KING LEAR Film - Act 3 Scenes 1,2

 Stream on Amazon Prime - Episode 7

3.1

The instability Kent feared when Lear banished Cordelia has set in upon the kingdom.  As ever, Kent’s primary objective is to protect Lear’s physical and mental well-being.  He must get him out of the storm, which is quickly speeding up Lear’s decline.  The storm is getting worse. They are only twenty minutes from the courtyard and have already become separated.  While Lear is trapped in reflection on the past, Kent must be looking ahead to the future and turns back in search of the first Knight.  Now that both daughters have abandoned him, he turns to Cordelia, as she may be the last source of refuge for Lear.  Kent is relying on his knowledge of their relationship and trusting that despite everything that has happened, she still cares deeply for Lear and will want to do whatever she can to help him.  Kent’s loyalty and devotion shine in this scene and throughout the storm.  His shrewdness is also apparent, as even in the face of the dire present, he is still thinking ahead and planning for what is to come.  The first knight is somewhat perplexed by Caius hints as to his identity and the instruction to contact Cordelia, but he, like Kent, is devoted to serving Lear, and will gladly travel to Dover in the elements to uphold his duty. 

3.2

The intense cold, the jarring wind, and the plaguing thunder take their toll on Lear, Kent, and the Fool.

Their lives are at stake, yet the scene is more about the struggle between Lear and his own madness than it is a struggle against the natural elements.  Lear is reacting to what has just happened minutes ago.  He is not just angry with Regan and Goneril for the way they have treated him, but also heartbroken to learn they feel so little genuine affection for him.  He is forced to confront the fear he has expressed repeatedly; he is losing his mind.  His obsession with avoiding madness turns him inward and only perpetuates his deterioration.  He does not feel self-pity, but contempt for his condition.  Yet as his mind turns to his daughters, he realizes the storm only makes him more vulnerable to the madness he fears.

Lear rages against himself, defiant in the face of his deterioration.  He turns desperately to the storm for salvation, clinging to the physical struggle to escape the mental one.  He revels in declaring his sanity, his fixture to the moment, defiant even as he feels his senses slipping away.  The closer he comes to madness, the more he is aware of his condition.  There is an ironic lucidity in these moments as Lear descends into madness, as if sanity can only truly be measured or understood through the counterpoint of its loss.

Kent remains steadfast in his concern for Lear.  He observes Lear’s decline into an increasingly vulnerable physical and mental state and is distressed by the sight, having known him at the height of his vitality.  Yet we see the true measure of Kent’s loyalty and devotion as he pursues Lear with renewed vigor and unflagging protective urgency.  He seeks not to comfort his old friend, but to save his master and continues to risk his life in doing so.

Lear’s age and mental decline make him vulnerable to the storm, but the Fool’s youth provides him no further remedy.  He is a creature of the courts and cannot last long in this weather.  The Fool repeatedly pleads with Lear to return to his daughters and ask for refuge to no avail.  Though his statements mirror his more performative moments, the Fool is no longer performing; he is not consciously trying to distract Lear, rather he speaks spontaneously as is his true nature.  He is compelled from within and speaks viscerally as he tries to reason with Lear.  Yet his battle is hopeless; he is contending with both the fretful elements and Lear’s deepening madness, as the two are one in the same.

Despite his deep affection for the Fool, Lear is so absorbed in his own internal conflict that he does not hear the Fool’s appeals or notice his condition.  When Lear finally does become cognizant of the Fool’s suffering, it is the first time in years that the well-being of another person becomes his primary concern. The guilt Lear feels over endangering his beloved companion shifts his focus from his daughters’ betrayal and fosters a feeling of remorse that builds to Lear’s later revelations.