Classic Literature

King LearAct 1, Scene 5

Act 1

Scene V

Court before the same.

	Enter King Lear, Kent, and Fool.
King Lear	Go you before to Gloucester with these letters. Acquaint my daughter no further with any thing you know than comes from her demand out of the letter. If your diligence be not speedy, I shall be there afore you.
Kent	I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered your letter. Exit.
Fool	If a man’s brains were in’s heels, were’t not in danger of kibes?
King Lear	Ay, boy.
Fool	Then, I prithee, be merry; thy wit shall ne’er go slip-shod.
King Lear	Ha, ha, ha!
Fool	Shalt see thy other daughter will use thee kindly; for though she’s as like this as a crab’s like an apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.
King Lear	Why, what canst thou tell, my boy?
Fool	She will taste as like this as a crab does to a crab. Thou canst tell why one’s nose stands i’ the middle on’s face?
King Lear	No.
Fool	Why, to keep one’s eyes of either side’s nose; that what a man cannot smell out, he may spy into.
King Lear	I did her wrong⁠—
Fool	Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell?
King Lear	No.
Fool	Nor I neither; but I can tell why a snail has a house.
King Lear	Why?
Fool	Why, to put his head in; not to give it away to his daughters, and leave his horns without a case.
King Lear	I will forget my nature. So kind a father! Be my horses ready?
Fool	Thy asses are gone about ’em. The reason why the seven stars are no more than seven is a pretty reason.
King Lear	Because they are not eight?
Fool	Yes, indeed: thou wouldst make a good fool.
King Lear	To take ’t again perforce! Monster ingratitude!
Fool	If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I’ld have thee beaten for being old before thy time.
King Lear	How’s that?
Fool	Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.
King Lear	O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! Keep me in temper: I would not be mad!
	Enter Gentleman.
	How now! are the horses ready?
Gentleman	Ready, my lord.
King Lear	Come, boy.
Fool	She that’s a maid now, and laughs at my departure, Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut shorter. Exeunt.

Companion

Previously

Act 1, Scene 4: Kent returns in disguise and enters Lear's service, defending him when Oswald treats him without the respect he expects. The Fool mocks Lear for giving away his power, and Goneril demands that he reduce his followers. Lear curses Goneril and leaves intending to turn to Regan, while Goneril sends Oswald to her sister and Albany questions her fears.

Who's who so far

Kent Disguised in appearance and voice, he enters Lear's service again and wins his approval by tripping Oswald.
Gloucester Deceived by Edmund's letter, he believes Edgar is plotting against him and asks Edmund to investigate.
Edmund Seeking Edgar's land, he uses a false letter to turn Gloucester against his brother and then persuades Edgar to keep out of their father's way.
King Lear Angered by Goneril's demand to reduce his followers, he curses her, regrets his treatment of Cordelia and leaves intending to turn to Regan.
Cornwall Regan's husband, who receives governing power jointly with Albany when Lear divides his kingdom.
Albany He says he knows nothing of the cause of Lear's anger and questions whether Goneril's fears about Lear go too far.
Goneril She demands that Lear reduce his followers and sends Oswald to Regan with a letter explaining her fears about his knights.
Regan Lear's second daughter and Cornwall's wife, who gains land by declaring that his love is her only joy and later discusses his rashness with Goneril.
Cordelia Lear's youngest daughter, disowned for refusing to exaggerate her love, who leaves with the King of France after he accepts her without a dowry.
King of France Cordelia's suitor, who values her character above her lost dowry and accepts her as his queen despite Lear's rejection.
Burgundy Cordelia's suitor, who withdraws when Lear refuses to give her the marriage portion he had offered.
Edgar Gloucester's legitimate elder son, who trusts Edmund's warning to avoid their father without knowing that Edmund has turned Gloucester against him.
Oswald Struck by Lear and tripped by Kent, he is later sent to Regan with Goneril's letter and told to strengthen her case with reasons of his own.
The Knight One of Lear's followers, who reports the household's declining respect for the king and says the Fool has been grieving since Cordelia left.
Fool Lear's fool, who uses jokes and songs to criticise his surrender of power and follows him out of Goneril's house.
The Gentlemannew A gentleman who enters to confirm that Lear's horses are ready.

Words to know

kibes: chilblains; painful swellings caused by cold
crab: a sour wild apple
temper: a balanced, controlled state of mind

Spoiler-free: these notes only cover what you have read.

Act 1, Scene 5 in brief

In the court outside Albany's palace, Lear sends Kent ahead to Gloucester with letters for his daughter, limiting what Kent should tell her. Alone with Lear after Kent leaves, the Fool challenges his hope of a kinder reception by comparing the two daughters to sour apples. His jokes about noses and eyes suggest that Lear should use his senses to recognise what is before him. The snail that keeps its house supplies another image of the protection Lear has surrendered. Lear's brief admission that he did her wrong leaves the woman unnamed, while his broken remarks return to ingratitude and the possibility of taking back what he gave away. The Fool says that age should have followed wisdom, and Lear answers with an urgent prayer against madness. A gentleman announces that the horses are ready, bringing their preparations for departure to an end.

Key quotes

Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.

Why it matters The Fool separates age from wisdom instead of treating them as the same thing. His rebuke reverses their expected roles, with the king receiving a lesson from his entertainer.

Judgement, folly and madnessPower and authority

O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! Keep me in temper: I would not be mad!

Why it matters The repeated word makes Lear's fear direct and urgent. His appeal for control over his mind exposes a vulnerability that his demands for obedience cannot resolve.

Judgement, folly and madnessPower and authority

Themes in this chapter

Power and authorityFamily love and dutyJudgement, folly and madnessNature, fate and responsibility

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