Obey you, love you, and most honour you. Why have my sisters husbands, if they say 97 They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed, Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters, * To love my father all. * Lear. But goes thy heart with this? Lear. So young, and so untender? 100 Ay, my good lord. 105 Lear. Let it be so; thy truth then be thy dower; For, by the sacred radiance of the sun, 98, 99. Why...all?] One line, Qq. 98-102. Why......never] Four lines, ending all,...hand...him,...neuer Qq. 99. Haply] Happely Q, Happily Ft. wed,] wed. FF3. 102. marry] Mary Q, 102, 103. marry.....all.] Pope. One line, Qq. 103. To...all.] Om. Ff, Rowe, Sch. Hereafter, lines thus included between asterisks are found only in the Q1. 104. thy heart with this?] this with thy heart? Qq, Mal. Steev. Bos. Coll. Ay, my good] I my good Ff +, Cap. Jen. Knt, Coll. Del. Wh. Ktly, Sch. Igood my Qq. Ay, good my Mal. et cet. 107. Let] Well let Qq. thy truth the truth FF, Rowe. 3 18; and that the phrase should be as is right fit,' as, indeed, KEIGHTLEY had already so printed it in his text. 104, et seq. SEYMOUR here and in many other places amends the rhythm, which he finds harsh. I do not record his suggestions, which are put forth with assurance, and consist mainly in a free excision of Shakespeare's words and in a free insertion of his own. Some commentators seem to think that Shakespeare could write neither poetry nor sense.-ED. 107. BUCKNILL (p. 176): [This curse] is madness, or it is nothing. Not indeed raving, incoherent, formed mania, as it subsequently displays itself, but exaggerated passion, perverted affection, enfeebled judgment, combining to form a state of mental disease-incipient, indeed, but still disease-in which man, though he may be paying for past errors, is during the present irresponsible. 108. sun] CAPELL: The oaths given to Lear are admirable for their solemnity, and are taken from out the creed of his times as fables have given it; he is made the builder of Leicester (Leir Cestre, Saxonice), and a temple of his erection is talk'd of to Janus Bifrons; so that as well his Hecate' here, as his Apollo and Jupiter afterwards, are consonant to his imputed religion, whatever comes of his true; to which, in likelihood, his address before Hecate' has a nearer affinity. MoBERLY: The Druidical gods are, according to Cæsar (Bell. Gall. vi, 17), Apollo, Mars, Jove, and Minerva. Lear's two oaths, by Apollo and Jupiter, are therefore historically accurate; so is his swearing by Night, as (c. 18) Galli se omnes ab Dite patre prognatos prædicant,' and by Hecate, as a temple of Diana once occupied the place of the present St. Paul's in London. (Palgrave's Anglo-Saxons, p. 51.) The mysteries of Hecate, and the night; From whom we do exist and cease to be; Hold thee from this for ever. The barbarous Scythian, Or he that makes his generation messes To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom Be as well neighbour'd, pitied, and relieved, As thou my sometime daughter. 116, 117. Or.....appetite,] Two lines, the first ending generation, Qq. 117, 118. shall to my bosom Be] Shall bee Qq. 119. liege,-] liege-Rowe. QqFf. Liege. 120, 121. Peace...wrath.] One line, Qq. 109. Hecate] WRIGHT: This word is a dissyllable in Mid. N. D. V, i, 391; Macb. II, i, 52; III, ii, 41; III, v, 1; and Ham. III, ii, 246. It is a trisyllable only in 1 Hen. VI: III, ii, 64, a significant fact as regards Shakespeare's share in that play. 110. operation] DELIUS: The effect upon the life or death of mortals. WRIGHT: This belief in planetary influence is in keeping with the speech of Edmund in the next scene. 113. property] DELIUS: A stronger expression of the idea contained in 'propinquity.' WRIGHT: Rising, as it were, to identity of blood. SCHMIDT calls attention to this solitary instance in Sh. of this word in the sense of ownership and also of 'propinquity.' 115. from this] STEEVENS: That is, from this time. 115. barbarous] See ABBOTT, $468, for the contraction of this and similar words in pronunciation; likewise nursery,' in line 122. 115. Scythian] WRIGHT: Purchas, in his Pilgrimage (ed. 1614, p. 396), says, after describing the cruelties of the Scythians: These customes were generall to the Scythians in Europe and Asia (for which cause Scytharum facinora patrare, grew into a prouerbe of immane crueltie, and their Land was iustly called Barbarous); others were more speciall and peculiar to particular Nations Scythian.' 116. generation] CAPELL: His children, what he has generated. WRIGHT: The word in this sense of offspring is familiar from Matthew, iii. 7: O generation of vipers.' 119. sometime] For instances of the use of this in the sense of formerly,' see SCHMIDT, Lex. s. v. Come not between the dragon and his wrath. I loved her most, and thought to set my rest On her kind nursery.-Hence, and avoid my sight!- 123. and] Om. Pope +. [To Cor. Rowe +, Jen. Steev. Ec. Var. Knt, Wh. Hal. 121 121. dragon] MOBERLY: A natural trope for Lear to use, as, like Arthur, he would wear a helmet (Idylls of the King, p. 256): 'On which for crest the golden dragon clung For Britain.' [See GODWIN on helmets, Appendix, p. 449.] 121. wrath] CAPELL: His wrath's object. 122. set my rest] WRIGHT: A phrase from the game of cards called primero, used in a double sense. Metaphorically, to set one's rest' is to stake one's all. Literally in the game of primero it signifies to stand upon the cards in one's hand.' For an example of the metaphorical sense, see Bacon's Essay xxix, p. 128 (ed. Wright): There be many Examples, where Sea-Fights have beene Finall to the warre; But this is, when Princes or States, have set up their Rest, vpon Battailes.' [See the notes, in this edition, on Rom. & Jul. IV, v, 6. Elsewhere in Sh. the phrase is uniformly, I think, 'to set up.'—ED.] 123. Hence, etc.] HEATH: These words are undoubtedly addressed to Kent; for in the next words Lear sends for France and Burgundy, in order to tender to them his youngest daughter. At such a time, therefore, to drive her out of his presence would be a contradiction to his declared intention. JENNENS ably maintains that this is addressed to Cordelia, in so far as she had just raised her father's anger to the highest pitch, while Kent, the extent of whose opposition was thus far quite unknown, had been simply warned not to come between the dragon and his wrath. When Kent interposed a second time, Lear warned him a second time to make from the shaft. Kent emboldened, then uses rougher language; Lear passionately adjures him, on thy life, no more;' Kent persists, and Lear bids him for the first time 'out of my sight.' Kent further entreats, Lear swears; Kent returns the oath, and then Lear banishes him. This natural gradation in Lear's anger towards Kent, thus contrasted with his instant rage against Cordelia, whom he loved so deeply and who had wounded him so bitterly, Jennens thinks is one of the most beautiful in all Shakespeare. MALONE thinks that the inconsistency noted by Heath is perfectly suited to Lear's character, and therefore that this sentence is addressed to Cordelia. DELIUS adopts Heath's reasons for believing these words were addressed to Kent, and adds that Cordelia, both before and after them, is spoken of in the third person. WHITE: These words most probably are addressed to Cordelia; yet it may be reasonably urged that Cordelia does not go out, as she would be likely to do upon such a command; and that although Kent has merely broken in with Good, my liege,—' Lear is choleric and unreasonable enough to hound him from his presence upon such slight provocation. HUDSON: Perhaps the true explanation is, that Lear anticipates remonstrance from Kent, and, in his excited mood, flares up at any offer of that kind. WRIGHT: After the king, in reply to Kent's interruption, had justified his conduct, he could scarcely order him from his sight. [If any critic of less weight than Heath had started this question, I doubt if it would have been ever discussed.ED.] Her father's heart from her!-Call France. Who stirs ? 125 Call Burgundy.-Cornwall and Albany, With my two daughters' dowers digest the third. Let pride, which she calls plainness, marry her. I do invest you jointly with my power, t Pre-eminence and all the large effects 130 That troop with majesty. Ourself, by monthly course, By you to be sustain'd, shall our abode Make with you by due turn. Only we shall retain. 125. her!-Call France.] Coll. her; call France, Q,Ff+. her, call France Q her. Call France; Cap. 126. Burgundy.—] Theob. Burgundy-Rowe, Pope. Burgundy, QqFf. [Exit an Att. Cap. Exit Edmund. Cap. conj. (MS.).* 127. daughters' dowers] Warb. Daughters Dowres F.FF. daughters dower Qq. Daughters, Dowres F. daughters dowers Rowe, Pope, Theob. Han. the] Ff+, Bos. Knt, Coll. Del. Dyce i, Wh. Sch. this Qq et cet. 129. with] in Qq. 130. Pre-eminence] Jen. Prehemi nence QqFf+, Cap. Steev. Ec. 135 134. turn] FF, Rowe, Knt, Del. Sch. turne FF, turnes Qq et cet. we shall] Ff, Rowe, Steev. Ec. Knt, Del. Sch. Om. Pope +. we Cap. we fill Qq et cet. 135, 136. The name...rest,] The first line ends way, Ff, Rowe, Cap. 135. name and...king;...of the rest] name; but...king, office, Theob. (Nichols's Lit. Hist. ii, 369) conj. (withdrawn). and all] Om. Cap. addition] Ff+, Cap. Steev. Sing. Ktly, Sch. additions Qq et cet. 125. Who stirs ?] DELIUS interprets this as a threat, to terrify into silence any chance opposition on the part of the bystanders. MOBERLY: The courtiers seem unwilling to obey a command so reckless. [May it not be that the circle of courtiers are so horror-struck at Lear's outburst of fury, and at Cordelia's sudden and impending doom, that they stand motionless and forget to move? This is one of Shakespeare's touches, like old Capulet's calling Juliet 'you tallow-face,' to be interpreted by reading between the lines.-ED.] 128. marry] DELIUS: That is, provide a husband for her. 129, 138. W. W. LLOYD: It is apparent that Lear must long have put the sincerest affection to the sorest trials, and tasked the endurance even of sordid selfinterest, and now he manifests undiminished appetite for the coarser luxury of sway at the very moment he releases unwilling purveyors from their bondage. The reserved train of one hundred knights, and the alternate visits he proposes, prove that in a most important respect he contemplates no abdication at all, but expects to obtain still, on the strength of obligation, more than all he had exacted so gallingly by the force of his regal power and dignity. 130. effects] WRIGHT: Used, apparently, of the outward attributes of royalty, everything that follows in its train. See II, iv, 176. The sway, revenue, execution of the rest, Kent. Royal Lear, Whom I have ever honour'd as my king, Loved as my father, as my master follow'd, As my great patron thought on in my prayers, 136 140 Lear. The bow is bent and drawn; make from the shaft. 145 133. shall] WRIGHT: Here used in the ordinary future sense, as if it had been preceded by we,' with perhaps something of the idea of fixed intention. 135. addition] External observance. See II, ii, 22; Macb. I, iii, 106; III, i, 99; Ham. I, iv, 20. 136. of the rest] WARBURTON reads 'of th' Hest,' because Hest is an old word for regal command. HEATH proposed to substitute interest, which will signify the legal right and property. JENNENS: It is most likely Sh. wrote all the rest. JOHNSON: The phrase means, I suppose, the execution of all the other business. that 138. coronet] DELIUS thinks that this does not refer to Lear's own crown, is among the things which he retains, but he delivers to his sons in-law, who remain dukes after as well as before this transaction, a smaller ducal crown. Elsewhere Sh. accurately distinguishes between a crown and a coronet, see Temp. I, ii, 114; Ilen. V: II, Chor. 10. WRIGHT thinks that there can be no such distinction here; while SCHMIDT agrees with Delius, 143. fork] WRIGHT: Ascham says, in his Toxophilus (p. 135, ed. Arber), that Pollux describes two kinds of arrow-heads: The one he calleth byκvog, descrybynge it thus, hauyng two poyntes or barbes, lookyng backewarde to the stele and the fethers, which surely we call in Englishe a brode arrowe head or a swalowe tayle. The other he calleth yżwxiç, hauyng .ii, poyntes stretchyng forwarde, and this Englysh men do call a forkehead.' 145. What] CAPELL: This is spoke on seeing his master put his hand to his sword. |