A Stick-Figure King Lear: Act 4, Scene 3

The Story So Far: Everyone and their brother are converging upon Dover. Kent and King Lear are going there. Gloucester and Edgar are going there. Edmund and Albany are planning to go there. Why Dover? Because that's where Cordelia and the French army are!

Cordelia is one of these character who, despite not actually being in the play very much, casts a long shadow. She goes off to France at the end of the very first scene and doesn't reappear until now, but everyone is constantly talking and thinking about her. Mostly they're thinking "If only Cordelia hadn't been so flaming honest, everyone would have been happy and we could have skipped an entire act of mad storm ravings and eye-gougings." 

Or is that just me?

Tune in on Wednesday, when Oswald tries to deliver his letter! YAY OSWALD.

A Stick-Figure King Lear: Act 4, Scene 2

The Story So Far: The Dukes of Cornwall and Albany are busily mobilizing their troops to counter Cordelia's army at Dover, which, coincidentally, is where both the mad King Lear and the newly-eyeless Gloucester are headed. Can you say "denouement"?

Goneril's sudden desire for Edmund kind of comes out of nowhere, although it shouldn't be that surprising. As the new Earl of Gloucester, he is now a nobleman, and he clearly has plenty of personal charm. And, let's face it, the Duke of Albany is kind of bland. Well-meaning, but incredibly bland.

Oswald gets a letter to deliver! If you're playing the "Oswald Drinking Game", take a drink.

Tune in again next Monday, when we'll check in and see how Cordelia (remember her?) is doing!

A Stick-Figure King Lear: Act 4, Scene 1

The Story So Far: The Earl of Gloucester, in defiance of Regan and the Duke of Cornwall's orders, helped the raving King Lear escape to Dover, where Lear's daughter, Cordelia, has returned at the head of the French army, determined to restore her father to power. For his act of kindness, Gloucester has his eyes gouged out by Cornwall. 

I know what you're probably thinking: as soon as Edgar hears that his father knows he was falsely accused, why doesn't he speak up and tell his father that he's there? Why does he persist in acting like a mud-covered madman? There are many explanations - Edgar wants to remain in disguise in case Cornwall's men come looking for him, Edgar is understandably wary after his father tried to have him arrested on trumped-up charges, Edgar is using his disguise to help cure his father of suicidal despair, Edgar has come to really enjoy the freedom that being a half-naked madman affords him, etc. However, I can't help thinking that things would have been easier all around if he'd just said "Hey dad, I forgive you for trying to have me arrested. Let's go find King Lear."

Tune in again on Friday*, when we'll get to see Edmund and Goneril make out. Hubba hubba.

*I accidentally posted this comic a day early and can't be bothered to try and take it and all its associated social media posts down. I'm sorry if this inexplicably knocks your week's schedule off-kilter somehow.

All You Need To Know About Henry IV, part 1

It's a great time to be a long-distance Shakespeare fan, what with the National Theatre and now the Royal Shakespeare Company broadcasting performances to theatres around the world. This week the RSC is broadcasting their current production of Henry IV, part 1, starring Antony Sher as Falstaff and Alex Hassell as Prince Hal. To celebrate, here is a quick guide to (almost) all you need to know to appreciate the play!

That's... actually a really small death total for a history play. That practically makes this a comedy.

Check out my other Henry IV related strips here!

What Happens to the Fool?

It's the question on everybody's lips: What happens to Lear's Fool?

Did I miss a particularly good Fool theory? How was the Fool disposed of in the Lears you've seen? Drop me a note in the comments or via Twitter or Facebook. If I've missed any good ones, I'll add them to this graphic.

Remember to check out the rest of my King Lear comics here. Tune in again on Wednesday as I start tackling Act Four!

A Stick-Figure King Lear: Act 3, Scene 7

King Lear
Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5
2.1 | 2.2, part 1 | 2.2, part 2
3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.7

The Story So Far: After escorting the raving King Lear and his entourage of sane, semi-sane, and insane people to shelter, the Earl of Gloucester overhears a plot against Lear's life. Against Regan and Cornwall's orders, he sends them towards Dover, where the French army led by Cordelia has landed. 

There are many references to eyes in King Lear, and they all lead up to this infamous scene. This is one of the scenes that gets waved around when people say "Oooh, Shakespeare is boring."  Boring, is it? Boring? How about a nice old man getting his eyes gouged out on stage? ARE YOU STILL BORED? 

There are many massively quotable lines in King Lear: "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child", "Blow winds and crack your cheeks", etc. However, the one I always like to quote is Cornwall's "Out, vile jelly! Where is thy lustre now?" If you're creative, you can find lots of uses for it, the most obvious being when you're making a sandwich and run out of spreadable fruit preserves.

That's all for Act 3! Tune in on Monday, when we'll take a short break to check in on a disappearing character before plunging on into Act 4. 

King Lear

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5
2.1 | 2.2, part 1 | 2.2, part 2
3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.7

A Stick-Figure King Lear: Act 3, Scene 6

King Lear
Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5
2.1 | 2.2, part 1 | 2.2, part 2
3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6

The Story So Far: Against the orders of Regan and the Duke of Cornwall, the Earl of Gloucester has found the mad old King Lear wandering around outside in a storm, and has brought him, his Fool, the disguised Earl of Kent, and the madman Poor Tom (actually Gloucester's son Edgar in disguise) to shelter. 

You have to feel sorry for Kent. The guy is just trying to do the right thing and look after his king, and where does he end up? Stuck in a shack with a crazy old man, a mud-covered madman, and a jester who keeps spouting apparent non sequiturs at random. I'm always surprised that Kent doesn't go insane. I certainly would.

This scene, incidentally, is generally presented as a composite between the Folio text and the Quarto text. As I've mentioned before, the text I'm working with is based on the Folio, which excludes the mock-trial of Goneril the Joint-Stool, but I edited it back in here because it's too fun to miss. 

Stop by again on Friday for the eye-popping conclusion to Act 3! 

King Lear
Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5
2.1 | 2.2, part 1 | 2.2, part 2
3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6

A Stick-Figure King Lear: Act 3, Scene 5

King Lear
Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5
2.1 | 2.2, part 1 | 2.2, part 2
3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6

The Story So Far: The Earl of Gloucester has gone to rescue King Lear, who is wandering around outside in a storm, shouting a lot. Little does he know that his bastard son Edmund is plotting to betray him...

I'm pretty sure the Duke of Cornwall isn't fooled by Edmund's protestations of regret for one moment. Cornwall is figuratively a bastard, so he probably knows one when he sees one. 

Stop by again on Wednesday, when we'll check back in with Lear to see how he's doing. (SPOILER ALERT: He's still busy losing his proverbial marbles.)

King Lear
Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5
2.1 | 2.2, part 1 | 2.2, part 2
3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6