All Things Seem Meet That I Can Fashion Fit

King Lear Translation Act i, Scene 2

Enter EDMUND the bounder, with a letter

EDMUND

Yard, nature, art my goddess. To thy law My services are bound. Wherefore should I Stand up in the plague of custom and permit The curiosity of nations to deprive me For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines Lag of a brother? Why "bastard?" Wherefore "base of operations?" When my dimensions are too compact, My heed as generous, and my shape as true As honest madam's result? Why brand they us With "base," with "baseness," "bastardy," "base," "base"— Who in the lusty stealth of nature take More limerick and fierce quality Than doth within a dull, stale, tirèd bed Get to th' creating a whole tribe of fops Got 'tween a sleep and wake? Well then, Legitimate Edgar, I must take your state. Our father'southward dear is to the bounder Edmund As to the legitimate.— Fine give-and-take, "legitimate!"— Well, my legitimate, if this alphabetic character speed And my invention thrive, Edmund the base Shall top thursday' legitimate. I grow, I prosper. At present, gods, stand up for bastards!

EDMUND

Y ou, Nature, are my goddess, and I only serve the laws of nature. So why should I put upwardly with the sick injustice of man-fabricated social rules, which deprive me of rights just because I was built-in some twelve or fourteen months afterward my brother? Why call me a "bastard?" Why is a bounder inherently "worthless" when I'm as sound in my trunk and my listen every bit any legitimate child? Why practice they call u.s. "worthless," with "worthlessness," "bastard," "worthless," "worthless?" Nosotros bastards were at least conceived in a moment of passionate, stealthy animalism, and so we take a stronger and fiercer nature than those shallow fools who were conceived in a dull, dried, tired marriage bed, where half-comatose couples churn out whole tribes of children. Well then, legitimate brother Edgar, I must take your land. Our father loves me just as much as he loves his legitimate son. What a fine give-and-take, "legitimate!" Well, my legitimate blood brother, if this letter succeeds and my plan goes well, Edmund the worthless volition triumph over Edgar the legitimate. I will grow, I will prosper. Now, gods, stand upwardly for the bastards!

Enter GLOUCESTER. EDMUND looks over his letter

GLOUCESTER

Kent banished thus? And France in choler parted? And the king gone tonight, prescribed his ability Confined to exhibition? All this done Upon the gad?—Edmund, how now? What news?

GLOUCESTER

Has Kent really been banished like this? And the King of France has gone away angry? And King Lear has left this evening, having given upwards all his power except for some money and his title? All this done on the spur of the moment? Edmund, what'due south going on? What'south the news?

EDMUND

[pocketing the letter] So please your lordship, none.

EDMUND

[Slipping the letter into his pocket] In that location is no news, my lord.

GLOUCESTER

Why so earnestly seek you to put upward that letter?

GLOUCESTER

Why are y'all being so secretive about that letter?

EDMUND

I know no news, my lord.

EDMUND

I don't take whatsoever news, my lord.

GLOUCESTER

What newspaper were you reading?

GLOUCESTER

What'south that letter of the alphabet you were reading?

GLOUCESTER

No? What needed, then, that terrible dispatch of it into your pocket? The quality of nothing hath not such need to hide itself. Let's see. Come, if it be nothing, I shall not need spectacles.

GLOUCESTER

No? Why did you expect so terrified and stuff it in your pocket then? If it's nada, then in that location'south no demand to hide it. Let'south run across it. Come on, if it'southward null, I won't need my glasses to read it.

EDMUND

I beseech yous, sir, pardon me. Information technology is a letter from my brother that I have not all o'er-read. And for so much as I have perused, I find it not fit for your o'erlooking.

EDMUND

Delight sir, forgive me. It'southward a letter from my brother that I haven't finished reading still. And, judging by what I have read, it'due south non fit for you to look over.

GLOUCESTER

Requite me the letter, sir.

GLOUCESTER

Give me the alphabetic character, sir.

EDMUND

I shall offend, either to detain or give it. The contents, as in role I understand them, are to blame.

EDMUND

I meet that I'll offend you whether I go along it or requite information technology to you. The only offensive matter is the content of the letter, as far every bit I tin understand it.

GLOUCESTER

[taking the letter] Let'due south see, let's see.

GLOUCESTER

[Taking the alphabetic character] Let'due south see, let'due south see.

EDMUND

I hope, for my brother'due south justification, he wrote this but as an essay or sense of taste of my virtue.

EDMUND

I hope, for my brother'southward sake, that he wrote this merely to test my virtue.

GLOUCESTER

[reads] "This policy and reverence of age makes the globe bitter to the best of our times, keeps our fortunes from u.s. till our oldness cannot relish them. I begin to observe an idle and addicted bondage in the oppression of aged tyranny, who sways not as it hath power but as it is suffered. Come up to me, that of this I may speak more. If our father would sleep till I waked him, you should enjoy half his revenue forever, and alive the beloved of your brother, Edgar." Hum, conspiracy? "'Slumber till I wake him, you should savour one-half his revenue"—my son Edgar? Had he a hand to write this, a heart and brain to breed it in? When came this to you lot? Who brought it?

GLOUCESTER

[Reading] "The craftiness of sometime men and gild'due south custom of treating them with reverence makes life biting for those of us in the prime number of our lives, and keeps us from our inheritance until we're too old to enjoy information technology. I brainstorm to encounter a kind of useless, foolish slavery in the oppressive power of the elderly—and they only take this power considering nosotros allow them to have it. Come visit me, then I can speak more than about this. If our father should happen to go to his eternal rest, and so you would enjoy half of his wealth forever, and live equally my dear brother.
Edgar"

Hmm, is this a conspiracy? "If our father should happen to go to his eternal rest, then you would savor one-half of his wealth" —my son Edgar said this? How could he have a hand that would write such things, and a heart and encephalon to think them up? When did this letter come to you? Who brought it?

EDMUND

It was not brought me, my lord. At that place'southward the cunning of information technology. I found it thrown in at the casement of my cupboard.

EDMUND

Information technology wasn't brought to me, my lord. That's what's cunning almost information technology. I constitute information technology. Information technology had been thrown through the window of my room.

GLOUCESTER

You know the character to be your brother'south?

GLOUCESTER

And you're sure this is your brother'due south handwriting?

EDMUND

If the matter were proficient, my lord, I durst swear it were his. But in respect of that, I would fain recall information technology were not.

EDMUND

My lord, if the letter of the alphabet's contents were practiced, I would swear that it was his handwriting. Only because of what the letter does say, I would rather believe otherwise.

EDMUND

It is his hand, my lord, but I hope his middle is not in the contents.

EDMUND

It is his handwriting, my lord. But I hope he didn't really mean what he said.

GLOUCESTER

Hath he never heretofore sounded you in this business?

GLOUCESTER

Has he e'er spoken to you almost annihilation similar this before?

EDMUND

Never, my lord. But I take heard him ofttimes maintain it to be fit that, sons at perfect age and fathers declined, the father should be as ward to the son, and the son manage his revenue.

EDMUND

Never, my lord. Merely I've often heard him argue that when sons achieve full maturity and their fathers grow old and feeble, the son should accept care of the male parent, and manage his money.

GLOUCESTER

O villain, villain! His very stance in the alphabetic character! Abhorred villain! Unnatural, detested, brutish villain—worse than brutish! Get, sirrah, seek him. I'll auscultate him. Abominable villain! Where is he?

GLOUCESTER

Oh, the villain, the villain! That's the same opinion he expresses in the letter! The hateful villain! The unnatural, mean, beastly villain—worse than a beast! Become, sir , and find him. I'll arrest him. The abominable villain! Where is he?

EDMUND

I do not well know, my lord. If it shall please you to suspend your indignation against my brother till you can derive from him meliorate testimony of his intent, you shall run a certain class— where if you violently continue confronting him, mistaking his purpose, it would make a corking gap in your own honor and shake in pieces the centre of his obedience. I cartel pawn downwardly my life for him that he hath wrote this to feel my affection to your honor and to no other pretense of danger.

EDMUND

I don't know, my lord. If you lot can, you lot should restrain your anger against my brother until you can find out exactly what his intentions are. That would be a safer course. For if you immediately act violently against him and are mistaken nearly his purpose, then it would damage your own honor and desperately injure his loyalty to you. I would dare to bet my life that he wrote this letter only to test my love for you, and he didn't actually mean anything dangerous.

GLOUCESTER

Practise you think so?

EDMUND

If your honor judge it come across, I will place you where you shall hear us confer of this and by an auricular assurance have your satisfaction—and that without any farther delay than this very evening.

EDMUND

If information technology would exist acceptable to your sense of honor, I can hide you lot somewhere where you can hear us talking well-nigh the letter, and then y'all'll accept the proof of your own hearing nigh his intentions. We tin can practice it this very evening.

GLOUCESTER

He cannot be such a monster—

GLOUCESTER

He can't be such a monster—

GLOUCESTER

To his father, that so tenderly and entirely loves him. Heaven and world! Edmund, seek him out, wind me into him, I pray you. Frame the concern after your own wisdom. I would unstate myself to exist in a due resolution.

GLOUCESTER

—to his own father, who so tenderly and completely loves him. Past heaven and earth! Edmund, go observe him, and gain his conviction for my sake, please. Do whatever needs to be done, and use your own common sense. I would surrender anything to salve my doubts.

EDMUND

I will seek him, sir, presently, convey the business organization as I shall find means, and acquaint yous yet.

EDMUND

Sir, I'll observe him immediately, and manage the business in the best way I can. And so I'll tell you everything.

GLOUCESTER

These tardily eclipses in the dominicus and moon portend no skilful to u.s.a.. Though the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus, yet nature finds itself scourged past the sequent effects. Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers split, in cities mutinies, in countries discord, in palaces treason, and the bond cracked 'twixt son and father. This villain of mine comes under the prediction—there's son against begetter. The king falls from bias of nature—in that location's father against kid. We have seen the best of our time. Machinations, hollowness, treachery, and all ruinous disorders follow us disquietly to our graves. Find out this villain, Edmund. It shall lose thee nothing. Do it advisedly.—And the noble and true-hearted Kent banished, his criminal offense honesty! 'Tis strange, strange.

GLOUCESTER

These recent eclipses of the sun and moon are evil omens for united states. Though scientific discipline can explain how they happen, they are still omens, and bad things e'er follow eclipses. Love loses its passion, friendships fall apart, brothers become enemies, riots pause out in cities, civil wars brainstorm, treason infiltrates palaces, and the bond between fathers and sons is broken. This villainous son of mine fits the prediction of the bad omens—that's son confronting father. The king goes against his former nature—that'southward father against child. The all-time part of our historic period has passed. Schemes, emptiness, treachery, and anarchy will follow us loudly to our graves. Notice out the truth about this villain, Edmund. It won't damage your reputation. Just do it carefully. And the noble and truthful-hearted Kent has been banished, for the crime of being honest! It's strange, foreign.

EDMUND

This is the excellent foppery of the world that when we are ill in fortune—often the surfeit of our ain behavior—we brand guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and the stars, as if nosotros were villains by necessity, fools by heavenly compulsion, knaves, thieves, and treachers by spherical predominance, drunkards, liars, and adulterers by an enforced obedience of planetary influence, and all that nosotros are evil in by a divine thrusting-on. An admirable evasion of whoremaster man, to lay his goatish disposition to the charge of a star! My father compounded with my female parent under the dragon's tail and my nativity was under Ursa Major, so that it follows I am crude and lecherous. Fut, I should have been that I am, had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my bastardizing. Edgar—

EDMUND

This is the foolishness of the world, that when we are having bad luck—frequently because of our own excesses—we lay the blame for our disasters on the sun, the moon, and the stars, equally if they forced united states to be villains! Equally if we were fools because of the heavens' decree, or scoundrels, thieves, and traitors because of the influence of the planets, or drunkards, liars, and adulterers considering the planets forced usa to deed that way. As if all our evil was the result of some divine compulsion! This is a good technique for fugitive blame, a play a joke on by which a lustful man tin blame his lechery on a star! My father slept with my mother nether the influence of Draco, and I was born nether the Big Dipper, and then it naturally follows that I have a rude and lustful nature. Proficient God ! I would accept turned out the fashion I am even if the well-nigh virginal star in the sky had twinkled over my conception. Edgar—

and pat on 'south cue he comes similar the catastrophe of the onetime one-act. My cue is villainous melancholy, with a sigh similar Tom o' Clamor. Oh, these eclipses do portend these divisions! Fa, sol, la, mi.

And here he comes, right on cue, like the bang-up catastrophe of a clichéd one-act. My role is to be falsely lamentable, and sigh like a crazy beggar . Oh, these eclipses are bad omens of such disasters! Fa, sol, la, mi.

EDGAR

How now, blood brother Edmund? What serious contemplation are you in?

EDGAR

How's it going, brother Edmund? What are you thinking about so seriously?

EDMUND

I am thinking, brother, of a prediction I read this other 24-hour interval, what should follow these eclipses.

EDMUND

Brother, I am thinking of a prediction I read about the other twenty-four hour period. An astrologer wrote about what will follow these eclipses.

EDGAR

Do you busy yourself about that?

EDGAR

Are you really wasting your time with such things?

EDMUND

I promise you, the furnishings he writes of succeed unhappily — every bit of unnaturalness betwixt the child and the parent, death, dearth, dissolutions of ancient amities, divisions in state, menaces and maledictions against rex and nobles, needless diffidences, banishment of friends, dissipation of cohorts, nuptial breaches, and I know not what.

EDMUND

I hope you, the predictions he made keep getting worse—things similar divisions among children and parents, death, dearth, the breaking of old friendships, political fighting, treason and threats against kings and nobles, baseless suspicions, the adjournment of friends, the desertion of troops, infidelity, and I don't even know what else.

EDGAR

How long accept you lot been a sectary astronomical?

EDGAR

How long have you been a follower of astrology?

EDMUND

Come, come. When saw yous my father last?

EDMUND

Come at present. When did y'all last see my father?

EDGAR

Why, the nighttime gone past.

EDGAR

Why, just last night.

EDMUND

Spake you with him?

EDMUND

Did y'all speak with him?

EDGAR

Ay, two hours together.

EDGAR

Yep, nosotros spent two hours together.

EDMUND

Parted you in skillful terms? Plant you no displeasure in him by word or countenance?

EDMUND

Did you office on good terms? Did he seem displeased with you, in either his words or in his expression?

EDMUND

Bethink yourself wherein you may have offended him. And at my entreaty forbear his presence till some picayune time hath qualified the estrus of his displeasure, which at this instant so rageth in him that with the mischief of your person information technology would scarcely allay.

EDMUND

Try to remember how you might accept offended him. And let me advise you to avoid his presence until he has some time to allow off his rage. At this moment his anger is and then hot that even physically injuring you would hardly cool information technology down.

EDGAR

Some villain hath done me wrong.

EDGAR

Some villain has told a malicious prevarication about me.

EDMUND

That'south my fear. I pray you lot, take a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower. And as I say, retire with me to my lodging, from whence I will fitly bring you to hear my lord speak. Pray ye, go. There's my key. If you do stir away, go armed.

EDMUND

That'due south what I'chiliad afraid of. But please, go on command of yourself until his rage slows down a piffling. And now come with me to my rooms, and at the correct moment I'll bring you to hear my father speak. Please, go. There'due south my key. If you lot do go outside, arm yourself.

EDGAR

Arm myself, brother?

EDMUND

Blood brother, I suggest you to the best. Go armed. I am no honest human being if there be whatsoever good significant towards you. I have told you what I take seen and heard—but faintly, nothing similar the epitome and horror of it. Pray y'all, abroad.

EDMUND

Brother, I'm giving you the best communication I tin can. Arm yourself. I would exist lying if I said that our father had skilful intentions towards you. I've told you lot what I've seen and heard—but only vaguely. I've toned down the horrible reality. Now please, go.

EDGAR

Shall I hear from you anon?

EDGAR

Volition I hear from you shortly?

EDMUND

I do serve yous in this business.

EDMUND

Everything I'm doing in this business is to help you.

A credulous father, and a brother noble— Whose nature is so far from doing harms That he suspects none, on whose foolish honesty My practices ride easy. I see the business. Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit. All with me's meet that I can fashion fit.

A gullible father, and a noble brother, whose nature is then innocent of evil that he suspects no evil. My plots will hands piece of work on his foolish honesty. I run across what I must do. If I can't have lands by birthright, then allow me have them through cunning. Everything that I can shape to fit my own purposes is proficient for me.