Director’s Notes – Episode 5 King Lear

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There is an atmosphere of tension, intrigue, distrust and anticipation throughout the country.  An imminent civil war is brewing. 

Oswald left Goneril’s at 4:30 in the morning and Kent (Caius) left 15 mins later.  They’ve traveled many hours and they’ve traveled hard.  They’re exhausted. They’ve gone sleepless this past night.  They arrive at 5:00 am.  It’s late Nov so it’s cold and dark.  Regan and Cornwall have just retired. 

We know from the opening scene that Kent is a close friend of Gloucester’s so obviously he’s been to Gloucester’s castle before and knows his way around.  Since Oswald doesn’t know where to set his horses he obviously hasn’t been here before and there’s no reason why he should have.  Since Oswald never would have gotten a good look at Caius (Kent in disguise) in the third scene and since it’s dark, there’s no reason he’d recognize him now.  Kent, though, would certainly recognize Oswald, simply by his voice.  In his pursuit of Oswald he has unwittingly worked himself into a rage.  What creates even greater outrage is that he thinks Oswald does know who he is.

Subjectively and emotionally Kent would love nothing better than to beat the hell out of Oswald, not just because of his treatment of Lear but also because he was a messenger of lies from Goneril to Regan.  That letter caused their departure and sojourn to Gloucester’s.  Kent is enraged by the disrespect Oswald showed Lear previously, but is now driven to further aggression due to the trouble he knows is to come from the letter.  Although he’s chafing at the bit, he’s determined to control himself.  But as this scene and the play so brilliantly show, ‘character is destiny.’

Oswald is a coldblooded coward who would prefer simply to runaway but, terrified of being struck from behind, runs and turns almost simultaneously.  Kent would never strike an unarmed man but Oswald doesn’t know that.  There may be humor in this scene but it is strictly involuntary.

As in the opening scene, Kent’s primary objective is to protect Lear’s interests, but once he allows his anger to surface, his emotions overcome his better judgment and he cannot stop.  He behaved similarly as Kent, and now as the fearless, brusque, and more uninhibited Caius, the trait is amplified.

At first, Cornwall and his people don’t know it is Caius and Oswald.  They’re animated, it’s dark, there’s great confusion.  For all Cornwall knows it could be a potential assassin interrupted by a guard.  He doesn’t assume a brawl between two hirelings, but a very dangerous situation.  He doesn’t enter annoyed or angry but alarmed, forceful and determined. 

Cornwall and Regan’s callous treatment of Kent is their first act of defiance against Lear and their push for exclusive rights to the throne. He and Regan would like nothing better than an excuse to humiliate and degrade Lear.

He finds pleasure in being aggressive, commanding, and cruel.  We must sense in the confrontation with Kent what Cornwall might be capable of.  It’s not what he does here but what he’d like to do.  We should be very nervous about his emotional state.  At heart he is a vicious brute capable of the worst atrocities.  This is a potential monster.

The irony in this scene is that Kent—who is fiercely loyal to Lear—due to his lack of self-control ends up hurting him.