The dragon and his wrath (1.1.123-128)

KING LEAR

Peace, Kent! Come not between the dragon and his wrath. I loved her most, and thought to set my rest On her kind nursery. Hence, and avoid my sight! So be my grave my peace, as here I give Her father's heart from her! Call France; who stirs?

Lear interrupts Kent with the imperative “Peace”. The concise demands, Lear uses throughout this speech make him feel angry, but also show a lack of control when things don’t get his way. Lear gets almost petty and unreasonable - like a child - when people disagree with him, regardless of how reasonable they are. This is something that leads to his downfall, as due to his lack of modesty or control over his emotions he destroys two of his most loyal and trusting relationships. Continuing with the imperatives Lear orders Kent not to “Come between the dragon and his wrath”. This line is embroidered with some interesting Celtic imagery - as the leaders of Celtic tribes were called Pendragons (King Arthur’s father being a famous example). This is a clever way of evoking a kingly image. Perhaps more interestingly, the selfsame “barbarous Scythians”, that Lear degraded Cordelia by comparing her with, were often called dragons due to their thick armour. Ironically, Lear is comparing himself with these Scythians, maybe foreshadowing Cordelia and Lear’s reunition later in the play. It could also reinforce the barbarian image of Lear’s troops when they invade Goneril’s house. It’s easy to call her unreasonable but if these troops are as barbaric as Scythians (with their brutal methods) and numerous as she describes then it makes her seem more reasonable. Another comparison that Lear creates here is one between him and Goneril. The word dragon comes from the Latin for serpent and Goneril - after turning Lear away - is described as hurting Lear, like a “serpent’s-tooth” would. Perhaps this shows how both characters end up hurting supposed loved-ones with their serpent-like behaviour. Dragons are generally considered evil in western folklore, and this sets up a possibility for Lear to be a villain in his own story - after all, he does oppose many of the truly good characters in the play. Lear tells us that he “loved her most” (“her” being Cordelia). Notice the past tense here, which implies that he no longer does. He lets loose all of his prior plans in his despair over Cordelia’s denial noting that her “nursery” is “kind”. Lear deep down through his “wrath” can still sense Cordelia’s kindness. “Nursery” implies childhood and denotes Lear’s childish behaviour towards decisions and relationships. Despite his age, Lear is not wise as stereotypes of old kings would have you imagine, in fact, France makes a far better kingly role model than Lear ever could. Lear next order Kent to “avoid [his] sight!”. This once again brings up the theme of sight. Perhaps Lear is afraid that if his eyes meet Kent’s then he will see disloyalty in them or perhaps disappointment? Either way, this shirking of the truth is something that Lear must look to overcome, to understand, to see the truth. Only when Lear is stripped of all does he look for the truth. Lear believes that only when he is in his “grave” can he find “peace”, though perhaps this shows a fatal misjudgment of his own actions - as they have been less that heaven-worthy thus far. The repetition of “peace” however contradicts this statement as if he can make Kent peaceful, surely he can find “peace” as well. This minor contradiction contributes to the growing image of an insane man. Once again “heart” is mentioned, but here it’s associated with Lear’s death making it more horrific (something that is emphasised by the plosive consonance of “h”). These violent and awful interpretations of Cordelia show how ill fit Lear is to rule as well as showing that he’s losing his grip on reality. This - like many of the commands here - is heightened by an exclamation mark. Lear is likely shouting these lines, emphasising his “wrath”. He asks next for France, questioning “who stirs” to at his command. Language associated with sleep: “peace”, “rest”, “grave”, and “stirs” are all used here, perhaps to exaggerate Lear’s tone in comparison to these more peaceful words. However, it could suggest death as well; this could foreshadow the sheer number of deaths that the decisions made here will result in. On a simpler level, it implies that Lear’s servants are sloth-like and lazy - making Goneril’s later complaints more validated.