King Lear Act 3, Scene 4, lines 23-27

"Prithee, go in thyself; seek thine own ease.
This tempest will not give me leave to ponder
On things would hurt me more. But I'll go in.
[To the Fool] In boy; go in first.- You houseless poverty-
Nay, get thee in. I'll pray and then I'll sleep."

In this passage, Lear urges both Kent and the Fool to enter the hovel in order to escape the danger of the storm. He tells them that he will remain outside to pray for a while.

There is a drastic change in the way Lear acts toward Kent and the Fool. When we are first introduced to Lear, he lives out his sacramental kingship to the fullest. He commands and expects to be obeyed. He believes his desires to be the most important, and everyone else must put theirs on hold. No one is above him, not even his trusted friend Kent, whom he banishes. In this passage, Lear puts Kent’s needs before his own. Lear’s diction reveals that he has transformed into a compassionate human being. Beginning with the word “prithee,” Lear urges Kent to “go in thyself” and to “seek thine own ease.” Lear uses the word “prithee” to express a polite request. This stands in contrast to the imperative tone that he once had with others. Prefacing his request with “prithee” adds gentility and compassion to his words. Furthermore, Lear repeats two different forms of “you” to emphasize his genuine concern for Kent’s comfort and safety.

Lear also speaks to the Fool much more compassionately. He partakes in the fellowship of a human with a human rather than that of a king with a clown. Had he still seen the Fool as a clown for the purpose of his own entertainment, he would not have placed the Fool’s safety above his own. By referring to the Fool as a “houseless poverty,” Lear reveals the pity he has on the Fool. The dashes that break up the King’s plea suggest that the Fool protests to going into the shelter first. Thus, Lear is insistent in placing his well-being below the Fool’s.

Ironically, Lear does not start acting compassionately toward Kent and the Fool until after he has slipped into insanity. Two scenes before this in III, iv, 68, Leer admits that his “wits begin to turn.” Only through his insanity is Leer able to drop his attitude of arrogant self-importance. It takes suffering for him to attain compassion. In this passage, Shakespeare is criticizing the idea of sacramental kingship. He suggests that sacramental kingship isolates a monarch emotionally and psychologically. Thus, he is prone to make mistakes concerning humans' needs. Indeed, Lear was unaware of other people’s needs before. It is only when he falls from his position of royalty that he is able to genuinely connect to other humans.

Christopher Gee

Discussion 1D

T.A.: Amanda Waldo