Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

KING LEIR

Scene 32

Full victory is theirs.  Leir cedes the kingdom to the Gallian King and his daughter.  Leir recognizes at last the nature of Cordella’s love, Perillus’ loyalty, and Mumford’s valor, which made fugitives of Cornwall, Gonorill, Cambria, and Ragan.   He asks for some time to rest, ...

Scene 31

Cornwall and Cambria individually recognize that the day is lost, that the people have turned against them.  Cambria has grown to fear a devil in the other camp who has hounded him mercilessly.  Mumford enters—he is the man—and chases Cambria out the door, admitting that ...

Scene 30

The Gallian King, apparently addressing a group, pledges them no harm if they re-subscribe to Lier, explaining the daughters’ betrayal of their father.  A nobleman says, in effect, you should have told us sooner, and we would not have greeted you with arms.  They will ...

Scene 29

Men and women are on the stage half naked.  The captains come in, swords drawn, looking for the watchmen, whose lack of warning has lost the town to invaders without a fight.  They suspect the truth, the watchmen come in to confirm it in deed ...

Scene 28

The Gallian King comes in with his army, realizing that they have landed with ease, everyone “dead asleep.”  They will wake them up and rout them, half-naked. Scene 27 . . . Directory . . . Scene 29 Scene 28 Enter the King of Gallia ...

Scene 27

A captain orders two watchmen to be vigilant, and leaves them to their duties.  As nothing has happened on their watch for 30 years, they decide to watch a pot of ale instead, making up a series of puns on beacon and fire to justify ...

Scene 26

About to embark for England, the Gallian King gives a rousing speech to this army, hoping for an easy victory, but promising personal assistance if the going should be more difficult.  Mumford joins with a promise to restore Leir or die, to which Leir gives ...

Scene 25

Alone, Ragan worries.  She has not seen the assassin since he was supposed to have done his deed.  She suspects he may have been persuaded otherwise, in which case Leir is undoubtedly in France.  She wishes for the strength of a man, wondering “why should ...

Scene 24

In one of the play’s longest scenes, the disguised trio from France has walked a significant extent.  Cordella is joyful that they have been able to mix with the common people.  They see at some distance Leir and Perillus, but, owing to the miserable condition ...

Scene 23

Perillus and Leir have met two mariners at their ship (they seem to be in France).  The traveling pair have apparently been robbed of their money, so cannot pay for their passage. They exchange clothing in return for which Leir and Perillus get free passage, ...