King Lear, Act 1 Scene 3 runs 27 lines of dialogue, spoken by 2 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 135 lines. This scene is part of Act 1 of King Lear.
Full Dialogue
Goneril ♀
Did my father strike my gentleman for chiding of his fool?
Oswald ♂
Yes, madam.
Goneril ♀
By day and night he wrongs me; every hour
He flashes into one gross crime or other,
That sets us all at odds: I'll not endure it:
His knights grow riotous, and himself upbraids us
On every trifle. When he returns from hunting,
I will not speak with him; say I am sick:
If you come slack of former services,
You shall do well; the fault of it I'll answer.
He flashes into one gross crime or other,
That sets us all at odds: I'll not endure it:
His knights grow riotous, and himself upbraids us
On every trifle. When he returns from hunting,
I will not speak with him; say I am sick:
If you come slack of former services,
You shall do well; the fault of it I'll answer.
Oswald ♂
He's coming, madam; I hear him.
Goneril ♀
Put on what weary negligence you please,
You and your fellows; I'll have it come to question:
If he dislike it, let him to our sister,
Whose mind and mine, I know, in that are one,
Not to be over-ruled. Idle old man,
That still would manage those authorities
That he hath given away! Now, by my life,
Old fools are babes again; and must be used
With cheques as flatteries,–when they are seen abused.
Remember what I tell you.
You and your fellows; I'll have it come to question:
If he dislike it, let him to our sister,
Whose mind and mine, I know, in that are one,
Not to be over-ruled. Idle old man,
That still would manage those authorities
That he hath given away! Now, by my life,
Old fools are babes again; and must be used
With cheques as flatteries,–when they are seen abused.
Remember what I tell you.
Oswald ♂
Well, madam.
Goneril ♀
And let his knights have colder looks among you;
What grows of it, no matter; advise your fellows so:
I would breed from hence occasions, and I shall,
That I may speak: I'll write straight to my sister,
To hold my very course. Prepare for dinner.
What grows of it, no matter; advise your fellows so:
I would breed from hence occasions, and I shall,
That I may speak: I'll write straight to my sister,
To hold my very course. Prepare for dinner.
27 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Goneril | 24 | 88.9% |
| Oswald | 3 | 11.1% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 24 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 14 lines.
Total speakers on stage
2 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 1
This is Scene 3 of 5 in Act 1 of King Lear.
Scene length vs. play average
At 27 lines, this scene is shorter than the King Lear average scene in King Lear (~135 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 1 Scene 2 · Next: Act 1 Scene 4