Neil Bowen on
Gods and Religion/Religious Belief in King Lear
These are ALL the mentions or references to the Gods: Christian, Pagan, Roman, Mysticism and
Astrology.
Act I Scene 1
LEAR: For, by the sacred radiance of the sun,
The mysteries of Hecate and the night, Greek goddess who lives in the underworld
By all the operation of the orbs
From whom we do exist and cease to be... 108111 [cursing Cordelia]
LEAR: Now, by Apollo
KENT: Now, by Apollo, King,
Thou swear’st thy Gods in vain. 1589
LEAR: ... Away! By Jupiter,
This shall not be revoked 1778 [on banishing Kent]
KENT: The Gods to their dear shelter take thee, maid, 181 [to Cordelia]
GONERIL: Be content to your lord, who hath received you
At Fortune’s alms; 2767 [to Cordelia]
Act I Scene 2
EDMUND: Thou, Nature, art my goddess; 1
... Now, gods, stand up for bastards! 23
GLOUCESTER: These late eclipses in the sun and moon
portend no good to us: 1056 -astrology
EDMUND: This is the excellent foppery of the world, that,
when we are sick in fortune, often the surfeits
of our own behaviour, we make guilty of our
disasters the sun, moon, and stars; as if we were
villains on 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 we are evil in, by a divine
thrusting on. 121130
Act I Scene 4
LEAR: Darkness and devils! 250 [to Goneril] first mention of devil
LEAR: Hear, Nature, hear! dear Goddess, hear!
Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful! 2746 [cursing Goneril]
ALBANY: Now, Gods that we adore, whereof comes this? 289 [in response to Lear’s curse]
2
Act II Scene 1
EDMUND: Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out,
Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon
To stand auspicious mistress. 379 [about Edgar]
EDMUND: But that I told him, the revenging Gods coherent with Classical concept of Gods
‘Gainst parricides did all the thunder bend 445
Act II Scene 2
CORNWALL: You beastly knave, know you no reverence? [to Kent] 66
KENT: Such smiling rogues as these,
Like rats, oft bite the holy chords atwain
Which are too intrince t’unloose; 702
KENT: Whose influence, like the wreath of radiant fire
On flick’ring Phoebus’ front, 1034 Phoebus/Apollo same person - sun
KENT: Good King, that must approve the common saw,
Thou out of heaven’s benediction com’st
To the warm sun! 1568
... Fortune, good night; smile once more; turn thy wheel! 169
Act II Scene 4
LEAR: By Jupiter, I swear, no.
KENT: By Juno, I swear, ay. 201 -Juno is married to Jupiter: witty!
FOOL: Fortune, that arrant whore,
Ne’er turns the key to th’poor. 501
LEAR: ... we are not ourselves
When Nature, being oppressed, commands the mind
To suffer with the body. 1057
REGAN: Nature in you stands on the very verge
Of her confine: 1456
REGAN: O the blest Gods! so will you wish on me,
When the rash mood is on. 1678 [in response to Lear cursing Goneril]
LEAR: You Heavens, give me that patience, patience I need,
You see me here, you Gods, a poor old man,
As full of grief as age; wretched in both!
If it be you that stirs daughters’ hearts
Against their father, fool me not so much
To bear it tamely; 2705
Act III Scene 2
LEAR: Blow, winds, and cracks your cheeks! rage! blow!
You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout
3
Till you have drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks! 13 -death of religion/just
hope?
LEAR: Let the great Gods
That keep this dreadful pudder o’er our heads,
Find out their enemies now. 4951
FOOL: This is a brave night to cool a courtezan.
I’ll speak a prophecy ere I go:
When priests are more in the world than matter; 7981
... This prophecy Merlin shall make; for I live before his time. 95 first time the Fool has
alluded to Gods so far. ‘Prophecy’ implies all religion, but moves it on to mysticism with Merlin.
Act III Scene 4
LEAR: ... Take physic, Pomp;
Expose thyself to feel to wretches feel,
That thou mayst shake the superflux to them,
And show the Heavens more just. 336
Mad scene in storm - distinct lack of mention/calling on the Gods. Human madness.
Act III Scene 6
KENT: The Gods reward your kindness! 5 [to Gloucester]
EDGAR: The foul fiend bites my back 17
EDGAR: The foul fiend haunts poor Tom in the voice of
a nightingale. Hoppedance cries in Tom’s belly
for two white herring. Croak not, black angel;
I have no food for thee. 303
Act III Scene 7
GLOUCESTER: By the kind Gods, ‘tis most ignobly done
To pluck me by the beard. 356
GLOUCESTER: ... but I shall see
The winged vengeance overtake such children. 634
CORNWALL: See’t shalt thou never. Fellows, hold the chair.
Upon these eyes of thine I’ll set my foot.
GLOUCESTER: He that will think to live till he be old,
Give me some help! O cruel! O you Gods!
3rd SERVANT: ... Now, heaven help him! 105
Act IV Scene 1
GLOUCESTER: As flies to wanton schoolboys, are we to th’Gods;
They kill us for their sport. 367
GLOUCESTER: Here, take this purse, thou whom the heav’ns’ plagues
4
Have humbled to all stroked: that I am wretched
Makes thee happier: Heavens, deal so still!
Let the superfluous and lustdieted man,
That slaves your ordinance, that will not see
Because he does not feel, feel your power quickly; 649
Act IV Scene 2
ALBANY: If that the heavens do not their visible spirits
Send quickly down to tame these vilde offences, 467
Act IV Scene 3
GENTLEMAN: ... There she shook
The holy water from her heavenly eyes, 2930 [Cordelia] -Christian
KENT: It is the stars,
The stars above us, govern our conditions; 323 -immediate counterpoint: astrology
Act IV Scene 6
GLOUCESTER: ... fairies and Gods/ Prosper it [a jewel] with thee!
GLOUCESTER: O you mighty Gods!
This world I do renounce, and in your sights
Shake patiently my great affliction off;
If I could bear it no longer, and not fall
To quarrel with your great opposeless wills,
My snuff and loathed part of nature should
Burn itself out. If Edgar live, O, bless him! 3440
EDGAR: As I stood here below methought his eyes
Were two full moons; he had a thousand noses,
Horn whelked and waved like the enridged sea:
It was some fiend; therefore, thou happy father,
Think that the clearest Gods, who make them honours
Of men’s impossibilities, have preserved thee. 6974 very medieval God vs Satan view
LEAR: No, do thy worst, blind Cupid; I’ll not love. 136 -Roman son of Venus
LEAR: ... I am even/ The natural fool of Fortune. 1889
GLOUCESTER: You evergentle Gods, take my breath from me:
Let not my worser spirit tempt me again
To die before you please!
EDGAR: Well pray you, father.
GLOUCESTER: Now, good sir, what are you?
EDGAR: A most poor man, made tame by Fortune’s blows; 2148
GLOUCESTER: The bounty and the benison of Heaven/ To boot, and boot! 2223
5
EDGAR: Thee I’ll rake up, the post unsanctified/ Of murtherous lechers; 2712 -Christian
Act IV Scene 7
LEAR: You do me wrong to take me out o’th’grave;
Thou art a soul in bliss; but I am bound
Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears
Do scald like molten lead. 458
LEAR: You have some cause, they have not.
CORDELIA: No cause, no cause. 745 FORGIVENESS
Act V Scene 1
EDGAR: ... If you miscarry,
Your business of the world hath so an end,
And machination ceases. Fortune love you! 446 [to Albany]
Act V Scene 2
GLOUCESTER: Grace go with you, sir! 4 [to Edgar]
Act V Scene 3
CORDELIA: For thee, oppressed King, I am cast down;
Myself could else outfrown false Fortune’s frown. 56
LEAR: And take upon’s the mystery of things,/ As if we were Gods’ spies: 167
LEAR: Upon such sacrifices, my Cordelia,
The Gods themselves throw incense. Have I caught thee? Not only Christian, but
He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven, 202 classical imagery
EDGAR: ... thou art a traitor,/ False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father, 1334
EDGAR: The Gods are just, and of our pleasant vices, -very different from Fortune
Make instruments to plague us; 1701
ALBANY: The Gods defend her! [Cordelia] 255
LEAR: Howl, howl, howl! O! you are men of stones,
Had I your tongues and eyes, I’d use them so
That heaven’s vault should crack. 2579
KENT: If Fortune brag of two she loved and hated,
One of them we behold. 2801
KENT: Vex not his ghost: [about Lear to Edgar] 313
KENT: I have a journey, sir, shortly to go;
My master calls me, I must not say no. 3212