Scene 5

• Who does Lear send to deliver a letter to Regan?

  Kent
• What is Lear instructed not to tell Regan about?


  The events in the previous scene
• Why does Lear want to give his own account to Regan?


  To explain Gonerill’s disobedience
• What does Lear fear is driving him mad?

  Gonerill’s ingratitude
• What realization destabilizes Lear?


  That he has wronged Cordelia
• What does Lear wonder about claiming his throne back?


  If he can do it by violence
• How does Lear describe his nature as a father?


  As a kind father
• What does Lear blame for changing his nature?


  His daughters
• What must Lear do to learn from his mistakes?


  Acknowledge his mistakes
• When does Lear’s suffering really begin?


  When he realizes he has mistreated Cordelia
• What does the setting of the scene suggest about Lear?


  His growing isolation and fragile mental state
• How does Lear feel about his faults as a father?


  He does not recognize them
• How does Lear's distraction affect his interaction with the Fool?


  He hardly engages with the Fool
• What does the Fool's rhyming couplet at the end of the scene provide?


  A moment of light relief