No Fear Shakespeare
King Lear
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 2, Scene 4
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Modern Text |
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KENT in the stocks Enter LEAR, FOOL, and GENTLEMAN
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KENT is in the stocks. LEAR enters with the FOOL and the GENTLEMAN. |
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LEAR
'Tis strange that they should so depart from home,
And not send back my messenger.
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LEAR
It’s strange that Regan and her husband left their house without sending back my messenger.
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GENTLEMAN
As I learned,
The night before there was no purpose in them
Of this remove.
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GENTLEMAN
According to what I heard, they had no travel plans as of last night.
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KENT
(to LEAR) Hail to thee, noble master!
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KENT
(to LEAR) Hail, noble master!
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LEAR
Ha! Makest thou this shame thy pastime?
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LEAR
What’s this? Are you sitting around in this humiliation to amuse yourself?
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KENT
No, my lord.
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KENT
No, my lord.
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FOOL
Ha, ha! Look, he wears cruel garters. Horses are tied by the
heads, dogs and bears by the neck, monkeys by the loins,
and men by the legs. When a man’s overlusty at legs, then
he wears wooden nether-stocks.
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FOOL
Ha, ha! That’s a nasty garter belt. You tie up horses by their heads, dogs and bears by their necks, monkeys by their waists, and humans by their legs. When a person’s prone to wanderlust, he has to wear wooden socks, like a chastity belt around his ankles.
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LEAR
(to KENT) What’s he that hath so much thy place mistook
To set thee here?
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LEAR
(to KENT) Who could have misunderstood your assigment so completely as to lock you up like this?
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KENT
It is both he and she:
Your son and daughter.
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KENT
Your daughter and son-in-law.
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LEAR
No.
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LEAR
No.
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KENT
Yes.
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KENT
Yes.
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LEAR
No, I say.
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LEAR
I’m telling you “No.”
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KENT
I say “Yea.”
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KENT
And I’m telling you “Yes.”
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