Back to main page
King Lear - Act 3, scene 4
Cite
Download King Lear
Last updated: Thu, Apr 21, 2016
- PDF Download as PDF
- DOC (for MS Word, Apple Pages, Open Office, etc.) without line numbers Download as DOC (for MS Word, Apple Pages, Open Office, etc.) without line numbers
- DOC (for MS Word, Apple Pages, Open Office, etc.) with line numbers Download as DOC (for MS Word, Apple Pages, Open Office, etc.) with line numbers
- HTML Download as HTML
- TXT Download as TXT
- XML Download as XML
- TEISimple XML (annotated with MorphAdorner for part-of-speech analysis) Download as TEISimple XML (annotated with MorphAdorner for part-of-speech analysis)
Navigate this work
King Lear - Act 3, scene 4Act 3, scene 4
Scene 4
Synopsis:
Lear, Kent, and the Fool reach the hovel, where they find Edgar disguised as Poor Tom, a madman-beggar. When Gloucester finds them, he leads them to the shelter of a house.
Enter Lear, Kent ⌜in disguise,⌝ and Fool.KENT
1904 Here is the place, my lord. Good my lord, enter.
1905 The tyranny of the open night ’s too rough
1906 For nature to endure.Storm still.
LEAR 1907 Let me alone.
KENT
1908 5 Good my lord, enter here.
LEAR 1909 Wilt break my heart?
KENT
1910 I had rather break mine own. Good my lord, enter.
LEAR
1911 Thou think’st ’tis much that this contentious storm
1912 Invades us to the skin. So ’tis to thee.
1913 10 But where the greater malady is fixed,
1914 The lesser is scarce felt. Thou ’dst shun a bear,
1915 But if ⟨thy⟩ flight lay toward the roaring sea,
p.
137
1916
Thou ’dst meet the bear i’ th’ mouth. When the1917 mind’s free,
1918 15 The body’s delicate. ⟨This⟩ tempest in my mind
1919 Doth from my senses take all feeling else
1920 Save what beats there. Filial ingratitude!
1921 Is it not as this mouth should tear this hand
1922 For lifting food to ’t? But I will punish home.
1923 20 No, I will weep no more. [In such a night
1924 To shut me out? Pour on. I will endure.]
1925 In such a night as this? O Regan, Goneril,
1926 Your old kind father whose frank heart gave all!
1927 O, that way madness lies. Let me shun that;
1928 25 No more of that.
KENT 1929 Good my lord, enter here.
LEAR
1930 Prithee, go in thyself. Seek thine own ease.
1931 This tempest will not give me leave to ponder
1932 On things would hurt me more. But I’ll go in.—
1933 30 [In, boy; go first.—You houseless poverty—
1934 Nay, get thee in. I’ll pray, and then I’ll sleep.]
⌜Fool⌝ exits.
1935 Poor naked wretches, wheresoe’er you are,
1936 That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
1937 How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,
1938 35 Your looped and windowed raggedness defend
1939 you
1940 From seasons such as these? O, I have ta’en
1941 Too little care of this. Take physic, pomp.
1942 Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel,
1943 40 That thou may’st shake the superflux to them
1944 And show the heavens more just.
[EDGAR ⌜within⌝ 1945 Fathom and half, fathom and half!
1946 Poor Tom!
Enter Fool.]
FOOL 1947 Come not in here, nuncle; here’s a spirit. Help
1948 45 me, help me!
p.
139
KENT
1949
Give me thy hand. Who’s there?FOOL 1950 A spirit, a spirit! He says his name’s Poor Tom.
KENT 1951 What art thou that dost grumble there i’ th’
1952 straw? Come forth.
Enter Edgar ⌜in disguise.⌝
EDGAR 1953 50Away. The foul fiend follows me. Through the
1954 sharp hawthorn ⟨blows the cold wind.⟩ Hum! Go to
1955 thy ⟨cold⟩ bed and warm thee.
LEAR 1956 Didst thou give all to thy daughters? And art thou
1957 come to this?
EDGAR 1958 55Who gives anything to Poor Tom, whom the
1959 foul fiend hath led ⟨through⟩ fire and through flame,
1960 through ⟨ford⟩ and whirlpool, o’er bog and quagmire;
1961 that hath laid knives under his pillow and
1962 halters in his pew, set ratsbane by his porridge,
1963 60 made him proud of heart to ride on a bay trotting
1964 horse over four-inched bridges to course his own
1965 shadow for a traitor? Bless thy five wits! Tom’s
1966 a-cold. O, do de, do de, do de. Bless thee from
1967 whirlwinds, star-blasting, and taking! Do Poor Tom
1968 65 some charity, whom the foul fiend vexes. There
1969 could I have him now, and there—and there again
1970 —and there.Storm still.
LEAR
1971 Has his daughters brought him to this pass?—
1972 Couldst thou save nothing? Wouldst thou give ’em
1973 70 all?
FOOL 1974 Nay, he reserved a blanket, else we had been all
1975 shamed.
LEAR
1976 Now all the plagues that in the pendulous air
1977 Hang fated o’er men’s faults light on thy daughters!
KENT 1978 75He hath no daughters, sir.
LEAR
1979 Death, traitor! Nothing could have subdued nature
1980 To such a lowness but his unkind daughters.
p.
141
1981
Is it the fashion that discarded fathers1982 Should have thus little mercy on their flesh?
1983 80 Judicious punishment! ’Twas this flesh begot
1984 Those pelican daughters.
EDGAR 1985 Pillicock sat on Pillicock Hill. Alow, alow, loo,
1986 loo.
FOOL 1987 This cold night will turn us all to fools and
1988 85 madmen.
EDGAR 1989 Take heed o’ th’ foul fiend. Obey thy parents,
1990 keep thy word’s justice, swear not, commit not with
1991 man’s sworn spouse, set not thy sweet heart on
1992 proud array. Tom’s a-cold.
LEAR 1993 90What hast thou been?
EDGAR 1994 A servingman, proud in heart and mind, that
1995 curled my hair, wore gloves in my cap, served the
1996 lust of my mistress’ heart and did the act of
1997 darkness with her, swore as many oaths as I spake
1998 95 words and broke them in the sweet face of heaven;
1999 one that slept in the contriving of lust and waked to
2000 do it. Wine loved I ⟨deeply,⟩ dice dearly, and in
2001 woman out-paramoured the Turk. False of heart,
2002 light of ear, bloody of hand; hog in sloth, fox in
2003 100 stealth, wolf in greediness, dog in madness, lion in
2004 prey. Let not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling
2005 of silks betray thy poor heart to woman. Keep thy
2006 foot out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets, thy
2007 pen from lenders’ books, and defy the foul fiend.
2008 105 Still through the hawthorn blows the cold wind;
2009 says suum, mun, nonny. Dolphin my boy, boy, sessa!
2010 Let him trot by.Storm still.
LEAR 2011 Thou wert better in a grave than to answer with
2012 thy uncovered body this extremity of the skies.—Is
2013 110 man no more than this? Consider him well.—Thou
2014 ow’st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep
2015 no wool, the cat no perfume. Ha, here’s three on ’s
2016 are sophisticated. Thou art the thing itself; unaccommodated
2017 man is no more but such a poor, bare,
p.
143
2018
115 forked animal as thou art. Off, off, you lendings!2019 Come, unbutton here.⌜Tearing off his clothes.⌝
FOOL 2020 Prithee, nuncle, be contented. ’Tis a naughty
2021 night to swim in. Now, a little fire in a wild field
2022 were like an old lecher’s heart—a small spark, all
2023 120 the rest on ’s body cold.
Enter Gloucester, with a torch.
2024 Look, here comes a walking fire.
EDGAR 2025 This is the foul ⟨fiend⟩ Flibbertigibbet. He begins
2026 at curfew and walks ⟨till the⟩ first cock. He
2027 gives the web and the pin, squints the eye, and
2028 125 makes the harelip, mildews the white wheat, and
2029 hurts the poor creature of earth.
2030 Swithold footed thrice the ’old,
2031 He met the nightmare and her ninefold,
2032 Bid her alight,
2033 130 And her troth plight,
2034 And aroint thee, witch, aroint thee.
KENT 2035 How fares your Grace?
LEAR 2036 What’s he?
KENT 2037 Who’s there? What is ’t you seek?
GLOUCESTER 2038 135What are you there? Your names?
EDGAR 2039 Poor Tom, that eats the swimming frog, the
2040 toad, the tadpole, the wall newt, and the water;
2041 that, in the fury of his heart, when the foul fiend
2042 rages, eats cow dung for sallets, swallows the old
2043 140 rat and the ditch-dog, drinks the green mantle of
2044 the standing pool; who is whipped from tithing to
2045 tithing, and stocked, punished, and imprisoned;
2046 who hath ⟨had⟩ three suits to his back, six shirts to
2047 his body,
2048 145 Horse to ride, and weapon to wear;
2049 But mice and rats and such small deer
2050 Have been Tom’s food for seven long year.
p.
145
2051
Beware my follower. Peace, Smulkin! Peace, thou2052 fiend!
GLOUCESTER, ⌜to Lear⌝
2053 150 What, hath your Grace no better company?
EDGAR 2054 The Prince of Darkness is a gentleman. Modo
2055 he’s called, and Mahu.
GLOUCESTER, ⌜to Lear⌝
2056 Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown so vile
2057 That it doth hate what gets it.
EDGAR 2058 155Poor Tom’s a-cold.
GLOUCESTER, ⌜to Lear⌝
2059 Go in with me. My duty cannot suffer
2060 T’ obey in all your daughters’ hard commands.
2061 Though their injunction be to bar my doors
2062 And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you,
2063 160 Yet have I ventured to come seek you out
2064 And bring you where both fire and food is ready.
LEAR
2065 First let me talk with this philosopher.
2066 ⌜To Edgar.⌝ What is the cause of thunder?
KENT
2067 Good my lord, take his offer; go into th’ house.
LEAR
2068 165 I’ll talk a word with this same learnèd Theban.—
2069 What is your study?
EDGAR 2070 How to prevent the fiend and to kill vermin.
LEAR 2071 Let me ask you one word in private.
⌜They talk aside.⌝
KENT, ⌜to Gloucester⌝
2072 Importune him once more to go, my lord.
2073 170 His wits begin t’ unsettle.
GLOUCESTER 2074 Canst thou blame him?
Storm still.
2075 His daughters seek his death. Ah, that good Kent!
2076 He said it would be thus, poor banished man.
2077 Thou sayest the King grows mad; I’ll tell thee,
2078 175 friend,
p.
147
2079
I am almost mad myself. I had a son,2080 Now outlawed from my blood. He sought my life
2081 But lately, very late. I loved him, friend,
2082 No father his son dearer. True to tell thee,
2083 180 The grief hath crazed my wits. What a night’s this!
2084 —I do beseech your Grace—
LEAR 2085 O, cry you mercy, sir.
2086 ⌜To Edgar.⌝ Noble philosopher, your company.
EDGAR 2087 Tom’s a-cold.
GLOUCESTER, ⌜to Edgar⌝
2088 185 In fellow, there, into th’ hovel. Keep thee warm.
LEAR 2089 Come, let’s in all.
KENT 2090 This way, my lord.
LEAR, ⌜indicating Edgar⌝ 2091 With him.
2092 I will keep still with my philosopher.
KENT, ⌜to Gloucester⌝
2093 190 Good my lord, soothe him. Let him take the fellow.
GLOUCESTER, ⌜to Kent⌝ 2094 Take him you on.
KENT, ⌜to Edgar⌝
2095 Sirrah, come on: go along with us.
LEAR 2096 Come, good Athenian.
GLOUCESTER 2097 No words, no words. Hush.
EDGAR
2098 195 Child Rowland to the dark tower came.
2099 His word was still “Fie, foh, and fum,
2100 I smell the blood of a British man.”
They exit.