уильям шекспир - King Lear

Most barbarous, most degenerate, have you madded 146. Could

my good brother suffer 147you to do it?

A man, a prince, by him so benefited!

If that the heavens do not their visible spirits 149

Send quickly down to tame 150the vile offences, it will come,

Humanity must perforce prey on itself,

Like monsters of the deep.

Following 4.2.39:

that not know’st

Fools do those villains pity who are punished 154

Ere they have done their mischief. Where’s thy drum?

France spreads his banners in our noiseless 156land,

With plumèd helm, thy state begins threat 157,

Whilst thou, a moral 158fool, sits still and cries

‘Alack, why does he so?’

Following 4.2.43:

ALBANY Thou changèd and self-covered 160thing, for shame

Bemonster not thy feature. Were’t my fitness 161

To let these hands obey my blood 162,

They are apt enough to dislocate and tear

Thy flesh and bones: howe’er 164thou art a fiend,

A woman’s shape doth shield thee.

GONERIL Marry, your manhood mew 166—

Enter a Gentleman

ALBANY What news?

Following 4.2.77:

Enter Kent and a Gentleman

KENT Why the King of France is so suddenly gone back 168,

know you no reason?

GENTLEMAN Something he left imperfect 170in the state, which

since his coming forth is thought of, which imports 171to the

kingdom so much fear and danger that his personal return

was most required and necessary.

KENT Who hath he left behind him general?

GENTLEMAN The Marshal of France, Monsieur La Far.

KENT Did your letters pierce the queen to any

demonstration of grief?

GENTLEMAN Ay, sir, she took them, read them in my presence,

And now and then an ample tear trilled 179down

Her delicate cheek: it seemed she was a queen over

Her passion 181, who, most rebel-like,

Sought to be king o’er her.

KENT O, then it moved her.

GENTLEMAN Not to a rage: patience and sorrow strove

Who should express her goodliest 185. You have seen

Sunshine and rain at once: her smiles and tears

Were like a better way: those happy smilets 187,

That played on her ripe lip seem not to know

What guests were in her eyes, which, parted thence,

As pearls from diamonds dropped. In brief,

Sorrow would be a rarity most beloved,

If all could so become it 192.

KENT Made she no verbal question?

GENTLEMAN Faith, once or twice she heaved the name of ‘father’

Pantingly forth, as if it pressed her heart:

Cried ‘Sisters, sisters! Shame of ladies, sisters!

Kent, father, sisters! What, i’th’storm, i’th’night?

Let pity not be believed 198!’ There she shook

The holy water from her heavenly eyes,

And clamour moistened her: then away she started 200

To deal with grief alone.

KENT It is the stars,

The stars above us, govern our conditions,

Else one self mate and make 204could not beget

Such different issues 205. You spoke not with her since?

GENTLEMAN No.

KENT Was this before the king returned?

GENTLEMAN No, since.

KENT Well, sir, the poor distressèd Lear’s i’th’town;

Who sometime, in his better tune 210, remembers

What we are come about, and by no means

Will yield to see his daughter.

GENTLEMAN Why, good sir?

KENT A sovereign shame so elbows 214him: his own unkindness,

That stripped her from his benediction, turned her

To foreign casualties 216, gave her dear rights

To his dog-hearted daughters: these things sting

His mind so venomously, that burning shame

Detains him from Cordelia.

GENTLEMAN Alack, poor gentleman!

KENT Of Albany’s and Cornwall’s powers you heard not?

GENTLEMAN ’Tis so, they are afoot 222.

KENT Well, sir, I’ll bring you to our master Lear,

And leave you to attend him: some dear cause 224

Will in concealment wrap me up awhile.

When I am known aright, you shall not grieve 226

Lending me this acquaintance. I pray you go

Along with me.

Exeunt

Following 4.6.27:

CORDELIA Very well.

DOCTOR Please you, draw near.— Louder the music there!

Following 4.6.35:

To stand against the deep dread-bolted 231thunder,

In the most terrible and nimble stroke

Of quick cross lightning? To watch — poor perdu 234!—

With this thin helm 234?

Following 4.6.89:

GENTLEMAN Holds it true, sir, that the Duke of Cornwall was so

slain?

KENT Most certain, sir.

GENTLEMAN Who is conductor of his people 238?

KENT As ’tis said, the bastard son of Gloucester.

GENTLEMAN They say Edgar, his banished son, is with the Earl of

Kent in Germany.

KENT Report 242is changeable. ’Tis time to look about: the

powers of the kingdom approach apace 243.

GENTLEMAN The arbitrament 244is like to be bloody. Fare you well,

sir.

KENT My point and period will be throughly wrought 246,

Or 247well or ill, as this day’s battle’s fought.

Exit

Following 5.1.13:

EDMUND That thought abuses 248you.

REGAN I am doubtful that you have been conjunct 249

And bosomed with her, as far as we call hers 250

Following 5.1.17:

GONERIL I had rather lose the battle than that sister

Should loosen him and me.

Following 5.1.21:

Where I could not be honest 253,

I never yet was valiant. For 254this business,

It touches us as 255France invades our land,

Not bolds the king, with 256others whom I fear,

Most just and heavy causes make oppose 257.

EDMUND Sir, you speak nobly.

Following 5.3.55:

At this time

We sweat and bleed: the friend hath lost his friend;

And the best quarrels, in the heat, are cursed 261

By those that feel their sharpness:

The question of Cordelia and her father

Requires a fitter place.

Following 5.3.220:

EDGAR This would have seemed a period 265

To such as love not sorrow, but another, 266

To amplify too much, would make much more,

And top extremity.

Whilst I was big in clamour 269, came there in a man,

Who, having seen me in my worst estate 270,

Shunned my abhorred society, but then finding

Who ’twas that so endured, with his strong arms

He fastened on my neck 273and bellowed out

As 274he’d burst heaven, threw me on my father,

Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him

That ever ear received, which in recounting

His grief grew puissant and the strings of life 277

Began to crack: twice then the trumpets sounded,

And there I left him ’tranced 279.

ALBANY But who was this?

EDGAR Kent, sir, the banished Kent, who in disguise

Followed his enemy king 282and did him service

Improper for 283a slave.

TEXTUAL NOTES

Q = First Quarto text of 1608

Q2 = a correction introduced in the Second Quarto text of 1619

Ed = a correction introduced by a later editor

SH = Speech heading (i.e. speaker’s name)

1 SH EDMUND= Ed. Q = Bast. (throughout) 25 on’t= Q. Q2 = an’t ladies= Q (corrected) . Q (uncorrected) = lodes 34 basest and ’temnest= Q (corrected) . Q (uncorrected) = belest and contaned 67 Want’st= Q2. Q = wanst 69 bourn= Ed. Q = broome 91 she kicked= Ed. Q = kickt 95 joint-stool= Q2. Q = ioyne stoole 97 on= Ed. Q = an 125 madness= Q (corrected) . Q (uncorrected) = rogish madnes 131 Flibbertigibbet spelled Stiberdigebit in Q 131–32 mopping and mowing= Ed. Q = Mobing, & Mohing 151 Humanity= Q (corrected) . Q (uncorrected) = Humanly 157 threat spelled thereat in Q (corrected) state begins threat= Q (corrected). Q (uncorrected) = slayer begin threats 166 mew= Q (corrected) . Q (uncorrected) = now 178 Ay, sir, = Ed. Q = I say 184 strove= Ed. Q = streme