ACT III

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ACT III, Scene 6

Gloucester leaves the King and his companions in safety at a
farmhouse close to the castle and departs to find provisions. Left to
his agony, Lear dwells on his mistreatment. He conjures up a mock
trial of Goneril and Regan, where he sits in judgment and tries his
older daughters for their cruelty towards their father. This
imagined trial takes place amid the lunatic ravings of Tom and the
Fool's half-witted pieces of song. The alternating dialogues of Tom
and the Fool are acutely perceptive, but Kent interrupts. He cannot
bear to see Lear in such a state of torment and dementia. Lear,
however, continues with the imaginary trial and charges Goneril
for kicking her father. He fancies Goneril trying to escape and cries
that she be stopped. Kent is moved by the pathetic nature of the
King's ravings, and Edgar, still in disguise, is deeply pained. Kent
steps forward and pleads with Lear to rest so that he may recover.
He assents, but almost immediately, Gloucester hastily returns with
bad news.

Gloucester informs the group about a plot to murder Lear and
insists that the King leave for Dover immediately. Kent laments
that the sleep, which might have soothed the King's broken nerves,
is not to be. As a dazed Lear is led out to make the journey,
Gloucester returns to his castle. The scene ends with a soliloquy by
Edgar, in which he feels that his own misfortunes pale in
comparison with the tragedies suffered by Lear. He further
declares that he will remain in the disguise of a lunatic beggar until
his honesty is proven, his outlaw repealed, and his position
restored.

Notes

This is the last scene in the play with comic elements, and the Fool
is not seen again. His main function, in addition to providing
comic relief, has been to act as Lear's conscience and instructor.
The Fool brought to light the King's foibles by using his seemingly
inane chatter and absurd phrases to act as an objective
commentator on Lear's mistakes. The Fool is no longer needed, for
Lear has accepted the error of his ways and now wants to right the
wrongs.

Although there is humor and absurdity throughout the scene, there
is also a great seriousness about it. Lear's state of mind borders on
insanity, and his life is in danger. Additionally, the scene
underscores the serious theme of justice. Lear's imaginary trial,
with him in the seat of judgement, is a flashback to the beginning
of the play when he judged his three daughters and found Cordelia
lacking. Now he is attempting to rectify his actions in his own
mind by bringing Goneril and Regan, the ones he trusted, to justice
for their misdeeds. Lear, in his search for understanding, wants to
know, "Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts?"
Edgar, still in disguise, is very touched by Lear's ramblings and
realizes the King's plight is even worse than his own. Unable to
hide his sorrow for Lear, he fears that "my tears begin to take his
part so much, They mar my counterfeiting."

Gloucester is also touched by the King's situation. To protect the
King, he has hidden Lear away in a farmhouse close to his castle
and gone to find provisions for him and his companions. When
Gloucester returns, he brings the bad news that there is a plot to
kill Lear. He encourages the King to go immediately to Dover for
his own safety. At the end of the scene, Lear and his party depart,
Gloucester heads for his own castle, and Edgar is left to give his
emotional soliloquy.
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