A Stick-Figure King Lear: Act 5, Scene 1

The Story So Far: Thanks to Kent, King Lear has been reunited with his daughter Cordelia, and seems to be regaining his wits. Cordelia has brought an army over from France, determined to wrest control of Britain away from her horrible elder sisters and restore her father to the throne. Unfortunately for her, Goneril, Regan, and their new toyboy, Edmund, have very different ideas.

Anyways, this is an interesting little scene. For one thing, the romantic rivalry between Goneril and Regan really rears its ugly head here, with both of them fixated on Edmund. Edmund's brother Edgar, meanwhile, is attempting to bring down Edmund by the most circuitous means possible. Why doesn't he just tell Albany to read the letter immediately and arrest Goneril and Edmund before the battle even begins? It would solve a lot of problems. If I've missed a cunning plot trick here, let me know in the comments.

Tune in on Monday, when the long-awaited BIG BATTLE happens! No, don't get your hopes up. It's incredibly anticlimactic.