Shakespeare's English Tragedies
SHAKE SHAKESPEARE’S HAND AND MAKE A FRIEND FOR LIFE
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Trumpets sound. King Lear enters with Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, Cornwall, Albany and attendants. Gloucester: The King is coming. King Lear: Attend to the Lords of France and Burgundy, Gloucester. Gloucester: I shall, my Lord. Gloucester exits. King Lear: In the meantime I will reveal my plans. Give me the map. I want you to know that I have divided my kingdom into three parts and it’s my fixed intention to retire from worldly cares and business conferring them on younger shoulders while I crawl unburdened towards my death. So that future strife may be prevented I wish to announce now my respective daughters’ dowries to Cornwall and my no less loving son-in-law Albany. The Princes of France and Burgundy—great rivals for my youngest daughter’s love—have made a long stay in my court and are to be answered today. Since I am now going to divest myself of kingship, territorial interest and cares of government, tell me my daughters which of you will say she loves me most so that I may give the most to the child who merits it most. Goneril, my eldest, speak first. Goneril: Sir, I love you more than I can say in words. You are dearer to me than eyesight, land and liberty, more than rich or rare precious things that can be valued—no less than life itself, with grace, health, beauty and honor; I love you as much as any child ever loved or found a father. It is a love that makes me breathless and speechless. I love you more than all this. Cordelia: (Aside) What shall I say? Love and be silent. King Lear: I make you Lady of all this territory from this line to this; of these shadowy forests and plains enriched with full rivers and wide meadows. This is yours and Albany’s heirs forever. What do you say my second daughter, my dearest Regan, wife of Cornwall? Regan: Like my sister I value you as much as she does. In my heart I find she has described my love exactly except she has missed something. I believe I am the enemy of all other joys—even those of the most precious kind—and I find I am only happy in your dear Highness’ love. Cordelia: (Aside) Then I must be poor—but no, I’m not, since I’m sure my love is deeper than what I can say. King Lear: This ample third of my fair kingdom, no less in size, worth and pleasure than that conferred on Goneril is for you and your descendants in perpetuity. Now our joy, although our last and smallest, for whose young love the vines of France and milk of Burgundy compete, what can you say to draw a third, more opulent share than your sisters? Speak. Cordelia: Nothing, my Lord. King Lear: Nothing? Cordelia: Nothing. King Lear : Nothing will come of nothing. Speak again. Cordelia: Unhappy as I am I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty according to my duty, no more nor less. King Lear: What Cordelia? Improve your speech a little or you may jeopardize your fortunes. Cordelia: My Lord, you have given me life, educated me, loved me. I return those duties back as I should. I obey you, love you and honor you most. Why do my sisters have husbands if they say they love only you? I expect that when I marry, that Lord whose hand will receive mine will take half my love with him, half my care and duty. Certainly I will never marry like my sisters. King Lear: Do you really feel this way? Cordelia: Yes, my Lord. King Lear: So young and so hard? Cordelia: So young and honest, my Lord. King Lear: Very well then. Your honesty will be your dowry. I swear by the sacred radiance of the sun, the worship of Hecate and the night—by all the movement of the planets by which we exist and cease to be—I disclaim here all my paternal care, closeness and ties of blood and declare you a stranger to my heart and me from today and forever. The barbaric Asian or the man that eats his children to satisfy his hunger will be a closer neighbor to my heart—pitied and helped—more than you who were once my daughter. Kent: My Liege— King Lear: Be quiet, Kent. Don’t come between a dragon and his wrath. I loved her most and thought I would retire into her kind household. Go and get out of my sight. Let me find my peace in my grave since I am withdrawing my heart from her here. Call the King of France. Someone, move! Call Burgundy. Cornwall and Albany I increase my two daughters’ dowries by her third. Let pride—which she calls plainness—marry her. I invest you jointly with my power and pre-eminence and all the trappings that go with majesty. I will take monthly turns to live with you with a troop of one hundred knights to be sustained by you. I will retain only the name and all the honorable observances of a king. The power, revenue and decision-making for the rest is yours my beloved sons. To confirm this, share this coronet between you. Kent: Royal Lear, whom I have always honored as my king, loved as my father, followed as my master and prayed for as my great patron— King Lear: The bow is bent and drawn. Shoot the arrow.
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About the Book
Shakespeare's English Tragedies is a translation of the tragedies that Shakespeare set in Great Britain. The translations stand on their own without the original text so that they may be read quickly and easily eliminating the need to search for the meaning of every second word. They are also supplemented by notes specific to each play about the world in which Shakespeare lived. Jeanne Arthur’s translations bring a lively, vivid, new approach to Shakespeare’s dialogue for twenty first century people. The tragedies selected for this book reflect the interest of Shakespeare's audience in its own English and Scottish history. They include The Tragedy of Cymbeline, King of Britain which is set in the time when Britain was part of the Roman Empire and The Tragedy of King Lear set before the time of Merlin. Shakespeare drew on Holinshed’s Chronicles for the story of The Tragedy of Macbeth set in Scotland in the eleventh century for his explanation of why Scottish thanes then began to be called earls and to explain the reverence for Edward the Confessor who helped to remove the tyrant Macbeth from the Scottish throne. Old plays set in the past and written in sixteenth century English come alive in this new translation written for twenty first century people.
About the Author
Retirement gave Jeanne Arthur time to refl ect on Shakespeare’s plays and poetry and to write translations whose purpose is to create immediately accessible modern texts supported by explanatory notes. Jeanne hopes to inspire readers of Shakespeare’s English Tragedies with her own love of the globe’s fi rst playwright and poet.