King Lear Notes

Act III, Scene VII

Cornwall sends Goneril and Edmund with Gloucester's letter to Albany to inform him that the French Army is near.

He wants Gloucester found. Regan wants him hanged. Goneril wants his eyes plucked out.

Cornwall wants Edmund out of the way so that he might take vengeance on Gloucester.

In his most eloquent speech in the whole play Oswald reports that Gloucester and some of Lear's knights have taken Lear to Dover to well-armed friends.

Gloucester returns to his castle and is bound by Cornwall's servants.

Cornwall questions Gloucester while Regan plucks his beard.

Gloucester proclaims that he sent Lear to be protected from Goneril and Regan's cruelty.

Cornwall gouges out one of Gloucester's eyes. Regan is not happy with just one and encourages Cornwall to take the other one too.

One of Cornwall's servants draws his sword against Cornwall in defence of Gloucester. He wounds Cornwall but is killed by Regan.

Cornwall plucks out Gloucester's other eye. In his agony Gloucester screams for Edmund, only to have Regan reveal Edmund's part in the conspiracy, and to realize that he has abused Edgar.

Regan orders that Gloucester be thrown out of the castle to "smell" his way to Dover.

Cornwall orders that the body of the dead servant be thrown upon a dunghill.

Gloucester leaves bleeding, as does Cornwall.

Horrified servants express dismay, and agree to follow Gloucester, help with his bleeding eye sockets and have Tom o'Bedlam take him wherever he needs to go.

Next scene

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