The Folio’s text of KING LEAR appears to have been set from, both, a marked-up copy of Q2 THE HISTORY OF KING LEAR and another MANUSCRIPT altogether (possibly a promptbook).
F contains so many substantive variants that the play appears to have undergone a considerable re-write in the interim between the publication of Q1 & 2 in 1608 and the 1623 publication of F. So much so, that the Oxford editors — instead of conflating their text of LEAR — rather chose to provide both THE HISTORY OF KING LEAR (ca. 1605) and THE TRAGEDIE of KING LEAR (ca. 1610) in their 1987 edition of THE WORKS.
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Subdivisions of ACTS & SCENES are according to the FOLIO.
1.1: line 1 (reads “Act 1 scene 1 begins at line 1″)
1.2: line 333
1.3: line 505
1.4: line 529
1.5: line 873
2.1: line 926
2.2: line 1074
3.1: line 1614
3.2: line 1654
3.3: line 1751
3.4: line 1776
3.5: line 1969
3.6: line 1996
3.7: line 2057
4.1: line 2177
4.2: line 2266
4.3: line 2348
4.4: line 2382
4.5: line 2429
4.6: line 2743
5.1: line 2844
5.2: line 2917
5.3: line 2937
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Entrances & exits of Characters
According to their order of appearance.
• (2,81) reads “enters at line 2, exits at line 81″.
• DISGUISED as CAIUS (530,3302)”)
is inserted at the end of a character’s list (in this case Kent’s) to indicate “duration” of said disguise.
• (3216 [rip 3283] 3302)
reads “enters at line 3216, dies on line 3283, corpse exits on line 3302”. RIP at the end a character’s list indicates (or confirms) his/her decease.
• (corpse 3184,3302)
indicates that a character’s corpse (i.e. Regan’s) is “carried on”;
• PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS are capitalized.
Earl of KENT
(2,201) (530,803) (874,881) (1075,1586) (1615,1653) (1687,1733) (1777,1968) (1997,2056) (2744,2843) (3182,3302) / DISGUISED as CAIUS (530,2056)
Earl of GLOSTER
(2,40) (202,291) (357,446) (970,1073) (1117,1236) (1358,1396) (1403,1586) (1596,1613) (1752,1770) (1890,1968) (1997,2000) (2039,2056) (2088,2171) (2188,2265) (2430,2742) (2920,2936) RIP
EDMUND (Bastard son of Glouster)
(2,504) (927,1073) (1117,1227) (1752,1775) (1970,1995) (2893,2894) (2058,2081) (2267,2293) (2845,2879) (2896,2916) (2938,3215) RIP
LEAR
(37,291) (538,803) (809,829) (874,925) (1273,1332) (1358,1596) (1655,1733) (1777,1968) (2003,2056) (2526,2645) (2771,2843) (2918,2919) (2938,2968) (3216 [rip 3283] 3302) RIP
Duke of CORNWALL (husband of Regan)
(37,291) (1024,1073) (1117,1227) (1403,1613) (1970,1995) (2058,2176) RIP
Duke of ALBANY (husband of Goneril)
(37,291) (768,872) (2299,2347) (2864,2901) (2983,3302)
GONERIL (daughter of Lear)
(37,332) (506,528) (702,872) (1476,1613) (2058,2081) (2267,2334) (2864,2879) (2983,3117) (rip 3184,3302) RIP
REGAN (daughter of Lear)
(37,332) (1024,1073) (1117,1227) (1403,1613) (2058,2076) (2383,2428) (2845,2879) (2983,3056) (rip 3184,3302) RIP
CORDELIA (youngest daughter of Lear)
(38,309) (2349,2381) (2744,2843) (2919,2919) (2939,2968) (rip 3216,3302) RIP
King of France
(202,309)
Duke of Burgundy
(202,291)
EDGAR (son of Gloster)
(462,497) (948,965) (1251,1272) (1818,1968) (2003,2056) (2178,2265) (2430,2742) (2880,2894) (2920,2925) (2927,2936) (3067,3302) / DISGUISED as POOR TOM (1818,2481)
DISGUISED as A FRIEND (2486,2686) (2704,2742) (2920,2936)
DISGUISED as WEST COUNTRY YOKEL (2687,2703)
DISGUISED as “man so poore” (2880,2894)
DISGUISED as Champion (3067,3130)
OSWALD (Steward of Goneril)
(506,528) (575,576) (608,621) (856,864) (1075,1227) (1468,1613) (2072,2081) (2267,2298) (2383,2428) (2675 [rip 2703] 2742) RIP
FOOL
(624,841) (874,925) (1273,1586) (1655,1750) (1777,1807) (1818,1968) (2003,2056)
A Gentleman (of Lear’s Court)
(874,925) (1273,1586) (1615,1653) (2349,2381) (2630,2661) (2744,2843) (3170,3302)
Curan
(927,942)
Old man
(2188,2239)
Captain
(2939,2982)
Herald
(3050,3302)
Messengers
(2312,2347) (2372,2381) (3264,3302)
___________
KING LEAR has two intermixed plots. The first is that of LEAR himself, which involves:
KENT
LEAR
ALBANY
CORNWALL
GONERIL
REGAN
CORDELIA
OSWALD
FOOL
A GENTLEMAN
The second plot concerns GLOUSTER, it involves:
GLOSTER
EDMUND
EDGAR
CURAN
OLD MAN
___________
Act 5 Scene 2 is the final battle: (2917 to 2925).
___________
As indicated in the ENTRANCES & EXITS above two characters are DISGUISED
KENT as Caius (530,2056). Conscious
EDGAR as Poor Tom et& (1818, 3130)
DISGUISED as POOR TOM (1818,2481)
then
DISGUISED as A FRIEND (2486,2686) (2704,2742) (2920,2936)
then
DISGUISED as WEST COUNTRY YOKEL (2687,2703)
then
DISGUISED as “man so poore” (2880,2894)
•(2430,2525)
Type : Gulling (green)
Title : Th’extreme Verge