King Lear : Act 2, Scene 2

Enter KENT [disguised as Caius]

severally separately

art of this house? are you a servant here?

           and Steward [OSWALD], severally.

      OSWALD
  1   Good dawning to thee, friend: art of this
  2   house?

      KENT
  3   Ay.

      OSWALD
  4   Where may we set our horses?

      KENT

mire wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog

if thou lovest me a conventional phrase equivalent to a "my friend" addressed to a stranger

  5   I' the mire.

      OSWALD
  6   Prithee, if thou lovest me, tell me.

      KENT
  7   I love thee not.

      OSWALD
  8   Why, then, I care not for thee.

      KENT

  9   If I had thee in Lipsbury pinfold, I would
10   make thee care for me.

      OSWALD
11   Why dost thou use me thus? I know
12   thee not.

      KENT
13   Fellow, I know thee.

      OSWALD
14   What dost thou know me for?

      KENT

broken meats kitchen scraps
three-suited Servants were commonly given three suits of clothes per year.
action-taking knave a rascal who loves to sue people finical affectedly fastidious
bawd pimp | in way of good service i.e., in order to please his masters
composition combination

thy addition the titles (of abuse) I have given you

15   A knave; a rascal; an eater of broken meats; a base,
16   proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-
17   pound, filthy, worsted-stocking knave; a lily-livered,
18   action-taking knave, a whoreson, glass-gazing, super-

serviceable finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting slave;
20   one that wouldst be a bawd, in way of good service,
21   and art nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar,
22   coward, pandar, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch:

one whom I will beat into clamorous whining, if thou
24   deniest the least syllable of thy addition.

      OSWALD
25   Why, what a monstrous fellow art thou, thus to
26   rail on one that is neither known of thee nor knows

thee!

KENT

varlet a servant; a menial

Draw i.e., draw your sword

28 What a brazen-faced varlet art thou, to deny thou

knowest me! Is it two days ago since I tripped up

thy heels, and beat thee before the king? Draw, you

rogue: for, though it be night, yet the moon

shines; I'll make a sop o' the moonshine of you:

cullionly rascally | barber-monger frequenter of barber-shops, fop

draw, you whoreson cullionly barber-monger, draw.

           [Drawing his sword.]

      OSWALD
34   Away! I have nothing to do with thee.

      KENT
35   Draw, you rascal: you come with letters against

vanity the puppet the doll vanity; i.e., Goneril
carbonado hack
Come your ways i.e., Come on, fight!

36 the king; and take vanity the puppet's part against
37 the royalty of her father: draw, you rogue, or I'll so

carbonado your shanks: draw, you rascal!

Come your ways.

      OSWALD
40   Help, ho! murder! help!

      KENT

stand stand still; quit dodging | neat foppish

41   Strike, you slave; stand, rogue, stand; you neat
42   slave, strike.

           [Beating him.]

      OSWALD
43   Help, ho! murder! murder!

           Enter Bastard [EDMUND.]

      EDMUND

Part! Stop fighting! Back off!

With you, goodman boy, an you please! i.e., I'll take you on, punk, if you like!
flesh initiate into fighting (with a flesh wound)

44   How now! What's the matter? Part!

      KENT [To Edmund.]
45   With you, goodman boy, an you please!

Come, I'll flesh ye; come on, young master.

           [Enter] CORNWALL, REGAN, GLOUCESTER,
           and Servants.

      GLOUCESTER
47   Weapons! arms! What 's the matter here?

      CORNWALL
48   Keep peace, upon your lives:

He dies that strikes again. What is the matter?

      REGAN
50   The messengers from our sister and the king.

      CORNWALL
51   What is your difference? speak.

      OSWALD
52   I am scarce in breath, my lord.

      KENT
53   No marvel, you have so bestirr'd your valour.

disclaims in thee denies that she had any hand in creating you

54   You cowardly rascal, nature disclaims in thee:
55   a tailor made thee.

      CORNWALL
56   Thou art a strange fellow: a tailor make a man?

      KENT
58   Ay, a tailor, sir: a stone-cutter or painter could

not have made him so ill, though he had been
60   but two hours at the trade.

      CORNWALL
61   Speak yet, how grew your quarrel?

      OSWALD
62   This ancient ruffian, sir, whose life I have spared

at suit of his gray beard —

KENT

zed the letter z, unnecessary because its sound could usually be represented by s. unbolted coarse, like unsifted ("unbolted") flour jakes outhouse | wagtail puppy?

beastly beastlike (because he shows no proper respect for rank)

64 Thou whoreson zed! thou unnecessary letter! My

lord, if you will give me leave, I will tread this

unbolted villain into mortar, and daub the wall of

a jakes with him. Spare my gray beard, you wagtail?

CORNWALL
68 Peace, sirrah!

You beastly knave, know you no reverence?

      KENT
70   Yes, sir; but anger hath a privilege.

      CORNWALL
71   Why art thou angry?

      KENT
72   That such a slave as this should wear a sword,

honesty  honorable character 
holy cords  i.e., bonds of natural affection 
t' intrinse  too intricately knotted | smooth  humor, flatter 
 73

Who wears no honesty. Such smiling rogues as these,

Like rats, oft bite the holy cords a-twain

Which are t' intrinse t' unloose; smooth every passion

That in the natures of their lords rebel;

Bring oil to fire, snow to their colder moods;

Renege ... masters i.e., say "aye" and "nay" as the wind blows ...more...
 78

Renege, affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks

With every gale and vary of their masters,

Knowing nought, like dogs, but following.

epileptic  grimacing 
Smile you do you smile at | as  as if 
Sarum plain  Salisbury? — See the discussion in the New Variorum. 
Camelot  the site of King Arthur's court
 81

A plague upon your epileptic visage!

Smile you my speeches, as I were a fool?

Goose, if I had you upon Sarum plain,

I'ld drive ye cackling home to Camelot.

      CORNWALL
85   Why, art thou mad, old fellow?

      GLOUCESTER

How fell you out? How did the quarrel start?

86   How fell you out? say that.

      KENT
87   No contraries hold more antipathy

Than I and such a knave.

      CORNWALL
89   Why dost thou call him a knave? What is his fault?

      KENT

likes pleases

90   His countenance likes me not.

      CORNWALL
91   No more, perchance, does mine, nor his, nor hers.

      KENT
92   Sir, 'tis my occupation to be plain:

I have seen better faces in my time

Than stands on any shoulder that I see

Before me at this instant.

CORNWALL
95 This is some fellow,

Who, having been praised for bluntness, doth affect

constrains the garb / Quite from his nature  i.e., wears the garb of a truth-teller in an over-the-top manner An  if | so  well  and good 





silly ducking observants  obsequious attendants nicely  with excessive concern for every detail
 97

A saucy roughness, and constrains the garb

Quite from his nature: he cannot flatter, he,

An honest mind and plain, he must speak truth!

An they will take it, so; if not, he's plain.

These kind of knaves I know, which in this plainness

Harbour more craft and more corrupter ends

Than twenty silly ducking observants

That stretch their duties nicely.

KENT

sooth truth; reality
aspect (1) countenance; (2) astrological position of a planet
Phoebus' front the sun-god's forehead

105 Sir, in good sooth, in sincere verity,

Under the allowance of your great aspect,

Whose influence, like the wreath of radiant fire

On flickering Phoebus' front —

      CORNWALL
108                                                       What mean'st by this?

      KENT

dialect manner of speech
he that / beguiled you in a plain accent the plain-speaking man who fooled you (and so made you distrust plain-speakers) | though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to 't i.e., even though it would be tempting to make you angry by being a plain knave

109   To go out of my dialect, which you discommend
110   so much. I know, sir, I am no flatterer: he that
111   beguiled you in a plain accent was a plain knave;
112   which for my part I will not be, though I should
113   win your displeasure to entreat me to 't.

      CORNWALL
114   What was the offence you gave him?

      OSWALD
115   I never gave him any:

very late  recently 
upon his misconstruction  because he misunderstood me compact  leagued (with the King) 


put upon him such a deal of man  struck such macho attitudes That worthied him  made him appear worthy (to the King) For ... self-subdued for assaulting one who restrained himself from fighting back
 fleshment of  wild excitement produced by | dread exploit —Oswald is being very sarcastic.  




None ... fool  villains of this kind always boast that they are braver than Ajax
 reverend  i.e., aged

116

It pleas'd the king his master very late

To strike at me, upon his misconstruction;

When he, compact, and flattering his displeasure,

Tripp'd me behind; being down, insulted, rail'd,

And put upon him such a deal of man

That worthied him, got praises of the King

For him attempting who was self-subdued,

And, in the fleshment of this dread exploit,

Drew on me here again.

KENT
124 None of these rogues and cowards

But Ajax is their fool.

CORNWALL
125 Fetch forth the stocks!

You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend braggart,

We'll teach you —

KENT
127 Sir, I am too old to learn:

Call not your stocks for me: I serve the king;

On whose employment I was sent to you:

You shall do small respect, show too bold malice

grace and person royal and personal honor

Against the grace and person of my master,

Stocking his messenger.

CORNWALL
133 Fetch forth the stocks! As I have life and honour,

There shall he sit till noon.

      REGAN
135   Till noon! till night, my lord; and all night too.

      KENT
136   Why, madam, if I were your father's dog,

You should not use me so.

      REGAN
137                                         Sir, being his knave, I will.

      CORNWALL

of the self-same colour with exactly the same character sister i.e., sister-in-law, Goneril | away along

138 This is a fellow of the self-same colour

Our sister speaks of. Come, bring away the stocks!

           Stocks brought out.

      GLOUCESTER
140   Let me beseech your Grace not to do so:

His fault is much, and the good king his master

check  rebuke
142

Will check him for't. Your purpos'd low correction

Is such as basest and contemned'st wretches

For pilf'rings and most common trespasses

Are punish'd with. The King must take it ill,

That he, so slightly valued in his messenger,

Should have him thus restrain'd.

CORNWALL

answer answer for

147                                                       I'll answer that.

      REGAN
148   My sister may receive it much more worse,

To have her gentleman abused, assaulted,

For following her affairs i.e., for carrying out his duties on her behalf

For following her affairs. Put in his legs.

           [KENT is put in the stocks.]

151   Come, my good lord, away.

           Exit [with all but GLOUCESTER and KENT.]

      GLOUCESTER
152   I am sorry for thee, friend; 'tis the Duke's pleasure,

Whose disposition, all the world well knows,

Will not be rubb'd nor stopp'd i.e, will not allow even the slightest opposition.

Will not be rubb'd nor stopp'd: I'll entreat for thee.

KENT

watched i.e., stayed awake and alert
sleep out sleep through
A good man's fortune may grow out at heels i.e., a good man's good luck may just wear out, like shoes or socks.

155 Pray, do not, sir: I have watched and travell'd hard;

Some time I shall sleep out, the rest I'll whistle.

A good man's fortune may grow out at heels:

Give you good morrow!

      GLOUCESTER
159   The duke's to blame in this; 'twill be ill taken.

           Exit.

      KENT

approve the common saw prove the (following) proverb true out of heaven's ... sun! i.e., go from better to worse
beacon to this under globe i.e., the moon comfortable aiding

160 Good King, that must approve the common saw,

Thou out of heaven's benediction com'st

To the warm sun!

Approach, thou beacon to this under globe,

That by thy comfortable beams I may

Peruse this letter.

[Takes out letter.]

Nothing almost sees miracles / But misery. almost none but those suffering misery are granted miracles
obscured course i.e., my attempts to look after Lear in this disguise enormous state monstrous state of affairs

Nothing almost sees miracles

But misery. I know 'tis from Cordelia,

Who hath most fortunately been inform'd

Of my obscured course; and shall find time

From this enormous state, seeking to give

Losses their remedies.

[Puts away letter.]

All weary and o'er-watch'd,

Take vantage take advantage (of sleep)
This shameful lodging i.e., the stocks

Take vantage, heavy eyes, not to behold

This shameful lodging.

Fortune, good night: smile once more; turn thy wheel!

[Sleeps.]