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Act 3, Scene 4
King Lear Translation Act 3, Scene 5
Enter CORNWALL and EDMUND
CORNWALL
I will have my revenge ere I depart his house.
CORNWALL
I'll have my revenge on Gloucester before I leave his house.
EDMUND
How, my lord, I may be censured, that nature thus givesway to loyalty, something fears me to think of.
EDMUND
My lord, I'm somewhat afraid of how I might be criticized for letting my loyalty to you overcome my natural bond to my father.
CORNWALL
I now perceive it was not altogether your brother’s evil disposition made him seek his death, but a provoking merit set awork by a reprovable badness in himself.
CORNWALL
I now realize that it wasn't just your brother's evil nature that made him try to kill your father. Even though killing one's father is evil, Gloucester would be getting what he deserved.
EDMUND
How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be just! [giving CORNWALL a letter] This is the letter which he spoke of, which approves him an intelligent party to the advantages of France. O heavens, that this treason were not, or not I the detector!
EDMUND
How evil is my fate, that I must apologize for doing the right thing! [Giving CORNWALL a letter] This is the letter he was talking about, which confirms that he was a spy and informer for France. Oh God, I wish that this treason had never happened, or that I hadn't been the one to discover it!
CORNWALL
Go with me to the duchess.
CORNWALL
Come with me to see the duchess.
EDMUND
If the matter of this paper be certain, you have mightybusiness in hand.
EDMUND
If the contents of this letter are true, then you have a lot to deal with.
CORNWALL
True or false, it hath made thee Earl of Gloucester. Seek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our apprehension.
CORNWALL
True or false, this letter has made you the Earl of Gloucester. Find out where your father is, so we can be ready to arrest him.
EDMUND
[aside] If I find him comforting the king, it will stuff his suspicion more fully. [to CORNWALL] I will persevere in my course of loyalty, though the conflict be sore between that and my blood.
EDMUND
[To himself] If I find my father helping the king, it will confirm his guilt even more.
[To CORNWALL] I'll remain loyal to you, even though it conflicts with my duty to my father.
CORNWALL
I will lay trust upon thee, and thou shalt find a dearer father in my love.
CORNWALL
I'll put my trust in you, and you'll find me a better father than Gloucester was.
Exeunt
