The Subplot Thickens

• Gloucester who is now psychically blind is being led by Poor Tom (Edgar) to a cliff where he plans to jump. Edgar, not wanting his father to die, tricks Gloucester to jump off a small ledge so that he believes he was saved for a reason/miracle and thinks he has a purpose. This is an example of dramatic irony as Gloucester doesn’t know poor tom is actually his son and the readers do. Both father and son want to be together but as Edgar has chosen not to reveal himself, Gloucester is unaware his son is next to him. This also creates tension as we are aware and want Gloucester to know but are unable to tell him.

• Both Gloucester and Lear are the troubled blind fathers in the play. Both men banished their loyal loving children while making their evil disloyal children their heirs. Both only are able to see the truth when something terrible happens to them (Gloucester-losing his eyes, Lear-battles with insanity)

Key Quotes

“I have no way, and therefore want no eyes; I stumbled when I saw.” — Gloucester.

• Gloucester says this after having his eyes gouged out. He no longer wants to see because even when we could see, he was blind to the truth (Edmund and Edgar).

“And worse I may be yet. The worst is not So long as we can say, ‘This is the worst.'” — Edgar.

• Edgar knows that he is in a bad situation but believes that the fact that he is able to say it is the worst, that he is not dead and so is not in the worst situation.

“Tis the time’s plague when madmen lead the blind.” — Edgar

• This quote quite obviously is referring to how Poor Tom/Edgar/Madman is leading Gloucester/Blind(literally and figureatively.

“Tigers, not daughters, what have you performed?” — Albany

• Albany is saying that the sisters Goneril and Regan are acting not like daughters but like tigers. He doesn’t agree with how they are treating and disrespecting their father.

“Humanity must perforce prey on itself, Like monsters of the deep.” — Albany

• The reader can see Albany is a good man in this soliloquy in which these two quotes came from. He referring to how humanity is attacking each other when they should be joining together. The metaphor “monsters of the deep” is saying how monsters is deep dark water know nothing else except hunting their prey and this is how he believes the people around him are acting.

“In nothing am I changed But in my garments.” — Edgar

• Before Gloucester jumps off the ‘cliff’ he questions Poor Toms/Edgars change in speaking patterns. Edgars reply refers to back to the quote “a tailor make a man” by Cornwall when he says nothign has changed except his clothes. He is showing the reader that he is still Gloucester son, only his clothes have changed and clothes do not make a man.

“When the rain came to wet me once, and the wind to make me chatter; when the thunder would not peace at my bidding; there I found ‘em, there I smell ‘em out.” — Lear

• Lear is talking about how he used his other senses while in the storm as he has a lack of sight which hasn’t helped him in the past. He is saying he can not use anger to make the thunder stop.

“O, matter and impertinency mixed! Reason in madness!” — Edgar

• Edgar is speaking to Lear and saying that he would see more with glass eyes then what he sees with real eyes as no is realizing the madness of the whole situation.

“I am bound upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears do scald like molten lead.” — Lear

• Lear is speaking to Cordelia and saying that his fate has already been set as he is on his way down a ‘wheel of fire’. The wheel of fate for Lear has already been referenced by Kent who foreshadowed the downfall of his great king. Lears reference to molten lead could be an indication of going to hell.

King Lear’s Position

“Look, look, a mouse! Peace, peace; this piece of toasted cheese will do it. There’s my gauntlet; I’ll prove it on a giant. Bring up the brown bills.” — Lear

• In this scene Lear has gone mad, he no longer speaks like a king as he is often going off on tangents that make no sense. He is speaking verse rather than prose which indicates his lowering of status furthermore.

“Let me wipe it first; it smells of mortality.” — Lear

• Gloucester and Edgar are walking, they come across Lear. Gloucester can’t see him, but recognizes the voice of his king. And as a sign of respect asks to kiss his hand. Lear replies that he needs to “wipe” or clean it first because it smells of “mortality” or death. Lear is basically refering his life is over. He has been betrayed by his two oldest daughters, thrown out of his home, and has nothing left to look forward to than a grave. He is saying to Gloucester: you can kiss my hand as if I am a king, but you are really kissing the hand of a dead man.

“Through tattered clothes small vices do appear.” — Lear

• This metaphor means that the holes in the ragged, dirty, cheap clothes that don’t hide much skin also struggle to hide the sins of the person.

“When we are born we cry that we are come to this stage of great fools.” — Lear

• Lear is saying that babies all cry at birth because they realize they have been brought into a terrible world. 

• The tragic hero goes through a phase where they must realise their mistakes and faults that have brought their doomed fate upon them. This phase according to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is called the anagnorisis phase. This phase is important as it is a moment where the reader can have empathy with the character and as they learn from their mistakes the reader begins to care for them and sympathises with their situation.

The Window of Hope

• In this act Lear reconnects with Cordelia, whom he banished in act 1. Gloucester has also been reconnected with Edgar as we already know. In this act the audience could believe that everything is going to be alright and be sorted out as Cordelia forgives Lear for acting so harshly. Edgar also has saved his father from suicide. This moment is called a window of hope as it allows for breathing time and everything seems as though the worst had come and gone. This is an important technique as it builds the intentity of the climax and means that when the end is near the reader will feel even more emotionally attached to the dead than they did before as they thought it was going to be fine.

Symbolic References

• As I’ve said before, the storm in the physical world is a reference to the storm raging inside Lear’s mind. The ceasing of the weather is, therefore, hinting that things are beginning to settle in Lear’s mind. Now that Lear has been reunited with Cordelia he is experiencing a moment of realisation, aka anagnorisis. Lear is recognising that everything that has happened is a result of his tragic flaw. This is according to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. This act is considered the “falling action” as the chaos is reducing and preparing for the final act.

• In this act Lear is wearing a weed flower crown. The symbolism of this crown is it refers to him being king and the weeds show symbolism as a garden is known to flourish when all the weeds have been pulled out. This relates to lear as his kingdom is the garden and would do better now that lear was no longer there.

“Through tattered clothes small vices do appear; Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks; Arm it in rags, a pygmy’s straw does pierce it.” — Lear

• This quote represents the theme of injustice and justice in king lear. In simpler terms its basically saying that people with money, beauty and power are able to get away with crimes that a normal person could not. Lear is saying that while he was king he did whatever he wanted and now that his clothes are torn his people can peek through and see his sins. The theme of injustice in this play is what inspires the idea of a tragic hero.

“A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears. See how yond justice rails upon yond simple thief.”

“Get thee glass eyes And, like a scurvy politician, seem To see things thou dost not.”

“Bless thy sweet eyes, they bleed.“

• Edmund’s evil and plotting is a representation of the devil, he is there to punish the actions of Gloucester, and in doing so inflicting pain on Edgar who he cares about. The idea that the devil creature that haunts poor Tom and now Gloucester being seen metaphorically as Edmund shows the way Edmund is seen in the play.