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King Lear - Act 1, scene 5
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King Lear - Act 1, scene 5Act 1, scene 5
Scene 5
Synopsis:
Lear, setting out for Regan’s with his Fool, sends the disguised Kent ahead with a letter to Regan.
Enter Lear, Kent ⌜in disguise,⌝ Gentleman, and Fool.LEAR, ⌜to Kent⌝ 0948 Go you before to Gloucester with these
0949 letters. Acquaint my daughter no further with anything
0950 you know than comes from her demand out of
0951 the letter. If your diligence be not speedy, I shall be
0952 5 there afore you.
KENT 0953 I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered
0954 your letter.He exits.
FOOL 0955 If a man’s brains were in ’s heels, were ’t not in
0956 danger of kibes?
LEAR 0957 10Ay, boy.
p.
67
FOOL
0958
Then, I prithee, be merry; thy wit shall not go0959 slipshod.
LEAR 0960 Ha, ha, ha!
FOOL 0961 Shalt see thy other daughter will use thee kindly,
0962 15 for, though she’s as like this as a crab’s like an
0963 apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.
LEAR 0964 What canst tell, boy?
FOOL 0965 She will taste as like this as a crab does to a crab.
0966 Thou canst tell why one’s nose stands i’ th’ middle
0967 20 on ’s face?
LEAR 0968 No.
FOOL 0969 Why, to keep one’s eyes of either side ’s nose,
0970 that what a man cannot smell out he may spy into.
LEAR 0971 I did her wrong.
FOOL 0972 25Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell?
LEAR 0973 No.
FOOL 0974 Nor I neither. But I can tell why a snail has a
0975 house.
LEAR 0976 Why?
FOOL 0977 30Why, to put ’s head in, not to give it away to his
0978 daughters and leave his horns without a case.
LEAR 0979 I will forget my nature. So kind a father!—Be
0980 my horses ready?⌜Gentleman exits.⌝
FOOL 0981 Thy asses are gone about ’em. The reason why
0982 35 the seven stars are no more than seven is a pretty
0983 reason.
LEAR 0984 Because they are not eight.
FOOL 0985 Yes, indeed. Thou wouldst make a good Fool.
LEAR 0986 To take ’t again perforce! Monster ingratitude!
FOOL 0987 40If thou wert my Fool, nuncle, I’d have thee
0988 beaten for being old before thy time.
LEAR 0989 How’s that?
FOOL 0990 Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst
0991 been wise.
LEAR
0992 45 O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!
0993 Keep me in temper. I would not be mad!
p.
69
⌜Enter Gentleman.⌝0994 How now, are the horses ready?
GENTLEMAN 0995 Ready, my lord.
LEAR 0996 Come, boy.
FOOL
0997 50 She that’s a maid now and laughs at my departure,
0998 Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut
0999 shorter.
They exit.