What happens in Act 2 Scene 4 King Lear?

Summary: Act 2, scene 4 Lear spies Kent in the stocks and is shocked that anyone would treat one of his servants so badly. Lear asks Regan to shelter him, but she refuses. He complains more strenuously about Goneril and falls to cursing her. Much to Lear’s dismay, Goneril herself arrives at Gloucester’s castle.

Why not by the hand sir How have I offended?

—Oh, Regan, are you taking her by the hand? 190Why not by th’ hand, sir? How have I offended? And dotage terms so.

Why might not you my Lord receive attendance?

Why couldn’t you be attended by my servants, or by Regan’s? Will I give place or notice. Yes, why not, my lord? Then if they’re negligent, we could control them.

What is Lear’s curse on Goneril?

Lear curses Goneril He curses her never to have a child or if she does, that it make her life a misery so that she understands how it feels to have an ungrateful child.

What is worse than murder in Lear’s opinion?

It’s worse than murder to humiliate a king’s messenger like this. Tell me as quickly and clearly as you can what you did to deserve this punishment, or what made them think they could inflict it on you.

Why is Edmund happy that Cornwall is visiting in Act II?

Why is Edmund happy that Cornwall is visiting? He can use Cornwall in his plot against Edgar. He can take his revenge on Cornwall for an earlier offense. He can kill Cornwall and seduce Regan.

Why have my sisters husbands if they say they love you all?

Why have my sisters husbands if they say They love you all? Haply when I shall wed That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry 105 Half my love with him, half my care and duty. Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters, To love my father all. My good lord, you fathered me, raised me, and loved me.

Is man no more than this?

—Is man no more than this? Consider him well. —Thou owest the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume. Thou art the thing itself.

What revenge does Lear swear on both of his daughters?

What revenge does Lear swear on both of his daughters? He curses them both saying “terrible things” are going to happen to them yet he can’t come up with a precise plan. He realizes that there is nothing he can do to get revenge and he is losing power.

Why is Goneril angry at her father?

Goneril is angry because her father seems to like her younger sister Cordelia more than her or her sister, Regan. She says, “He always loved our sister most; and with what poor judgment he hath now cast her off appears too grossly” (I.i.290-92).

Which two gods does Lear swear by?

By the god Jupiter above, I swear “No.” By Juno, I swear “Ay.” By Jupiter’s wife Juno, I swear “Yes.”

What does King Lear mean when he says she hath tied?

In Act II, Scene IV, Lear bemoans Goneril’s behavior by saying that “she hath tied / sharp-tooth’d unkindness, like a vulture, here [points to his heart]” (Lines 136-137). This line also is used to describe Goneril’s actions. She is acting very much like a vulture waiting for Lear to die so she may inherit his kingdom.

What happens in Act 2 Scene 4 of King Lear?

When each daughter says that he may stay with her only if he dismisses all his knights, he rushes, enraged, out into a storm. Cornwall, Regan, and Goneril shut Gloucester’s castle against Lear. Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman.

When was the first performance of King Lear?

First staged in 1606, for centuries King Lear was thought too bleak to perform, but its nihilism has heavily influenced modern drama. Read a character analysis of Lear, plot summary, and important quotes. Read a Plot Overview of the entire play or a scene by scene Summary and Analysis.

What does Lear say to Goneril in Act 2?

Lear turns back to Goneril, saying that he will be willing to come down to fifty men if he can stay with her. But Goneril is no longer willing to allow him even that many. A moment later, things get even worse for Lear: both Goneril and Regan refuse to allow him any servants.

Who are the Fool and Knight in King Lear?

Lear, accompanied by the Fool and a knight, arrives at Gloucester’s castle. Lear spies Kent in the stocks and is shocked that anyone would treat one of his servants so badly. When Kent tells him that Regan and Cornwall put him there, Lear cannot believe it and demands to speak with them.