Act V Summary

1
King Lear

• Act V Summary

2
Act V.1 Character list

• Edmund
• Regan
• Gentleman
• Soldiers (no lines)
• Goneril
• Albany
• Edgar

3
Scene 1

• Edmund sends the Gentleman to Albany to see if he
  has changed his mind about joining together to
  fight against France.
• Regan asks Edmund if he has been sleeping with
  Goneril since she, too, is in love with him
  Edmund denies it, saying it is beneath Regan to
  think so basely.
• Albany and Goneril enter. Goneril admits in an
  aside that shed rather lose the war than lose
  Edmund to Regan.
• Albany reports that Lear has found his way to
  Cordelia and the French army and that he will
  ally with Edmund, putting aside the domestic
  quarrels between his house and Cornwalls. They
  begin to exit to go plan their attack.

4
Scene 1 continued

• Edgar enters, disguised as a common peasant, asks
  to speak with Albany. He sends Goneril, Edmund
  and Regan on so he can speak with Edgar.
• Edgar hands Albany Gonerils letter plotting to
  kill him so she can be with Edmund, asks Albany
  to read it before battle and, if they are
  victorious, ring a bell. He promises to produce
  a champion who will support its authenticity.
• Albany asks him to wait so he can read it in
  front of him, but Edgar insists he read it alone.
  Edgar exits.

5
Scene 1 continued

• Edmund enters and tells Albany that the French
  army is in view and its time to fight. Albany
  exits.
• Alone, Edmund comments that both sisters want
  him, are jealous of each other, yet he cant be
  with both if both are alive. Goneril will be mad
  if he chooses Regan, the widow, but Goneril is
  married, so he cant be with her. He says its
  up to Goneril he she wants to be with him she
  needs to kill Albany herself.
• Edmund reveals he plans to have Lear and Cordelia
  killed if France loses, not show mercy as Albany
  would.

6
Act V.2 Character List

• In a brief moment as they walk across the
  stage... No lines showing defeat
• Soldiers
• Lear
• Cordelia
• Edgar
• Gloucester

7
Scene 2

• Edgar has Gloucester sit for a moment, leaves to
  find out how the battles going.
• Edgar returns, says the French army has been
  defeated. Lear and Cordelia have been arrested.
• Gloucester is giving up, but Edgar convinces him
  to leave, saying Men must endure / their going
  hence even as their coming hither, suggesting
  that he knows Gloucester will die.

8
Act V.3 Character List

• Edmund
• Lear
• Cordelia
• Captain
• Regan
• Albany
• Goneril
• Edgar

9
Scene 3

• Edmund sends Lear and Cordelia to prison. Before
  they go, Cordelia says she and Lear are the not
  first to be punished for doing the right thing
  and asks to see her sisters.
• Lear says he doesnt need to see Goneril and
  Regan, says he and Cordelia will be like birds
  i th cage. He will ask for Cordelias
  forgiveness and will gladly spend the rest of his
  days in prison with her. The gods will recognize
  their honorable sacrifice.
• After they exit, Edmund bribes their guard to
  kill them, saying, to be tender-minded / does
  not become a sword. The captain says that he
  will do it as he is man.

10
Scene 3 continued

• Albany, Goneril, Regan and soldiers enter.
  Albany commends Edmunds valour and asks for
  Cordelia and Lear. Edmund tells Albany that he
  has sent them to prison where he turn his former
  subjects against Albany and company.
• Albany chastises Edmund for overstepping his
  bounds, saying, I hold you but a subject of
  this war, / not as a brother. Regan defends
  Edmund, saying he acted in her place and as she
  wished and that she plans to make him Albanys
  brother-in-law.
• Goneril angrily replies that its his actions,
  not Regans love that makes him worthy of voicing
  his opinion.

11
Scene 3 continued

• Goneril and Regan fight about Edmund, but Regan
  says she cannot argue much as she is not well.
  She tells Edmund he is her lord and master and
  that everything she has is now his.
• Albany questions why Goneril is so angry about
  Regans pronouncement and pronounces Edmund a
  traitor and adulterer, calling out Goneril in the
  process and saying if Regan needs to marry, she
  can marry him since his marriage to Goneril is
  now over.
• Albany has the bell rung and challenges Edmund to
  a duel.

12
Scene 3 continued

• As Albany challenges Edmund, Regan continues to
  grow sicker and Goneril reveals she poisoned her.
• Edmund accepts the duel offer, claiming to have
  been maligned, says he will prove his innocence
  by fighting Albany or whoever he chooses to be
  his champion.
• Regan is taken away, growing sicker.
• A herald calls for a champion to come forward to
  fight in Albanys place, publicly decries
  Edmunds treason.

13
Scene 3 continued

• Edgar enters in battle armor, says his name is
  lost to treason but that hes noble. He
  challenges Edmund as a knight.
• Edmund says he should know his name before they
  fight, but as Edmund dislikes knights, he will
  fight anyway. They fight. Edmund is wounded.
  Albany charges Edgar to spare Edmunds life.
• Goneril decries the fight, saying Edmund was
  deceived and did not have to fight an unnamed
  opponent. Albany tells her to shut her mouth and
  denounces her treasonous murder plot against him,
  showing the letter.

14
Scene 3 continued

• Goneril tells Albany he has no power over the
  laws, that she controls it all until he shows her
  the treasonous letter. She leaves. Albany sends
  a soldier after her.
• Edmund admits he is guilty of every charge
  brought against him and much, much more. He
  says if Edgar is noble, he did the right thing,
  and he asks who Edgar is.
• Edgar reveals who he is the legitimate son
  and that the gods have given each of them their
  just rewards Gloucester lost his eyes for
  believing Edmund and having a bastard son.
  Edmund admits he is back to where he began.

15
Scene 3 continued

• Albany apologizes for any ill treatment Edgar
  received and asks where hed been and how he knew
  of Gloucesters fate. Edgar admits to playing
  Poor Tom and taking care of Gloucester.
• When Edgar told Gloucester who he really was,
  Glouesters heart torn between two extremes of
  passion, joy and grief burst of happiness and
  he died.
• Edmund says Edgars news has spurred him to
  wanting to make good but asks Edgar to continue.

16
Scene 3 continued

• Edgar also reveals that Kent has been here in
  disguise , helping Lear, and nearly died of grief
  when he saw Gloucester had died.
• A Gentleman enters carrying a bloody knife.
  Goneril has killed herself and Regan is dead from
  Gonerils poison. Edmund admits to having an
  affair with both of them. Albany asks that their
  bodies be brought out.
• Kent enters to say goodbye to Lear, and Albany
  asks Edmund where Lear and Cordelia are.

17
Scene 3 continued

• Edmund, in a fit of doing good, says they should
  hurry to get them before they are killed. He
  sends his sword with a captain as proof of the
  order to stay their execution, reveals he and
  Goneril sent the order and to make it look like
  Cordelia killed herself. Edmund is taken off
  stage.
• Lear enters, carrying Cordelias body. Lear
  rages at the men who killed her, asks for a
  mirror to check to see if she still breathes,
  says he killed the man who was hanging her.
• Kent reveals he was Caius, tells Lear RG are
  dead.

18
Scene 3 continued

• A messenger arrives, tells that Edmund is dead.
• Albany says he will give Lear back the throne,
  that he doesnt want it. Lear says no, that life
  without Cordelia is not worth living. Lear dies.
• Edgar tries to revive Lear, but Kent tells him to
  let Lear rest in peace. Albany tells Kent and
  Edgar that they shall rule jointly. Kent
  declines, says he will join Lear in death.
• Edgar is now king, says we that are young /
  shall never see so much nor live as long as
  Lear. THE END.