King Lear

¹⁸⁵dark literally and metaphorically

¹⁸⁵vicious immoral

¹⁸⁵got begot, conceived

¹⁸⁸wheel wheel of fortune

¹⁸⁹prophesy suggest, foretell

¹⁹⁶List listen (to)

¹⁹⁸bloody proclamation i.e. the sentence of death pronounced on him

²⁰⁰the … die would repeatedly suffer pain as bad as death

²⁰²semblance outward appearance

²⁰³habit clothing/guise, appearance

²⁰⁴rings i.e. eye sockets

²⁰⁶despair the spiritual hopelessness that precedes suicide

²⁰⁹success outcome (in the duel with Edmund)

²¹¹pilgrimage course of events/period of exile/spiritual journey

²¹¹flawed cracked

²¹⁹dissolve i.e. in tears

²²⁵smokes i.e. steams with hot blood

²³⁶compliment etiquette (of greeting)

²³⁹aye forever (Kent is aware he is dying)

²⁴¹Great thing vital matter

²⁴³object sight

²⁴⁸Even exactly

²⁵¹writ written order (for execution; a legal term)

²⁵⁵office task, responsibility

²⁶³fordid killed

²⁷⁰stone specular stone, a crystalline substance used to make mirrors

²⁷²promised end the death Lear expected (when he divided the kingdom)/Judgment Day, the end of the world (the sense that Edgar understands)

²⁷⁴Fall and cease! either Albany calls for the end of the world, or he wishes for Lear to die and be put out of his anguish

²⁸⁶slave villain/wretched servant

²⁸⁹falchion curved sword

²⁹¹crosses troubles, frustrations

²⁹²Mine … o’th’best failing sight was believed to be a sign of approaching death

²⁹²straight in a moment

²⁹³two … hated perhaps “two people she first loved and then hated”; it is not entirely clear who the one Kent refers to is

²⁹⁵dull sight refers either to Lear’s dim eyesight or to the motionless Cordelia

²⁹⁷caius the only mention of the name Kent assumed when he was in disguise

³⁰¹I’ll … straight I’ll attend to that in a moment

³⁰²your … decay the beginning of the change and decline in your fortunes (may also suggest mental decay)

³⁰⁵Nor … else completes Kent’s previous, unfinished sentence with “and no one else” as well as beginning his current one with “neither I nor anyone else (is welcome)”

³⁰⁶fordone killed

³⁰⁷desperately as a result of the spiritual despair that precedes suicide

³⁰⁹vain … him it is useless for us to tell him who we are

³¹¹bootless pointless

³¹⁵this great decay noble ruin, i.e. Lear

³¹⁶For as for

³¹⁶resign hand over

³¹⁹boot advantage, additions

³¹⁹addition titles, honors

³²²cup painful experience (plays on the related sense of “drinking vessel”)

³²²see, see something attracts Albany’s attention, presumably to Lear

³²³fool i.e. Cordelia (fool was a term of endearment), but recalls Lear’s Fool as well

³²⁷this button may refer to Cordelia’s (hoping to help her breathe) or Lear’s own (if he is once again afflicted by “the mother,” the hysteria that causes one to struggle for breath)

³²⁷sir it is unclear whom Lear addresses here

³³³ghost spirit

³³⁴rack torture instrument that stretched the limbs

³³⁵longer for a longer period of time/to longer physical dimensions

³³⁸usurped stole, made illegal use of (beyond its rightful length)

³⁴²gored wounded, bleeding

³⁴²sustain support/keep alive

³⁴³journey i.e. to death

Quarto Passages That Do Not Appear in the Folio

¹Nor … sure and I am sure he is not

⁴unnaturalness lack of natural family feeling

⁵dearth famine

⁵ancient amities long-standing friendships

⁵divisions breaches, disagreements

⁶maledictions curses

⁷diffidences doubts, mistrust

⁷dissipation of cohorts dispersal of troops

⁸nuptial breaches breaking of marriage vows

⁹sectary astronomical devotee of astrology (in the period, astronomy and astrology were often indistinguishable from one another)

¹¹Not i.e. we are not

¹¹Idle foolish/useless

¹⁴used handled, dealt with

¹⁵checks as flatteries rebukes instead of flattery

¹⁵seen abused seen to be misguided

¹⁷stand i.e. stand in

¹⁸presently immediately

¹⁹motley the traditional multicolored costume of the fool

²³altogether fool entirely foolish (the Fool replies to the sense of “the only fool”)

²⁵on’t of it

²⁷snatching may imply snatching at the Fool’s genitals or phallic baton (picking up on and shifting the sense of part; fools were proverbially well-endowed)

²⁸marks outward signs

²⁹false falsely

³³check rebuke

³³low correction base punishment