King Lear

²³Trey … Sweetheart names for bitches—even his female dogs, he imagines, have turned against him; their names may suggest Lear’s daughters (“tray” can mean “pain, affliction,” “blanch” can mean “to deceive,” “to flatter”)

²⁴throw his head unclear; presumably a threatening gesture of some sort

²⁴Avaunt begone

²⁵or black or either black or

²⁶poisons i.e. with rabies

²⁷grim fierce

²⁸brach bitch

²⁸him male

²⁹bobtail tyke small dog with a tail that has been bobbed (cut short)

²⁹trundle-tail dog with a long, curling tail

³²hatch lower half of a divided door

³³Do … de apparently the sound of chattering teeth again

³³Sessa! cry of encouragement used in hunting or may derive from the French cessez (“stop”)

³³wakes annual parish fairs (frequented by beggars)

³⁴horn beggars carried drinking horns on strings round their necks

³⁵anatomize dissect

³⁷entertain employ

³⁹Persian i.e. gorgeous, luxurious

⁴¹curtains Lear imagines that he is in a curtained bed

⁴⁸litter vehicle containing a bed, here apparently drawn by horses

⁴⁹Dover port on the south coast

⁵⁴to … conduct i.e. hastily guide you to the necessary supplies for your journey

Act 3 Scene 7

^3.7Location: the Earl of Gloucester’s residence

¹Post travel swiftly

⁷sister sister-in-law, i.e. Goneril

⁸Advise counsel, urge

⁹duke i.e. the Duke of Albany

⁹festinate preparation hasty preparation of troops

¹⁰posts messengers

¹¹intelligent possessed of information

¹²lord of Gloucester Edmund’s new title (though when Oswald uses it, he refers to Edmund’s father)

¹⁷questrists seekers

¹⁸the lord’s i.e. Gloucester’s

²⁵Pinion him bind his arms

²⁶pass … justice issue a death sentence without a formal trial

²⁸do a court’sy bow, yield

³¹corky withered, dry

^3.7plucks his beard a highly insulting gesture

⁴¹white i.e. old, dignified

⁴²Naughty wicked

⁴³ravish seize forcibly, pluck

⁴⁴quicken come to life

⁴⁵hospitable favours welcoming (facial) features

⁴⁶ruffle treat roughly/snatch

⁴⁸Be simple answered answer straightforwardly

⁵⁰Late footed recently landed

⁵²guessingly without certain knowledge

⁵⁴opposed i.e. to the dukes

⁵⁹charged at peril commanded on peril of your life

⁶¹tied to th’stake like a bear in the popular sport of bear-baiting

⁶¹stand endure

⁶¹course designated bout, during which the bear was attacked by dogs

⁶⁵anointed i.e. holy (having been anointed with holy oil at the coronation)

⁶⁷buoyed swelled, risen

⁶⁸stellèd starry

⁶⁹holp helped

⁶⁹holp … rain i.e. by weeping

⁷⁰stern cruel, unyielding

⁷¹turn the key i.e. to let them in

⁷²All … subscribe i.e. in such circumstances, all other cruel people would sanction a kind action

⁷³wingèd vengeance i.e. vengeance of the gods

⁷⁴Fellows servants

⁸⁶shake … quarrel i.e. defy you (or “challenge you to a fight”) over this cause

⁸⁶What … mean? What do you think you are doing?

⁸⁷villain servant

⁸⁸chance of anger risk of what anger may bring (in a fight)

⁹¹mischief on him injury done to him

⁹⁵sparks of nature warmth of natural filial affection

⁹⁶quit requite, avenge

⁹⁷Out expression of impatience and disgust

⁹⁹overture disclosure

¹⁰¹abused wronged, maligned

¹⁰⁵How look you? How are you?

¹⁰⁸apace rapidly

¹⁰⁹Untimely at the wrong time (with war imminent)

^3.7Exeunt here the Quarto text has an additional sequence in which loyal servants apply a palliative to Gloucester’s eye sockets (see “Quarto Passages That Do Not Appear in the Folio,” p. 134)

Act 4 Scene 1

^4.1Location: somewhere out in the open, not far from the Earl of Gloucester’s residence

¹thus i.e. a beggar

¹contemned despised

²contemned and flattered despised secretly though flattered to your face

⁴esperance hope

⁵The … laughter the most miserable kind of change is a decline in fortunes; when things are at their worst they can only get better

¹⁰poorly led led by a poor man/led in a way unsuitable to his status

¹²But were it not

¹²mutations changes/fickleness

¹³Life … age we would not accept old age

¹⁵fourscore eighty

¹⁸Thee … hurt i.e. you may be punished for helping me

²²means secure us wealth gives us false security, overconfidence