The Electric Shakespeare

- Workbook: King Lear -

Following are five passages from King Lear; choose one to concentrate on. A fuller explanation of the assignment is available on the Essay page for King Lear. In each case you should also see how the editor of your modern edition has handled the passage, and those editorial choices too can be part of your consideration in your essay. In each instance ask what effect the changes have in the passage and in the play as a whole. (You needn’t account for every change.)

1) Here is a portion of the first scene, beginning at line 34, in the quarto version and the Folio (in the Signet edition, it begins at 1.1.34). The Folio adds lines not present in quarto.

Quarto Edition

Folio Edition

GLOUCESTER: {(to Kent)}
....
34. The King is coming.{Enter one bearing a coronet, then
King Lear, then the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall; next
Gonoril, Regan, Cordelia, with followers}

GLOUCESTER: {(to Kent)}
...
33. The King is coming.{Enter King Lear, the Dukes of Cornwall
and Albany, Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, and attendants}

LEAR:
35. Attend my lords of France and Burgundy, Gloucester.

LEAR:
34. Attend the lords of France and Burgundy, Gloucester.

GLOUCESTER:
36A. I shall, my liege.{ [Exit] }

GLOUCESTER:
35A. I shall, my lord.{Exit}

LEAR:
37. Meantime we will express our darker purposes.
38. The map there. Know we have divided
39. In three our kingdom, and 'tis our first intent
40. To shake all cares and business off our state,
41. Confirming them on younger years.
42. The two great princes, France and Burgundy
43. Great rivals in our youngest daughter's love
44. Long in our court have made their amorous sojourn,
45. And here are to be answered. Tell me, my daughters,
46. Which of you shall we say doth love us most,
47. That we our largest bounty may extend
48. Where merit doth most challenge it?
49. Gonoril, our eldest born, speak first.

LEAR:
36. Meantime we shall express our darker purpose.
37. Give me the map there. Know that we have divided
38. In three our kingdom, and 'tis our fast intent
39. To shake all cares and business from our age,
40. Conferring them on younger strengths while we
41. Unburdened crawl toward death. Our son of Cornwall,
42. And you, our no less loving son of Albany,
43. We have this hour a constant will to publish
44. Our daughters' several dowers, that future strife
45. May be prevented now. The princes France and Burgundy
46. Great rivals in our youngest daughter's love
47. Long in our court have made their amorous sojourn,
48. And here are to be answered. Tell me, my daughters
49. Since now we will divest us both of rule,
50. Interest of territory, cares of state
51. Which of you shall we say doth love us most,
52. That we our largest bounty may extend
53. Where nature doth with merit challenge? Goneril,
54. Our eldest born, speak first.

2) In this passage (Signet edition 1.4.225-244), Folio rewrites quarto’s prose as verse, omits a few lines, and reattributes one line.

Quarto Edition

Folio Edition

LEAR: {(to Gonoril)}
213A. Are you our daughter?

LEAR: {(to Goneril)}
201A. Are you our daughter?

GONORIL:
214. Come, sir, I would you would make use of that good wisdom
215. Whereof I know you are fraught, and put away
216. These dispositions that of late transform you
217. From what you rightly are.

GONERIL:
202. I would you would make use of your good wisdom,
203. Whereof I know you are fraught, and put away
204. These dispositions which of late transport you
205. From what you rightly are.

FOOL:
218. May not an ass know when the cart draws the
219. horse?{ [Sings] }"Whoop, jug, I love thee!"

FOOL:
206. May not an ass know when the cart draws the
207. horse?{ [Sings] }"Whoop, jug, I love thee!"

LEAR:
220. Doth any here know me? Why, this is not Lear.
221. Doth Lear walk thus, speak thus? Where are his eyes?
222. Either his notion weakens, or his discernings
223. Are lethargied. Sleeping or waking, ha?
224. Sure, 'tis not so.
225. Who is it that can tell me who I am?
226. Lear's shadow? I would learn that, for by the marks
227. Of sovereignty, knowledge, and reason
228. I should be false persuaded I had daughters.

LEAR:
208. Does any here know me? This is not Lear.
209. Does Lear walk thus, speak thus? Where are his eyes?
210. Either his notion weakens, his discernings
211. Are lethargied_ha, waking? 'Tis not so.
212. Who is it that can tell me who I am?

FOOL:
229. Which they will make an obedient father.

FOOL:
213. Lear's shadow.

LEAR: {(to Gonoril)}
230B. Your name, fair gentlewoman?

LEAR: {(to Goneril)}
214A. Your name, fair gentlewoman?

3) Act 3, scene 7 in the Folio ends, after Gloucester's blinding, with Cornwall speaking, dropping nine lines of dialogue that end the scene in the quarto (Signet edition 3.7.100-108). Shakespeare wrote the nine lines: why might he have had second thoughts about them? Should he (or the editors of the Folio) have kept them?

Quarto Edition

Folio Edition

REGAN: {(to Servants)}
91. Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell
92. His way to Dover.{(To Cornwall)}How is 't, my lord? How look you?

REGAN: {(to Servants)}
91. Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell
92B. His way to Dover.{Exit one or more with Gloucester}How is 't, my lord? How look you?

CORNWALL:
93. I have received a hurt. Follow me, lady.{(To Servants)}
94. Turn out that eyeless villain. Throw this slave
95B. Upon the dunghill.{Exit one or more with Gloucester [and the body] }Regan, I bleed apace.
96. Untimely comes this hurt. Give me your arm.{Exeunt Cornwall and Regan}

CORNWALL:
93. I have received a hurt. Follow me, lady. {(To Servants)}
94. Turn out that eyeless villain. Throw this slave
95. Upon the dunghill. Regan, I bleed apace.
96. Untimely comes this hurt. Give me your arm.{Exeunt [with the body] }

SECOND:
97. I'll never care what wickedness I do
98B. If this man come to good.

THIRD:
98B. If she live long
99. And in the end meet the old course of death,
100. Women will all turn monsters.

SECOND:
101. Let's follow the old Earl and get the bedlam
102. To lead him where he would. His roguish madness
103. Allows itself to anything.

THIRD:
104. Go thou. I'll fetch some flax and whites of eggs
105. To apply to his bleeding face. Now heaven help him!{Exeunt severally}

4) In Folio there is no scene corresponding to the quarto scene which appears in modern composite editions as 4.3. Why would a reviser (Shakespeare or anyone else) choose to drop this characteristically Shakespearean scene?

5) In the Folio, the last four lines of the play are spoken by Edgar; in the quarto the same speech is given to the Duke of Albany. Mistake or choice? If choice, why did the lines belong to Albany in one version and later become Edgar's?

Quarto Edition	Folio Edition
GLOUCESTER: {(to Kent)} .... 34. The King is coming.{Enter one bearing a coronet, then King Lear, then the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall; next Gonoril, Regan, Cordelia, with followers}	GLOUCESTER: {(to Kent)} ... 33. The King is coming.{Enter King Lear, the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany, Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, and attendants}
LEAR: 35. Attend my lords of France and Burgundy, Gloucester.	LEAR: 34. Attend the lords of France and Burgundy, Gloucester.
GLOUCESTER: 36A. I shall, my liege.{ [Exit] }	GLOUCESTER: 35A. I shall, my lord.{Exit}
LEAR: 37. Meantime we will express our darker purposes. 38. The map there. Know we have divided 39. In three our kingdom, and 'tis our first intent 40. To shake all cares and business off our state, 41. Confirming them on younger years. 42. The two great princes, France and Burgundy 43. Great rivals in our youngest daughter's love 44. Long in our court have made their amorous sojourn, 45. And here are to be answered. Tell me, my daughters, 46. Which of you shall we say doth love us most, 47. That we our largest bounty may extend 48. Where merit doth most challenge it? 49. Gonoril, our eldest born, speak first.	LEAR: 36. Meantime we shall express our darker purpose. 37. Give me the map there. Know that we have divided 38. In three our kingdom, and 'tis our fast intent 39. To shake all cares and business from our age, 40. Conferring them on younger strengths while we 41. Unburdened crawl toward death. Our son of Cornwall, 42. And you, our no less loving son of Albany, 43. We have this hour a constant will to publish 44. Our daughters' several dowers, that future strife 45. May be prevented now. The princes France and Burgundy 46. Great rivals in our youngest daughter's love 47. Long in our court have made their amorous sojourn, 48. And here are to be answered. Tell me, my daughters 49. Since now we will divest us both of rule, 50. Interest of territory, cares of state 51. Which of you shall we say doth love us most, 52. That we our largest bounty may extend 53. Where nature doth with merit challenge? Goneril, 54. Our eldest born, speak first.

Quarto Edition	Folio Edition
LEAR: {(to Gonoril)} 213A. Are you our daughter?	LEAR: {(to Goneril)} 201A. Are you our daughter?
GONORIL: 214. Come, sir, I would you would make use of that good wisdom 215. Whereof I know you are fraught, and put away 216. These dispositions that of late transform you 217. From what you rightly are.	GONERIL: 202. I would you would make use of your good wisdom, 203. Whereof I know you are fraught, and put away 204. These dispositions which of late transport you 205. From what you rightly are.
FOOL: 218. May not an ass know when the cart draws the 219. horse?{ [Sings] }"Whoop, jug, I love thee!"	FOOL: 206. May not an ass know when the cart draws the 207. horse?{ [Sings] }"Whoop, jug, I love thee!"
LEAR: 220. Doth any here know me? Why, this is not Lear. 221. Doth Lear walk thus, speak thus? Where are his eyes? 222. Either his notion weakens, or his discernings 223. Are lethargied. Sleeping or waking, ha? 224. Sure, 'tis not so. 225. Who is it that can tell me who I am? 226. Lear's shadow? I would learn that, for by the marks 227. Of sovereignty, knowledge, and reason 228. I should be false persuaded I had daughters.	LEAR: 208. Does any here know me? This is not Lear. 209. Does Lear walk thus, speak thus? Where are his eyes? 210. Either his notion weakens, his discernings 211. Are lethargied_ha, waking? 'Tis not so. 212. Who is it that can tell me who I am?
FOOL: 229. Which they will make an obedient father.	FOOL: 213. Lear's shadow.
LEAR: {(to Gonoril)} 230B. Your name, fair gentlewoman?	LEAR: {(to Goneril)} 214A. Your name, fair gentlewoman?

Quarto Edition	Folio Edition
REGAN: {(to Servants)} 91. Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell 92. His way to Dover.{(To Cornwall)}How is 't, my lord? How look you?	REGAN: {(to Servants)} 91. Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell 92B. His way to Dover.{Exit one or more with Gloucester}How is 't, my lord? How look you?
CORNWALL: 93. I have received a hurt. Follow me, lady.{(To Servants)} 94. Turn out that eyeless villain. Throw this slave 95B. Upon the dunghill.{Exit one or more with Gloucester [and the body] }Regan, I bleed apace. 96. Untimely comes this hurt. Give me your arm.{Exeunt Cornwall and Regan}	CORNWALL: 93. I have received a hurt. Follow me, lady. {(To Servants)} 94. Turn out that eyeless villain. Throw this slave 95. Upon the dunghill. Regan, I bleed apace. 96. Untimely comes this hurt. Give me your arm.{Exeunt [with the body] }
SECOND: 97. I'll never care what wickedness I do 98B. If this man come to good.
THIRD: 98B. If she live long 99. And in the end meet the old course of death, 100. Women will all turn monsters.
SECOND: 101. Let's follow the old Earl and get the bedlam 102. To lead him where he would. His roguish madness 103. Allows itself to anything.
THIRD: 104. Go thou. I'll fetch some flax and whites of eggs 105. To apply to his bleeding face. Now heaven help him!{Exeunt severally}