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  • Title: King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)
  • Editor: Pervez Rizvi
  • Coordinating editor: Michael Best

    • ISBN: 978-1-55058-463-9

    Copyright Michael Best. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Pervez Rizvi
    Not Peer Reviewed

    King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)

    The History of King Lear.
    Reg. And in good time you gaue it.
    Lear. Made you my guardians, my depositaries,
    1550But kept a reseruation to be followed
    With such a number, what, must I come to you
    With fiue and twenty, Regan, said you so?
    Reg. And speak't againe my Lord, no more with me.
    Lear. Those wicked creatures yet do seeme well-fauour'd
    1555When others are more wicked, not being the worst,
    Stands in some ranke of praise, Ile go with thee,
    Thy fifty yet doth double fiue and twenty,
    And thou art twice her loue.
    Gon. Heare me my Lord;
    1560What need you fiue and twenty, ten, or fiue,
    To follow in a house, where twice so many
    Haue a command to tend you?
    Regan. What needs one?
    Lear. O reason not the deed, our basest beggers
    1565Are in the poorest thing superfluous,
    Allow not nature more then nature needs,
    Mans life's as cheap as beasts; thou art a Lady,
    If onely to go warme were gorgious,
    Why nature needs not what thou gorgious wearest,
    1570Which scarsely keepes thee warme, but for true need,
    You heauens giue me that patience, patience I need,
    You see me heere (you Gods) a poore olde fellow,
    As full of greefe as age, wretched in both,
    If it be you that stirres these daughters hearts
    1575Against their Father, foole me not too much,
    To beare it lamely, touch me with noble anger,
    O let not womens weapons, water drops
    Staine my mans cheekes, no you vnnaturall hags,
    I will haue such reuenges on you both,
    1580That all the world shall -------- I will do such things,
    What they are, yet I know not, but they shall be
    The terrors of the earth; you thinke ile weepe,
    No, ile not weepe, I haue full cause of weeping,
    1585But this heart shall breake in a thousand flowes
    Ere
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