What is the meaning of this quote and how does it relate to the King Lear play?
Give me your hand. You are now within a foot
Of th' extreme verge. For all beneath the moon
Would I not leap upright.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/lear/
Find the act and scene here and read it -- original on the left, modern English on the right. Then let me know if you still don't understand.
I have actually done it like that, and I still don't understand the importance of the quote.
OK, tell me the exact act, scene and lines.
It's Act IV; Scene VI; Lines 26- 28
OK, do you understand what has happened up to this point? Gloucester thinks Edgar (G's son, but in disguise) has led him to the edge of a cliff, and G wants to jump off and commit suicide. Do you understand why G's own son is in disguise, doesn't want his father to recognize him?
But G has been blinded, and thinks he's being led to the cliff's edge. He has to trust that Edgar is doing what he wants.
But we really know what? Did Edgar lead him to a cliff's edge?
The quote you provided comes from Act 4, Scene 6 of William Shakespeare's play, King Lear. In this scene, the character Edgar, disguised as a mad beggar named Poor Tom, is guiding his blind and distraught father, Gloucester, towards the cliffs of Dover. The quote carries a deep metaphorical meaning.
To understand the quote and its relation to King Lear, we need to delve into the context of the play. King Lear is a tragedy that explores themes of madness, suffering, and the consequences of poor judgment. The character of Lear, a king who is driven to madness after dividing his kingdom amongst his daughters, serves as the central figure in the play.
In the quote, Edgar, who is pretending to be a beggar, is using imagery to describe the dangerous situation they are in. When Edgar says, "Give me your hand. You are now within a foot of th' extreme verge," he is telling his father that they are standing near the edge of a cliff, close to the precipice. This signifies their vulnerability and the precariousness of their position.
The next part of the quote, "For all beneath the moon would I not leap upright," adds to the power of the scene. Edgar is assuring his father that he would not willingly jump from the cliff, emphasizing their desperate situation. The phrase "all beneath the moon" implies that the character has considered all the earthly possibilities and none of them are compelling enough to make him take a leap into the unknown.
This quote relates to the overall themes of King Lear, particularly the chaos and madness that engulf the characters as a result of their own choices and the unjust distribution of power. Just as Edgar and Gloucester find themselves teetering on the edge of the cliff, Lear and the other characters in the play find themselves on the brink of destruction, metaphorically and sometimes literally. It highlights the intricate connections between power, madness, and suffering that are explored throughout the play.
By analyzing the precise language and context of a quote like this, we can gain deeper insight into the themes and motifs of the play and better understand its meaning and significance.