ACT V – Scene.ii
(A field between the two camps)
Summary
Cordelia, Lear and their army move to engage with Edmund and Albany’s army.
Edgar and Gloucester hide nearby to await the outcome of the battle.
Once Edgar has ensured that Gloucester is safe, he leaves to see how the battle progresses. He returns with bad news that Lear’s forces have lost and he and Cordelia have been taken prisoner.
Interpretation
Shakespeare snatches away from the audience their hope that Lear’s suffering
has been ended. The hopes raised in Act IV Scene.vii are now dashed.
This comfortless epic fascinates the audience because they can feel the
power of the tragedy that Lear has to endure, like the biblical Job.
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