KING LEAR - Act 2 Scene 3

KING LEAR - Act 2 Scene 3

1. Out in the countryside, Edgar is alone. He heard himself being proclaimed a criminal, so he decided to conceal himself in a tree. He is desperate and cannot attempt to flee England because all the ports are being watched and his father's men roam the countryside hunting him down. Therefore to preserve his life Edgar decides to disguise himself as a 'Bedlam beggar' and describes what he will do to effect his disguise - knot his hair, cover himself in dirt, wear only a blanket for protection.

   • The fact that Edgar chooses to disguise himself as a social outcast shows his desperation and the danger he is in
   • In the previous scene, goodness is pushed aside, degarded and punished (Kent being put into the stocks)
   • Edgar's situation mirrors Lear's. Edgar now relies on charity now that his world is upside down. We get to see what Lear will be reduced to. Edgar's assumed madness also points towards Lear's madness in Act 3.