King Lear : Act 3, Scene 7
Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, GONERIL,
EDMUND, and Servants.
CORNWALL
Post Ride | my lord your husband i.e., Goneril's husband, the Duke of Albany
1 Post speedily to my lord your husband; show him
2 this letter: the army of France is landed. Seek
3 out the villain Gloucester.
REGAN
4 Hang him instantly.
GONERIL
5 Pluck out his eyes.
CORNWALL
6 Leave him to my displeasure. Edmund, keep you our our sister i.e., Cornwall's sister-in-law, Goneril
we are bound i.e., I am bound by duty
we are bound i.e., I am bound by duty
7 sister company: the revenges we are bound to take
8 upon your traitorous father are not fit for your
9 beholding. Advise the duke, where you are going, to
festinate speedy | are bound are committed
posts messengers | intelligent well-informed
posts messengers | intelligent well-informed
10 a most festinate preparation: we are bound to the
11 like. Our posts shall be swift and intelligent
12 betwixt us. Farewell, dear sister: farewell, my
my lord of Gloucester i.e., Edmund, now the recipient of his father's forfeited title and estate
13 lord of Gloucester.
Enter Steward [OSWALD].
14 How now! where's the king?
OSWALD
my lord of Gloucester Gloucester
15 My lord of Gloucester hath convey'd him hence:
his knights Lear's knights
16 Some five or six and thirty of his knights,
questrists searchers
17 Hot questrists after him, met him at gate;
the lord's Gloucester's
18 Who, with some other of the lord's dependants,
19 Are gone with him towards Dover; where they boast
20 To have well-armed friends.
CORNWALL
20 Get horses for your mistress.
GONERIL
21 Farewell, sweet lord, and sister.
CORNWALL
22 Edmund, farewell.
Exeunt [GONERIL, EDMUND, and OSWALD].
Pinion him Tie his arms 
22 Go seek the traitor Gloucester,
23 Pinion him like a thief, bring him before us.
[Exeunt some Servants.]
Though well ... justice though rightly I may not pass sentence upon his life without a trial
do a courtesy to bow to
control openly oppose
do a courtesy to bow to
control openly oppose
24 Though well we may not pass upon his life
25 Without the form of justice, yet our power
26 Shall do a courtesy to our wrath, which men
27 May blame, but not control. Who's there? the traitor?
Enter GLOUCESTER, [brought in by two or
three] Servants.
REGAN
28 Ingrateful fox! 'tis he.
CORNWALL
corky withered with age
29 Bind fast his corky arms.
GLOUCESTER
30 What mean your graces? Good my friends, consider
31 You are my guests: do me no foul play, friends.
CORNWALL
32 Bind him, I say.
[Servants bind him.]
REGAN
32 Hard, hard. O filthy traitor!
GLOUCESTER
I'm none I'm not one (a "filthy traitor")
33 Unmerciful lady as you are, I'm none.
CORNWALL
34 To this chair bind him. Villain, thou shalt find—
plucks his beard This is an act of extreme contempt.
[REGAN plucks his beard.]
GLOUCESTER
35 By the kind gods, 'tis most ignobly done
36 To pluck me by the beard.
REGAN
white white-haired; venerable
37 So white, and such a traitor!
GLOUCESTER
Naughty Wicked
37 Naughty lady,
ravish tear
38 These hairs, which thou dost ravish from my chin,
quicken come to life
39 Will quicken, and accuse thee: I am your host:
my hospitable favours i.e., the face of me, your host
ruffle snatch at roughly
ruffle snatch at roughly
40 With robbers' hands my hospitable favours
41 You should not ruffle thus. What will you do?
CORNWALL
late lately
42 Come, sir, what letters had you late from France?
REGAN
simple-answer'd straightforward
43 Be simple-answer'd, for we know the truth.
CORNWALL
44 And what confederacy have you with the traitors
Late footed recently landed
45 Late footed in the kingdom?
REGAN
46 To whose hands have you sent the lunatic king?
47 Speak.
GLOUCESTER
guessingly set down written without confirmation; speculative
47 I have a letter guessingly set down,
48 Which came from one that's of a neutral heart,
49 And not from one opposed.
CORNWALL
49 Cunning.
REGAN
49 And false.
CORNWALL
50 Where hast thou sent the king?
GLOUCESTER
51 To Dover.
REGAN
Wherefore Why | charged commanded
52 Wherefore to Dover? Wast thou not charged at peril—
CORNWALL
53 Wherefore to Dover? Let him first answer that.
GLOUCESTER
I am tied to the stake, and I must stand the course. This is an image from bear-baiting, in which a bear tied to a stake had to fight off a pack of dogs.
54 I am tied to the stake, and I must stand the course.
REGAN
55 Wherefore to Dover, sir?
GLOUCESTER
56 Because I would not see thy cruel nails
57 Pluck out his poor old eyes; nor thy fierce sister
anointed flesh consecrated with holy oils (as part of the king's coronation)
58 In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs.
59 The sea, with such a storm as his bare head
buoy'd up risen high
60 In hell-black night endured, would have buoy'd up,
stelled fires stars' fires
61 And quench'd the stelled fires:
holp helped
62 Yet, poor old heart, he holp the heavens to rain.
dearn dire; dread
63 If wolves had at thy gate howl'd that dearn time,
turn the key i.e., open the door and let them in | All cruels else subscribe all other cruel beings would yield thus to pity, but you do not winged swooping down from heaven; swift
64 Thou shouldst have said 'Good porter, turn the key,'
65 All cruels else subscribe: but I shall see
66 The winged vengeance overtake such children.
CORNWALL
Fellows servants
67 See't shalt thou never. Fellows, hold the chair.
68 Upon these eyes of thine I'll set my foot.
GLOUCESTER
will think hopes
69 He that will think to live till he be old,
70 Give me some help!
[Cornwall stomps out one of Gloucester's eyes.]
70 O cruel! O you gods!
REGAN
the other too i.e., do the other one too!
71 One side will mock another; the other too.
CORNWALL
72 If you see vengeance,—
First Servant
Hold your hand i.e., stop what you are doing; do not attack Gloucester again
72 Hold your hand, my lord:
73 I have served you ever since I was a child;
74 But better service have I never done you
75 Than now to bid you hold.
REGAN
75 How now, you dog!
First Servant [To Regan.]
76 If you did wear a beard upon your chin,
shake it shake your beard; i.e., spit in your face | on this quarrel in this cause
77 I'd shake it on this quarrel.
REGAN
What do you mean? i.e., What do you think you are doing?; How dare you!
75 What do you mean?
CORNWALL
villain serf
78 My villain!
[Cornwall draws his sword.]
First Servant
Nay, then, come on i.e., OK, let's fight.
take the chance of anger take your chances in an angry quarrel
take the chance of anger take your chances in an angry quarrel
79 Nay, then, come on, and take the chance of anger.
[The Servant draws his sword. They fight
and the Servant wounds Cornwall.]
REGAN
80 Give me thy sword. A peasant stand up thus!
[Takes a sword, stabs the servant
in the back, and so] kills him.
First Servant
81 O, I am slain! My lord, you have one eye left
To see some mischief on him i.e., to see the injury that I have done him
82 To see some mischief on him. O!
[Dies.]
CORNWALL
83 Lest it see more, prevent it. Out, vile jelly!
[Plucks out Gloucester's remaining eye.]
lustre luster, gloss
84 Where is thy lustre now?
GLOUCESTER
85 All dark and comfortless. Where's my son Edmund?
sparks of nature sparks of filial feeling
86 Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature,
To quit to requite; avenge
87 To quit this horrid act.
REGAN
Out An exclamation of anger or impatience.
87 Out, treacherous villain!
88 Thou call'st on him that hates thee: it was he
overture revelation; disclosure
89 That made the overture of thy treasons to us;
90 Who is too good to pity thee.
GLOUCESTER
follies stupidities | abused wronged; slandered
prosper him cause him to prosper
prosper him cause him to prosper
91 O my follies! then Edgar was abused.
92 Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!
Dover Dover's white cliffs face France across the narrowest part of the English Channel. This is the place where King Lear has been taken, and where the King of France will land with his army.
REGAN
93 Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell
94 His way to Dover.
Exit [one] with GLOUCESTER.
[REGAN sees that Cornwall is
wounded.]
How is't, my lord? how look you? How is it with you? How do you feel?
94 How is't, my lord? how look you?
CORNWALL
a hurt an injury
95 I have received a hurt: follow me, lady.
this slave i.e., the servant that Regan killed
96 Turn out that eyeless villain; throw this slave
apace at a considerable pace; fast and getting faster
97 Upon the dunghill. Regan, I bleed apace:
98 Untimely comes this hurt: give me your arm.
Exit [CORNWALL, assisted by REGAN.]
Second Servant
99 I'll never care what wickedness I do,
100 If this man come to good.
Third Servant
100 If she live long,
old customary; natural
101 And in the end meet the old course of death,
Women will all turn monsters. Because they will not fear punishment for their crimes.
102 Women will all turn monsters.
Second Servant
the old earl Gloucester (Edmund is the new earl.) | Bedlam madman; i.e., Edgar, disguised as "Poor Tom."
his roguish madness / Allows itself to any thing. i.e., the fact that he is a vagabond madman allows him to get away with anything —Perhaps the servant thinks that in the company of a madman Gloucester will be relatively safe from detection by his enemies.
his roguish madness / Allows itself to any thing. i.e., the fact that he is a vagabond madman allows him to get away with anything —Perhaps the servant thinks that in the company of a madman Gloucester will be relatively safe from detection by his enemies.
103 Let's follow the old earl, and get the Bedlam
104 To lead him where he would: his roguish madness
105 Allows itself to any thing.
Third Servant
106 Go thou: I'll fetch some flax and whites of eggs
107 To apply to his bleeding face. Now, heaven help him!
Exeunt [in different directions].