALL To this chair bind him.— Villain, thou shalt find—

Regan plucks his beard

GLOUCESTER By the kind gods, ’tis most ignobly done

To pluck me by the beard.

REGAN So white 41, and such a traitor?

GLOUCESTER Naughty 42lady,

These hairs which thou dost ravish 43from my chin

Will quicken 44and accuse thee. I am your host:

With robbers’ hands my hospitable favours 45

You should not ruffle 46thus. What will you do?

CORNWALL Come, sir, what letters had you late from France?

REGAN Be simple answered 48, for we know the truth.

CORNWALL And what confederacy have you with the traitors

Late footed 50in the kingdom?

REGAN To whose hands you have sent the lunatic king? Speak.

GLOUCESTER I have a letter guessingly 52set down,

Which came from one that’s of a neutral heart,

And not from one opposed 54.

CORNWALL Cunning.

REGAN And false.

CORNWALL Where hast thou sent the king?

GLOUCESTER To Dover.

REGAN Wherefore to Dover? Wast thou not charged at peril 59—

CORNWALL Wherefore to Dover? Let him answer that.

GLOUCESTER I am tied to th’stake and I must stand the course 61.

REGAN Wherefore to Dover?

GLOUCESTER Because I would not see thy cruel nails

Pluck out his poor old eyes, nor thy fierce sister

In his anointed 65flesh stick boarish fangs.

The sea, with such a storm as his bare head

In hell-black night endured, would have buoyed 67up

And quenched the stellèd 68fires:

Yet, poor old heart, he holp the heavens to rain 69.

If wolves had at thy gate howled that stern 70time,

Thou shouldst have said ‘Good porter, turn the key 71.’

All cruels else subscribe 72: but I shall see

The wingèd vengeance 73overtake such children.

CORNWALL See’t shalt thou never. Fellows 74, hold the chair.—

Upon these eyes of thine I’ll set my foot.

GLOUCESTER He that will think to live till he be old,

Cornwall grinds out his eye

Give me some help! O cruel! O you gods!

REGAN One side will mock another: th’other too.

CORNWALL If you see vengeance—

SERVANT Hold your hand, my lord:

I have served you ever since I was a child,

But better service have I never done you

Than now to bid you hold.

REGAN How now, you dog?

To Regan

SERVANT If you did wear a beard upon your chin,

I’d shake it on this quarrel.— What do you mean 86?

They draw and fight

CORNWALL My villain 87?

SERVANT Nay, then, come on, and take the chance of anger 88.

To a Servant

REGAN Give me thy sword. A peasant stand up thus?

Kills him

SERVANT O, I am slain! My lord, you have one eye left

To see some mischief on him 91. O!

Dies

CORNWALL Lest it see more, prevent it. Out, vile jelly!

Puts out

Gloucester’s other eye

Where is thy lustre now?

GLOUCESTER All dark and comfortless. Where’s my son Edmund?

Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature 95

To quit 96this horrid act.

REGAN Out 97, treacherous villain!

Thou call’st on him that hates thee: it was he

That made the overture 99of thy treasons to us,

Who is too good to pity thee.

GLOUCESTER O, my follies! Then Edgar was abused 101.

Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!

REGAN Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell

His way to Dover.

Exit [a Servant] with Gloucester

How is’t, my lord? How look you? 105

CORNWALL I have received a hurt: follow me, lady.—

Turn out that eyeless villain: throw this slave

Upon the dunghill.— Regan, I bleed apace 108:

Untimely 109comes this hurt. Give me your arm.

Exeunt

Act 4 Scene 1

running scene 12

Enter Edgar Disguised as Poor Tom

EDGAR Yet better thus, and known to be contemned 1,

Than still contemned and flattered 2. To be worst,

The lowest and most dejected thing of fortune,

Stands still in esperance 4, lives not in fear:

The lamentable change is from the best 5,

The worst returns to laughter. Welcome, then,

Thou unsubstantial air that I embrace!

The wretch that thou hast blown unto the worst

Owes nothing to thy blasts.

Enter Gloucester and an Old Man

But who comes here? My father, poorly led 10?

World, world, O world!

But that thy strange mutations 12make us hate thee,

Life would not yield to age 13.

OLD MAN O, my good lord, I have been your tenant and your

father’s tenant these fourscore 15years.

GLOUCESTER Away, get thee away! Good friend, be gone:

Thy comforts can do me no good at all,

Thee they may hurt 18.

OLD MAN You cannot see your way.

GLOUCESTER I have no way and therefore want no eyes:

I stumbled when I saw. Full oft ’tis seen

Our means secure us, and our mere defects 22

Prove our commodities 23. O dear son Edgar,

The food of thy abusèd 24father’s wrath!

Might I but live to see thee in my touch,

I’d say I had eyes again!

OLD MAN How now? Who’s there?

Aside

EDGAR O gods! Who is’t can say, ‘I am at the worst’?

I am worse than e’er I was.