1.1 Gloucester introduces his bastard son
Edmund to Kent.
Goneril & Regan speak their love to get land, but Lear disinherits
Cordelia when she won't flatter him, banishes Kent for
opposing
him. Burgundy withdraws his offer of marriage to Cordelia, but France
marries her without dowry. Goneril & Regan plot against Lear.
1.2 Edmund's bastardy causes him to set Gloucester
against Edgar with
a forged letter and lies.
He tells Edgar to arm himself and avoid their father.
1.3 Goneril bemoans household trouble caused by Lear
and his
men and
orders Oswald not to be so gracious toward them.
1.4 Kent, disguised, offers to serve Lear, who begins,
through
Goneril's behavior (that is, a request to cut the number of his followers), to see the
consequences of his rash decision. The Fool states the situation. Albany
tries
unsuccessfully to mediate. Lear curses Goneril and leaves to stay with
Regan, whom Goneril writes to, with Oswald as her messenger.
1.5 Travelling with the Fool, Lear sends Kent ahead with a letter to Regan, fears
he is going mad.
2.1 At Gloucester's castle, Edmund fakes a fight with
Edgar leading to
his flight and Gloucester's outlawing him. Cornwall and Regan have come
to Gloucester's to avoid seeing Lear when he arrives at their place.
2.2 Cornwall puts Kent in the stocks for fighting with
Oswald. Kent
reads a letter from Cordelia.
2.3 The outlawed Edgar disguises himself as a Bedlam
beggar to save
his life.
2.4 Lear confronts Regan and Cornwall. Kent is freed. Regan
supports Goneril when she arrives, saying he must cut the number of his
men even more. The enraged Lear goes off into a storm with the Fool and
Kent.
3.1 A Gentleman reports that Lear wanders, enraged, in
the storm. Kent
reports that Cordelia has landed with a French force.
3.2 Lears argues
with the elements
and the gods in the storm and
agrees to come in only to give shelter to the Fool.
3.3 Gloucester, having heard of division between
Albany and Cornwall
and of Cordelia's invasion, decides to help the king secretly. Edmund
decides to betray his father to Cornwall to gain his place as Duke of Gloucester.
3.4 Along with the Fool and Caius (the disguised
Kent), Lear
meets Edgar disguised as Tom o' Bedlam; Gloucester leads Lear to shelter.
3.5 Edmund betrays his father to Cornwall and is
rewarded.
3.6 The mad king puts Goneril and
Regan on trial with the Fool, a
madman and a servant as the judges. Gloucester tells them to flee to
Dover.
3.7 Regan and Cornwall question
Gloucester, blind him. A servant of Cornwall tries to defend
Gloucester and wounds Cornwall fatally before Regan kills the rebel servant.
4.1 The blind Gloucester now realizes Edgar was also
betrayed by
Edmund. Helped by an old tenant, Gloucester finds Tom o'Bedlam and asks
him to lead him to Dover.
4.2 Goneril makes a pass at Edmund, has a showdown
with Albany who
despises her behavior and learns of Cornwall's death. Goneril becomes
jealous over Edmund; Albany seeks old Gloucester to help him.
4.3 Kent in Dover learns that the King of France has
left, that
Cordelia and the troops remain to help Lear, but the old king is too ashamed to face
her.
4.4 Cordelia says she is in England not for ambition
but to help her
father.
4.5 Regan asks Oswald to see Goneril's letter to Edmund and
asks to
add one
from her. As Oswald seeks Edmund, Regan promises reward if he kills the
blind Gloucester.
4.6 Edgar saves Gloucester from suicide at Dover and
schools
him to patience. Edgar and Gloucester meet the mad Lear. Edgar kills
Oswald as he attacks Gloucester and therefore gets Goneril's letter
which
he will give to Albany.
4.7 Lear wakes
to Cordelia's
love and recovers.
5.1 Just before the battle, the sisters argue over
Edmund. Edgar
delivers the letter to Albany. Edmund intends to kill Lear and Cordelia
before Albany can pardon them.
5.2 Edgar reports to Gloucester that Cordelia has been
defeated.
5.3 Lear is happy with Cordelia, though a prisoner. Edmund secretly
sends the captain to murder Lear and Cordelia. Albany confronts his wife
with her letter and Edgar (in disguise) fights to prove Edmund a traitor
and fatally wounds him. Edgar
reveals himself , reports Gloucester's death and Kent's illness. Goneril
commits suicide after poisoning her rival Regan. Edmund --too late-- tells
of the plot against Lear and Cordelia, and dies. Lear carries in the dead Cordelia and
dies.