KING LEAR Film - Act 2 Scene 2 Scene 3
Stream on Amazon Prime - Episode 5
There is tension and anticipation throughout the country as
the makings of civil war continue to fester underneath the surface of civility.
In this scene, there is much fighting, physically and verbally, as the younger
generation postures for control of the kingdom. The boundaries of the social
structure are tested in anticipation of their outright deterioration following Lear’s
arrival.
Cornwall’s callous treatment of Kent is his first act of
defiance against Lear, and the old order. Cornwall finds pleasure in being
aggressive, commanding, and cruel to the King’s servant. He acts not out of
mere distaste for Kent’s behavior as Caius, but because he finds pleasure in
disregarding the social hierarchy and claiming a more powerful role for
himself. As always Regan continues to try to trump Cornwall in severity,
demanding further cruelty when Cornwall orders Kent put in the stocks. The
competitiveness within their marriage exacerbates the underlying tension in the
constant struggle for control that pervades this scene.
Ironically, Kent’s defiance mirrors Cornwall’s own rejection
of authority, yet it lands him in the stocks. Oswald genuinely does not
recognize Kent—their brief though eventful meeting was largely in the dark—and
is bewildered and appalled at the way he is treated. Kent, however, remembers
Oswald all too well and wants nothing more than to tear Oswald apart for the
way he treated Lear. Kent is enraged by the disrespect Oswald showed Lear
previously, but is now driven to further aggression due to the trouble he knows
is to come from the letter from Goneril that Oswald has delivered.
Kent struggles to restrain himself with both Oswald and
Cornwall. He knows no good will come of his aggression, but he cannot entirely
contain himself. The more he holds back, the more his anger is felt in the
friction of self-restraint. Kent is intimidating not so much because of what
does, but what it is clear he wants to do, what is barely contained beneath the
surface. He flagrantly disregards Cornwall’s authority and provides no
justification for his actions, as he knows this party is no longer abides by
the king. He finds satisfaction in being defiant in his master’s name. As in
the opening scene, Kent’s primary objective is to protect Lear’s interests, but
once he allows his anger to surface, his better judgment becomes subject to his
emotions and he cannot stop. He behaved similarly as Kent, and now as the
fearless, brusque, and more uninhibited Caius, the trait is amplified.
Edgar’s world has turned upside
down. Having fled Gloucester’s castle, he is left with nothing after only ever
having known a life of advantage in the courts. He is terrified, exhausted, and
utterly lost, both mentally and emotionally. His flight into exile was so
consumed with confusion and fear, that he has not yet had a chance to truly
process the aimless desperation of his current state.
Edgar finds himself among the
beggars who are likewise lost and desperate. They are hungry, but not just for
food; they are plagued by a deep, aching need for some tangible seed of hope.
They are always reaching for something they know they will never grasp. Still,
they are not totally insane. Far worse, they have partially lost their minds,
yet retain enough awareness to comprehend their pathetic state. There is peace
in total insanity that these men are denied. Edgar is inspired by their
desolation. Their tragic visages are so far removed from Edgar’s own that he
will be able to render himself unrecognizable, yet he also finds his newly
wretched state to be not unlike theirs. He is not so much taking on an unlikely
disguise, but giving in to his current situation, and in taking on the identity
of Poor Tom, he sublimates his own.
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Philip Fletcher as a Beggar
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