уильям шекспир - King Lear

Take thou my soldiers, prisoners, patrimony 76:

Dispose of them, of me: the walls 77is thine:

Witness the world 78that I create thee here

My lord and master.

GONERIL Mean you to enjoy 80him?

ALBANY The let-alone 81lies not in your good will.

EDMUND Nor in thine, lord.

ALBANY Half-blooded 83fellow, 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 86thy arrest,

This gilded serpent. For 87your claim, fair sister,

I bar it 88in the interest of my wife:

’Tis she is subcontracted 89to this lord,

And I, her husband, contradict your banns 90.

If you will marry, make your loves to 91me,

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 97on thy heart,

Throws down a glove

Ere I taste bread, thou art in nothing 98less

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 102in 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 115within the

lists 116of 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 140fortune,

Thy valour and thy heart, thou art a traitor:

False to thy gods, thy brother and thy father,

Conspirant 143gainst this high illustrious prince,

And from th’extremest upward 144of thy head

To the descent 145and dust below thy foot

A most toad-spotted 146traitor. 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 152of breeding breathes,

What safe and nicely 153I 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 156o’erwhelm thy heart,

Which, for they yet glance by 157and scarcely bruise,

This sword of mine shall give them instant way 158,

Where they shall rest forever. Trumpets, speak!

Draws

Alarums. Fights

Edmund falls

ALBANY Save him 160, save him!

GONERIL This is practice 161, Gloucester:

By th’law of war thou wast not bound to answer

An unknown opposite: thou art not vanquished,

But cozened and beguiled 164.

ALBANY Shut your mouth, dame 165,

Or with this paper shall I stop it.— Hold, sir.—

To Goneril

Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil.

No tearing, lady: I perceive you know 168it.

Shows her the letter

GONERIL Say, if I do, the laws are mine, not thine:

Who can arraign 170me for’t.

Exit

ALBANY Most monstrous! O, know’st thou this paper?

EDMUND Ask me not what I know.

ALBANY Go after her: she’s desperate: govern 173her.

[Exit a soldier]

EDMUND What you have charged me with, that have I done,

And more, much more: the time will bring it out:

To Edgar

’Tis past and so am I.— But what art thou

That hast this fortune on 177me? If thou’rt noble,

I do forgive thee.

EDGAR Let’s exchange charity 179.

I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund:

If more, the more th’hast 181wronged me.

Removes his helmet

My name is Edgar, and thy father’s son.

The gods are just, and of our pleasant 183vices

Make instruments to plague us:

The dark and vicious place where thee he got 185

Cost him his eyes.

EDMUND Th’hast spoken right: ’tis true,

The wheel 188is come full circle: I am here.

To Edgar

ALBANY Methought thy very gait did prophesy 189

A royal nobleness: I must embrace thee.

Let sorrow split my heart if ever I

Did hate thee or thy father!

EDGAR Worthy prince, I know’t.

ALBANY Where have you hid yourself?

How have you known the miseries of your father?

EDGAR By nursing them, my lord. List 196a brief tale,

And when ’tis told, O, that my heart would burst!

The bloody proclamation 198to escape

That followed me so near — O, our lives’ sweetness!

That we the pain of death would hourly die 200

Rather than die at once! — taught me to shift

Into a madman’s rags, t’assume a semblance 202

That very dogs disdained: and in this habit 203

Met I my father with his bleeding rings 204,

Their precious stones new lost, became his guide,

Led him, begged for him, saved him from despair 206,

Never — O, fault! — revealed myself unto him

Until some half-hour past, when I was armed.

Not sure, though hoping, of this good success 209,

I asked his blessing, and from first to last

Told him our pilgrimage: but his flawed 211heart —

Alack, too weak the conflict to support —

’Twixt two extremes of passion, joy and grief,

Burst smilingly.

EDMUND This speech of yours hath moved me,

And shall perchance do good: but speak you on:

You look as you had something more to say.

ALBANY If there be more, more woeful, hold it in,

For I am almost ready to dissolve 219,

Hearing of this.

Enter a Gentleman

With a bloody knife

GENTLEMAN Help, help, O, help!

EDGAR What kind of help?

ALBANY Speak, man.

EDGAR What means this bloody knife?

GENTLEMAN ’Tis hot, it smokes 225:

It came even from the heart of — O, she’s dead!

ALBANY Who dead? Speak, man.