Lear Key Quotes Act 2
Scene Speaker Quote
2:1 Edmund “The Duke be here to-night! The better! Best! This weaves itself perforce into my business…”
2:1 Edmund “My father watches: O Sir! Fly this place; Intelligence is given where you are hid…Have you not
spoken ‘gainst the Duke of Cornwall?”
2:1 Edmund “I hear my father coming; pardon me; In cunning I must draw my sword upon you; Draw; seem to
defend yourself; now quit you well…Some blood upon me would beget opinion (Wounds his arm)
…Father! Father!”
2:1 Gloucester “…where’s the villain?...Pursue him, ho!”
2:1 Edmund “Persuade to the murther of your lordship; But that I told him, the revenging Gods ‘gainst patricides
did all the thunder bend”
2:1 Edmund “…his sharp sword out, mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon to stand auspicious
mistress.”
2:1 Edmund “Seeing how loathly opposite I stood to his unnatural purpose, in fell motion, with his prepared
sword he charges home my unprovided body, lanched mine arm…”
2:1 Edmund “When I dissuaded him from his intent, and found him plight to do it, with curst speech I threatened
to discover him: he replied, ‘Thou unpossesing bastard!’”
2:1 Gloucester “…he which finds him shall deserve our thanks, bringing the murderous coward to the stake; he
that conceals him, death.”
2:1 Gloucester “Would he deny his letter, said he? I never got him…”
2:1 Gloucester “Loyal and unnatural boy, I’ll work the means to make thee capable.”
2:1 Regan “Was he not companion with the riotous knights that tended upon my father?”
2:1 Edmund “Yes, Madam, he was of that consort.”
2:1 Regan “No marvel then though he were ill affected; ‘Tis they have put him on the old man’s death, to have
th’xpense and waste of his revenues. I have this present evening from my sister been well
informed of them, and with such cautions that if they come to sojourn at my house, I’ll not be
there.”
2:1 Gloucester “He did bewray his practice; and received this hurt you see, striving to apprehend him.”
2:1 Cornwall “…you shall be ours…”
2:1 Regan “Our good old friend, lay comforts to your bosom, and bestow your needful counsel to our
businesses, which craves the instant use.”
2:2 Kent “I’th’mire…I love thee not/”
2:2 Kent “A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats, a base, proud, shallow…and the son and heir of a
mongrel bitch: one whom I will beat into clamorous whining if thou deni’st the least syllable of thy
addition.”
2:2 Kent “What a brazen-faced varlet art thou, to deny thou, to deny thou knowest me! It is two days since I
tripped up thy heels and beat thee before the King? Draw you rogue; for though it be night, yet the
moon shines: I’ll make a sop o’th’moonshine of you. (Drawing his sword)”
2:2 Kent “…you come with letters against the King, and take Vanity the puppet’s part against the royalty of
her father.”
2:2 Kent “Strike, you slave; stand, rogue, stand; you neat slave, strike. (Beats him)”
2:2 Kent “With you, goodman boy, if you please: come, I’ll flesh ye; come on, young master.”
2:2 Cornwall “Keep peace, upon your lives: he dies that strikes again. What is the matter?”
2:2 Oswald “This ancient ruffian, Sir, whose life I have spared at suit of his grey beard,-“
2:2 Cornwall/Kent -“You beastly knave, know you no reverence?”
-“…anger hath a privelige.”
2:2 Kent “That such a slave as this should wear a sword, who wears no honesty. Such smiling rogues as
these…’
2:2 Oswald “It pleased the King his master very late to strike at me, upon his misconstruction; when he
compact and flattering his displeasure, tripped me behind; being down, insulted…”
2:2 Cornwall “Fetch forth the stocks! You stubborn ancient knave…”
2:2 Kent “if I were your father’s dog, you should not use me so…”
2:2 Gloucester “Let me beseech your Grace not to do so. His fault is much, and the good King his master will
check him for’t: your purposed low correction is such basest and contemned’st.”
2:2 Regan “My sister may receive it much more worse to have her gentleman abused, assaulted, for following
her affairs. Put in his legs.”
2:2 Kent “I know ‘tis from Cordelia, who hath most fortunately been informed of my obscured course…”
2:3 Edgar “I will perceive myself; and am bethought to take the basest and most poorest shape that every
penury , in contempt of man, brought near to beast; my face I’ll grime with filth, blanket my loins,
elf all my hairs in knots, and with presented nakedness outface the winds and persecutions of the
sky.”
2:3 Edgar “Poor Turlygod! Poor Tom! That’s something yet: Edgar I nothing am.”
2:4 Lear “They could not, would not do’t; ‘tis worse than murther, to do upon respect such violent outrage.
Scene Speaker Quote
2:1 Edmund “The Duke be here to-night! The better! Best! This weaves itself perforce into my business…”
2:1 Edmund “My father watches: O Sir! Fly this place; Intelligence is given where you are hid…Have you not
spoken ‘gainst the Duke of Cornwall?”
2:1 Edmund “I hear my father coming; pardon me; In cunning I must draw my sword upon you; Draw; seem to
defend yourself; now quit you well…Some blood upon me would beget opinion (Wounds his arm)
…Father! Father!”
2:1 Gloucester “…where’s the villain?...Pursue him, ho!”
2:1 Edmund “Persuade to the murther of your lordship; But that I told him, the revenging Gods ‘gainst patricides
did all the thunder bend”
2:1 Edmund “…his sharp sword out, mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon to stand auspicious
mistress.”
2:1 Edmund “Seeing how loathly opposite I stood to his unnatural purpose, in fell motion, with his prepared
sword he charges home my unprovided body, lanched mine arm…”
2:1 Edmund “When I dissuaded him from his intent, and found him plight to do it, with curst speech I threatened
to discover him: he replied, ‘Thou unpossesing bastard!’”
2:1 Gloucester “…he which finds him shall deserve our thanks, bringing the murderous coward to the stake; he
that conceals him, death.”
2:1 Gloucester “Would he deny his letter, said he? I never got him…”
2:1 Gloucester “Loyal and unnatural boy, I’ll work the means to make thee capable.”
2:1 Regan “Was he not companion with the riotous knights that tended upon my father?”
2:1 Edmund “Yes, Madam, he was of that consort.”
2:1 Regan “No marvel then though he were ill affected; ‘Tis they have put him on the old man’s death, to have
th’xpense and waste of his revenues. I have this present evening from my sister been well
informed of them, and with such cautions that if they come to sojourn at my house, I’ll not be
there.”
2:1 Gloucester “He did bewray his practice; and received this hurt you see, striving to apprehend him.”
2:1 Cornwall “…you shall be ours…”
2:1 Regan “Our good old friend, lay comforts to your bosom, and bestow your needful counsel to our
businesses, which craves the instant use.”
2:2 Kent “I’th’mire…I love thee not/”
2:2 Kent “A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats, a base, proud, shallow…and the son and heir of a
mongrel bitch: one whom I will beat into clamorous whining if thou deni’st the least syllable of thy
addition.”
2:2 Kent “What a brazen-faced varlet art thou, to deny thou, to deny thou knowest me! It is two days since I
tripped up thy heels and beat thee before the King? Draw you rogue; for though it be night, yet the
moon shines: I’ll make a sop o’th’moonshine of you. (Drawing his sword)”
2:2 Kent “…you come with letters against the King, and take Vanity the puppet’s part against the royalty of
her father.”
2:2 Kent “Strike, you slave; stand, rogue, stand; you neat slave, strike. (Beats him)”
2:2 Kent “With you, goodman boy, if you please: come, I’ll flesh ye; come on, young master.”
2:2 Cornwall “Keep peace, upon your lives: he dies that strikes again. What is the matter?”
2:2 Oswald “This ancient ruffian, Sir, whose life I have spared at suit of his grey beard,-“
2:2 Cornwall/Kent -“You beastly knave, know you no reverence?”
-“…anger hath a privelige.”
2:2 Kent “That such a slave as this should wear a sword, who wears no honesty. Such smiling rogues as
these…’
2:2 Oswald “It pleased the King his master very late to strike at me, upon his misconstruction; when he
compact and flattering his displeasure, tripped me behind; being down, insulted…”
2:2 Cornwall “Fetch forth the stocks! You stubborn ancient knave…”
2:2 Kent “if I were your father’s dog, you should not use me so…”
2:2 Gloucester “Let me beseech your Grace not to do so. His fault is much, and the good King his master will
check him for’t: your purposed low correction is such basest and contemned’st.”
2:2 Regan “My sister may receive it much more worse to have her gentleman abused, assaulted, for following
her affairs. Put in his legs.”
2:2 Kent “I know ‘tis from Cordelia, who hath most fortunately been informed of my obscured course…”
2:3 Edgar “I will perceive myself; and am bethought to take the basest and most poorest shape that every
penury , in contempt of man, brought near to beast; my face I’ll grime with filth, blanket my loins,
elf all my hairs in knots, and with presented nakedness outface the winds and persecutions of the
sky.”
2:3 Edgar “Poor Turlygod! Poor Tom! That’s something yet: Edgar I nothing am.”
2:4 Lear “They could not, would not do’t; ‘tis worse than murther, to do upon respect such violent outrage.
