At the end of the sixth scene, Gloucester comes in and informs Kent that Lear’s life is in danger. Gloucester adds that Kent should take Lear to Dover, where Lear will receive help and protection (from the force that is coming from France and the Englishmen who oppose the rule of Cornwall and Albany). Lear has fallen asleep at this point, so Kent and the Fool carry him off-stage.
Everyone exits except for Edgar, who delivers a soliloquy. There is an old expression that “misery loves company.” This adage suggests that people who feel miserable want other people to feel miserable as well. Shakespeare, however, explains the psychology that underlies this feeling. Edgar declares that …
Who alone suffers suffers most i’ the mind. (97)
In other words, a person who is suffering all by himself will have increased suffering because he will constantly dwell upon his miserable state and complain about his condition. The sufferer is unable to think about anything else. But when Edgar sees King Lear – his better or superior – suffering just as much as himself, Edgar’s mind no longer dwells upon his own wretched state. Thus, although his wretched bodily condition is not made any more comfortable, his mind is relieved. His pain and misery now become light or bearable in his mind.
The complex and intricate ties between subplot and plot are also further developed by this soliloquy. Not only is Edgar (a character of the subplot) commenting upon and interacting with Lear (of the main plot), but Edgar also draws a parallel between himself and Lear. Earlier Edgar was posited as a parallel figure (1) to Cordelia in the sense that both characters were betrayed by their siblings and unfairly judged by their fathers. Edgar is also a parallel figure (2) to Kent because both men are banished by their superiors yet both men take disguises in order to better serve those masters. And now Edgar becomes a parallel figure (3) to Lear. Edgar comments on this connection when, in describing the pain and misery he feels, he adds the following:
When that which makes me bend makes the king bow;
He childed as I fathered! (102-03)
Edgar is referring to misery. Misery is a heavy burden that causes both men to bend over or bow down. And in both cases the source of that misery is a family member: Lear’s two daughters and Edgar’s father. Of course, in context with the other parallels of the play, Lear and Edgar are not the only miserable ones. Gloucester, Cordelia, and Kent are also equally miserable.
At the beginning of the seventh scene, Cornwall advises Goneril to hurry home to her husband and advise him that the army from France has arrived and that he must hurriedly prepare for war. Cornwall also advises Edmund to go with Goneril because the Duke intends to torture Gloucester, and such a sight would not be fitting or appropriate for Edmund to witness. Cornwall also learns that King Lear is being conducted to Dover by a small group of knights who remain loyal to their old king.
After Goneril and Edmund exit, the angry
Cornwall plots on how he will get his revenge against the traitor Gloucester. Cornwall notes that he must still preserve the “form of justice” (25). That is, he knows that he must make it seem as though
Gloucester was judged and convicted in a fair trial. However, Gloucester also adds that his position as ruler will allow him to “do a courtesy to our wrath” (26). In other words, he will allow his wrath or anger to decide the verdict of the case. It will not be a fair trial. Once again, Shakespeare is commenting upon the inadequacies of the justice system.
Three soldiers then conduct Gloucester to Cornwall. Although Gloucester is an old man and is unable to resist the strength of Cornwall and his servants, Cornwall still orders his men to tie Gloucester down on a chair. Both Cornwall and Regan then ask him questions in this mockery of an interrogation. When Gloucester denies being a traitor, the angry Regan plucks or pulls on his beard. Gloucester cries out against this treatment and reminds the Duke and his wife that he is their host. The relationship between host and guest was a sacred one in medieval times and was supposed to be a relationship of respect and fairness. However, neither Regan nor her husband are capable of respect or calm at this point.
When Regan asks Gloucester why Lear was sent to Dover, the old but honorable earl cannot help but respond with anger of his own:
Because I would not see thy cruel nails
Pluck out his poor eyes; nor thy fierce sister
In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs. (57-59)
Gloucester’s lines indicate that both sisters are behaving like wild and cruel and savage animals toward their father. Although Gloucester is speaking on a metaphorical level, he will soon find out that his lines are also true on a literal level. Gloucester ends his response to Regan’s question by stating that he “shall see the winged vengeance overtake such children” (66-67). He again is speaking metaphorically to suggest that soon Regan and Goneril will receive just punishment for their cruel actions.
Cornwall, though, takes the word see literally. He angrily tells Gloucester that he will never see any such event occur. Cornwall then topples over the chair that Gloucester is tied to and steps hard with the heel of his boot on one of Gloucester’s eyes. The eye is crushed and blood splatters onto the ground. Even back in Renaissance and earlier times, actors would use hidden packets of some red substance to simulate blood. Such bloody and horrifying spectacles were a standard part of Roman tragedy. Shakespeare, however, presented such scenes on a far more limited basis and only when absolutely necessary to the plot. The audience needed to see just how cruel and savage Cornwall and the sisters have become.