KING LEAR Film - Act 3, Scenes 3,4

Stream on Amazon Prime - Episode 8

                                                                    3.3

Gloucester is naïve and trusting with Edmund.  He treats him as his closest ally, as a father would indeed trust a beloved and respected son.  He plays right into Edmund’s scheme, blind to his son’s true nature, and hands Edmund the opportunity to malign Gloucester’s credibility, while proving himself invaluable and indisputably loyal to Cornwall.  Yet in choosing to help Lear, Gloucester also demonstrates an insight into the disorder that results from Lear’s total removal from power.  Gloucester proves his bravery, loyalty, and nobility in choosing to support the master he has served for years, knowing that it is a dangerous and potentially fatal endeavor.  In doing so, Gloucester aligns himself with the old guard, the aged power base that is well beyond its peak that the younger generations are eager to unseat.  In departing to support Lear, he makes literal the figurative lines of division that have already been established. 

3.4

In the second part of the storm, Lear continues to deteriorate physically and mentally yet remains  absorbed in self-reflection, confronting the turmoil within and blocking out the squall that surrounds him.  Still, the interior and exterior upheaval compound one another and increase exponentially.

As he prays outside of the hovel, Lear reflects not just on his daughters’ betrayal but on who he has become.  Having realized his devastating neglect of the Fool, Lear is forced to confront the fact that he has done nothing of good with his power in years.  Lear feels empathy for the lowly parts of humanity that he has done nothing to help, becoming fixated on Poor Tom as a symbol of that corrosive inattention.  Yet even Lear’s sudden compassion for lowlier beings is colored by the selfishness that has led him to this place, as he is utterly embroiled in self-reflection.  The more he discovers about himself, the more he deteriorates; the more mental clarity he achieves, the more infirm his mind actually becomes.

The hovel is very close to Gloucester’s castle, meaning Edgar must have stayed close by when he fled. He is risking his life in staying so close to those who seek his demise.  Although he has lost everything and transformed his identity, he cannot bring himself to venture far from the only world he knows. Edgar finds himself in a peculiar position in this scene.  Everyone present knows each other well from the time prior to the start of the film, yet they are each in disguise or so affected by their current situation that they are strangers to themselves.  From within his disguise, Edgar is the only one who recognizes the identity of everyone in the room at that moment. Just as Lear’s madness is both the source and result of his insight, Edgar finds the position of madman to be surprisingly illuminating. 

Gloucester’s arrival is an emotional jolt and a challenge for Edgar.  With Lear mad, the Fool dying, and Kent the distracted guardian, Edgar is able to sell the Poor Tom disguise effectively.  He may be of noble birth, but his privileged life was taken away from him in a flurry of sudden and demoralizing confusion.  He is genuinely alone, hopeless, destitute, and freezing; his present condition is so much like that of the beggars that Poor Tom has become less a character for Edgar and more his current state of being.  Maintaining the disguise in front of his father, however, requires him access an as-yet untested place of strength and resilience.  Rather than attempting to hide, he sinks further into the role of madman and approaches Gloucester directly.  He flaunts madness in his scorned father’s face to stun him and present himself as something so far removed from the Edgar Gloucester knows, that in doing so he effectively renders that simulated state a reality.