Summary
Summary Summaries of King Lear Acts and Scenes
Summaries of King Lear Acts and Scenes
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Act 1 Summaries1 Play begins in media res (middle of action)
Conversation between Kent and Gloucester about illegitimate Edmund
Lear unveils plan to split kingdom among daughters and biggest portion assigned by ‘Love Test’.
Goneril and Regan flatter Lear. Cordelia (youngest) refuses to flatter and instead says nothing as she will only love as a
daughter should. Egotistical Lear banishes Cordelia for her ‘ingratitude’ which is virtue.
Kingdom now split between G+R and their new husbands. Lear plans to spend a month about with each daughter.
They will look after Lear, but he will maintain all the benefits of King without the work
G+R plot against Lear to control him for themselves.
2 Edmund plighted by his illegitimacy and seeks to downgrade his brother Edgar by a forged letter.
Edmund manipulates father to read letter forged to look like brother’s hand and it works.
Edmund fakes protecting his brother and Gloucester’s honour. Gloucester blames superstition on familial breakdown.
Edmund manipulates Edgar to think their father is annoyed at me so he flees.
3 Lear at Goneril’s but she is displeased by arrangement and Lear’s condemnation of her staff.
She orders servants to disregard and ignore Lear and his retinue’s orders
4 Kent appears disguised as a peasant to offer to serve Lear. Lear accepts on a trial basis
Oswald is offhand to Lear, one of Lear’s knights notice and inform Lear who has also noticed. Lear slaps Oswald and
Kent trips him. Oswald demands an apology.
Fool tells Kent he is a fool for following Lear. Lear is told to also be a fool for his decisions and treatment of Cordelia
through riddle and rhyme.
Goneril complains of the behaviour of Lear’s retinue. She demands Lear decrease it to 50 instead of 100 staff but he is
insulted at this request and so leaves for Regan’s after disowning Goneril.
Lear begins descent into madness.
Goneril seeks to weaken and control father, she condemns her husband for his ‘weakness of character.’
5 Kent sent to announce upcoming arrival of Lear to Regan’s.
Fool warns Regan will be like Goneril
Lear shows regret to Cordelia
Fool tries to cheer Lear up
Act 2 Summaries
1 Edmund meets Edgar and he is told by a servant of the expected arrival of Regan and her husband. Rumours on
conflict between the split kingdom G+R
Two brothers have a mock swordfight and Edmund wounds himself to convince his father of his brother’s false
murderous intentions.
Edmund describes Edgar’s ‘attack’. Gloucester gets Cornwall to decree that of Edgar is found he will be captured and
executed.
Edmund is praised for his ‘virtue’ and is now set to inherit from his father despite his illegitimacy. He also enters
Cornwall’s service.
Regan leaves home after hearing from Goneril as to not face Lear and seek advice from Gloucester
2 Kent and Oswald meet outside Gloucester’s. Oswald is insulted by Kent and begins to fight him
They are stopped by Regan, Cornwall and Gloucester. They try to find the cause of dispute. Oswald manipulates story
to make him see honourable due to age.
Cornwall orders Kent into stocks due to his insolence and tardiness
3 Edgar transforms himself into the poor crazy beggar Mad Tom O’Bedlam in a soliloquy
4 Lear arrives and infuriated that Kent is in stocks. Regan and Cornwall stonewall Lear as to not face him over Kent
Lear is angry and understanding but gets Gloucester to bring the pair out. Regan tells Lear he has misjudged her sister
and should apologise. Lear mocks this proposal but insists to see good in Regan.
The daughters attempt to reduce retinue to zero. Lear decides to return with Goneril as she will allow 50 men were
Regan only 25.
Lear promises revenge and cannot sustain his argument and so leaves into the thick of a storm.
Goneril and Regan leave him like a child in the rain and lock the gates.
Act 3
1 Lear’s mind deteriorates (paralleled by storm)
Rumours of conflict between Albany and Cornwall
Kent’s secret that the French with Cordelia have landed, and he tells a gentleman to go to them with his signet ring
2 Lear wishes for the end of the world from the storm to punish mankind
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