KING LEAR Film - Act 3, Scenes 5, 6, 7

Stream on Amazon Prime - Episode 9

3.5

Cornwall is furious that Gloucester has betrayed his orders and undermined his authority in choosing to  help Lear.  Moreover, he is enraged that he has been betrayed and out smarted by someone he views as  inferior.  This is indeed a life or death situation for Cornwall, as the future of the country is at stake, yet  his personal humiliation supersedes Gloucester’s treachery.  The offense provokes Cornwall to go        beyond the defense of Britain and the necessary exercise of his authority, as he indulging his appetite for cruelty in the name of the public defense.

Edmund is on the verge of achieving his objectives, as in this scene he is named Earl of Gloucester. Still, he never allows himself to become overconfident.  He maintains his persistent awareness of what is to come and what is necessary to effectively manipulate Cornwall with his performance.   Openly betraying his father by turning the information over to Cornwall requires Edmund to portray a delicate balance of duteous candor and concerned hesitance.  Through his seeming reluctance, he draws Cornwall in, allowing the Duke to believe he is controlling the situation.  Edmund ironically gains Cornwall’s trust in him as “a dearer father,” by betraying his own father to prove his loyalty.

3.6

The farmhouse on Gloucester’s property provides refuge from the storm outside, but the sudden calm starkly highlights the clamor that continues to tear Lear apart from the inside out.  Previously, Lear had turned inward to find reprieve from the storm, but now his mind has collapsed in upon itself and his madness reaches new depths as he begins to hallucinate.  Still, even in madness he sustains his compulsion towards self-evaluation and his obsession with enacting justice upon his perfidious daughters.

The Fool is dying, physically and emotionally.  He may not know it yet, but he can feel it.  The cold has crept deep inside of him and the asylum of the farmhouse has come too late.  He is concerned for his master, but also vexed by Lear’s sudden preoccupation with Poor Tom and jealous of his references to the new comer as his “philosopher.”  The Fool predicted this back in the courtyard, yet as he said then, he will stick by Lear’s side until the bitter end, even as he feels it drawing ever nearer.  As Lear stages his mock trial, the Fool is weak and weary.  He does not want to play anymore, yet uses his last remaining fragments of strength to do so anyway.   Even moments from death, he is compelled to engage with Lear; he cannot help being himself and this is what he does.

Edgar is familiar with the farmhouse and knows how close they are to the castle.  He is more aware than anyone of the fact that they may be out of the storm, but they are far from safe.  Edgar puts his life on the line by choosing to stay here with a fugitive whom Cornwall’s men are actively pursuing, yet Lear is still the leader even in madness.  Those around him are determined to follow Lear, so Edgar must wait in uneasy anticipation.

Despite his own dire situation, Edgar takes a moment to observe the suffering of those around him.  Lear is a man that Edgar has respected and admired his entire life.  It breaks his heart to see him reduced to frailty and infirmity.  He is moved to the point he almost breaks his disguise, as the repressed Edgar rises up in sympathy and threatens to break through the Poor Tom veneer.  Witnessing Lear’s hardship puts his own misfortune in perspective, and he realizes he could be much worse off.  He may have lost his social distinction and his father, but he still has his wits to sustain him.

3.7

Regan, Cornwall, and Goneril are wolfish in their eagerness to punish the Gloucester for his betrayal. Their cruelty and keenness, while vicious, does not come from a place of pure evil.  Gloucester is a traitor of the state who has endangered the welfare of the kingdom by betraying Cornwall’s authority. Still, personal humiliation intensifies Cornwall’s reaction.  He and Regan both seem to enjoy getting to access this cruel and violent side of themselves, as Cornwall plucks out Gloucester’s eyes with zeal and Regan spurs him on.

Regan and Cornwall act as a team in their cruelty.  They question Gloucester rapidly, constantly jockeying for authority.  They find balance through their tension, as they swarm Gloucester with accusations, never allowing him the chance to answer.  This sense of unity between the two is never more apparent than in this violent, passionate scene immediately preceding Cornwall’s death. Regan’s attempt to save her husband by stabbing the servant who had the temerity to rebel highlights her strength as well as their reliance on one another.  The strength they find by pushing one another only highlights how desperate and urgent Regan’s situation becomes when she finds herself suddenly alone.

Gloucester knew he was risking his life when he chose to help Lear, knowing that any trace of the former hierarchy had been eliminated, yet still appeals to Regan and Cornwall’s sense of civility and propriety out of fear and desperation.  The physical agony Gloucester endures during these moments is nothing compared to the mental anguish that comes from the revelation his own son doomed him to this cruel fate.  The unbearable truth that Edmund betrayed him and Edgar is innocent, plagues him for the rest of his life and eventually consumes him.  It takes having physical blindness thrust upon him for him to see how emotionally blind his negligence had led him to be.