King Lear, Act V

1. Puissant: having puissance: powerful.
-Merriam-Webster Online

Act V, Scene III, Lines 253-255: "His grief grew puissant and the strings of life
Began to crack: twice then the trumpets sounded,
And there I left him tranced."


2. This act begins with Regan and Edmund. Regan jealously questions Edmund as to whether he has made love to her sister, which Edmund denies. Albany and Goneril enter, warning of the coming French troops joined by Lear, Cordelia, and their armies. Albany, although sympathetic with Lear, declares that he will fight with Regan and Goneril. Neither Cordelia nor Regan will leave Edmund alone with the other, so the three exit. Edgar, still disguised, catches Albany. He gives Albany a letter that he found on Oswald declaring Goneril's intentions with Edmund. Edmund tells the audience that he has sworn love to each of the feuding sisters, but that he intends to wait until after battle to decide what to do. The battle takes place, and unfortunately, Lear and Cordelia's side loses and the two are captured. Edmund sends them away and Albany, Regan, and Goneril enter. Regan declares her love for Albany and her intention of marrying him, but feels mysteriously ill. Albany arrests Edmund for treason. Regan, growing more ill by the moment, exits. Edgar reappears to fight Edmund for his treason. Edgar defeats Edmund and Albany tells Goneril that he knows of her plot. She then rushes out. Edgar finally reveals himself to Albany and tells of how when he told his father who he really was, Gloucester died of joy. A man rushes in, proclaiming that Goneril has poisoned her sister and killed herself. The bodies are brought in. Edmund tells Albany that he has ordered Cordelia to be hanged, and although a guard is sent, it is too late. Lear enters with his daughter's body, overwhelmed by grief. Lear then dies as well, leaving Kent, Albany and Edgar.


3. The length of battle is surprisingly short, especially considering the entire play has built up to it. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that the battle itself is not nearly as important as the web of betrayal, lust, and avarice that formed around it. By this point in the story most of the action is set. Goneril and Regan are openly competing for Edmund. This competition is not only dividing the but greatly weakening them as well. Whereas before the two had each other for support, they now cannot trust one another. Their swift rise to power came through their double betrayal of their father and their teamwork based manipulation. While sparring over Edmund, the sisters are quickly losing power to the very object of their affection. Edmund, meanwhile, stands with much to gain. Whether he chooses Goneril or Regan, both of whom would willingly take him, he will benefit. Albany has changed sides, going from a wicked ally of the sisters to a compassionate supporter of Gloucester and Lear. It's also fascinating to remember that all of the characters, while fighting against each other, are on the same side. They're all technically British, and should be fighting with each other against the French. This clearly complicates things tremendously. As the play draws to a close, characters begin dying in rapid succession. By the end of the play, Goneril, Regan, Cornwall, Edmund, Cordelia, Lear, and Gloucester are all dead, among other more minor characters. In fact, only Albany, Edgar, and Kent survive, but Kent claims that he is near death. The great amount of death raises the question of whether death was meant to be a prominent theme in the play: I would argue that it is. Unfortunately, it is apparent that good does not always triumph. Although the surviving characters are all good ones, many of the "good guys" end up dead. Cordelia, the character depicted in a saintly manner, was hung by people from her own side of the war. Lear, who finally found redemption, also met an untimely demise. Gloucester, who suffered greatly for no apparent reason, died of joy, which hardly seems fair. At the moment in the play where he finally felt bliss and was not wishing to die, he died. Ironic, but unjust. Gloucester, as I mentioned in a previous post, spent the majority of the play wallowing in sorrow. He endured great injury at the hands of Goneril, Regan, Cornwall, and Edmund. To die of happiness is fitting but somewhat dissatisfying to the reader.


4. Was Shakespeare aiming to speak of justice, or lack thereof, with the deaths at the end of the play? Was he pointing to the survivors to demonstrate that good triumphs, or was he hoping to let the plethora of corpses speak for the idea that both the good and the evil die?

In the end, Edmund tells where Lear and Cordelia are in an effort to let Albany save them. Has he also had a change of heart, or did he think it was too late for them to be saved?

Did Edmund actually love either Goneril or Regan, or was he simply looking for personal gain? I am leaning strongly toward the latter, but it would be interesting to hear discussion either way. They both seemed to really like him, but whether they loved him or wanted advancement is another question.