King Lear Hasty Quotes

King Lear

In Act I and Act II, King Lear is hasty and very expectant. He exhibits these characteristics often throughout the first two acts. Lear shows his hastiness when he quickly disowns Cordelia, and also when he gives Kent five days to get out of the kingdom. He says that he is very angry at one point and he doesn't want to take his anger out on anyone, so they should stay away. King Lear shows how expecting he is when he talks about how he assumed Cordelia would be the one to take care of him in his old age, and also when he tells his daughters to profess their love to them.

King Lear is very quick to disown Cordelia, this is one example of how hasty he is. He decided that there are no family ties between them, and he considers her

a stranger to himself. King Lear compares their bond to foreign savages who eat their own children for dinner, saying thats how close she will be to his heart.
“Let it be so. Thy truth then be thy dower.
For by the sacred radiance of the sun,
The mysteries of Hecate and the night,
By all the operation of the orbs
From whom we do exist and cease to be
Here I disclaim all my paternal care,
Propinquity, and property of blood,
And as a stranger to my heart and me
Hold thee from this for ever. The barbarous Scythian,
Or he that makes his generation messes
To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom
Be as well neighbored, pitied, and relieved
As thou my sometime daughter.” (1.1, 110-122)
Throughout the first two acts he is very hasty, and makes many rash decisions. He completely splits his kingdom up between his daughters, giving away any power he had left. The power he had was the only thing people were respecting him for, without it he is just an senile old man.
King Lear gives Kent five days to get all of his stuff that he needs to survive, and get out of his kingdom. This is just one of the many rash decisions King Lear makes showing his hastiness. He says that he has day six to leave and if he is found in the kingdom any day after that he will be killed. He also swears by Jupiter that he’ll never revoke the punishment.
“Hear me, recreant!
On thine allegiance, hear me!
That thou hast sought to make us break our vows,
Which we durst never yet, and with strained pride
To come betwixt our sentence and our power,
Which nor our nature nor our place can bear,
Our potency made good, take thy reward:
Five days we do allot thee for provision
To shield thee from diseases of the world,
And on the sixth to turn thy hated back
Upon our kingdom.

If on the next day following,

Thy banished trunk be found in our dominions,

The moment is thy death. Away! By Jupiter,

This shall not be revoked.” (1.1, 168-181)

King Lear shows how expecting he is when he tells Kent about how he loved Cordelia the most and planned to spend his old age with her taking care of him. He then tells Cordelia to get out of his sight, and that if she doesn’t love her father then he’ll only have peace when he is dead.

“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?

Call Burgundy. Cornwall and Albany,

With my two daughters' dowers digest this third.

Let pride, which she calls plainness, marry her.

I do invest you jointly with my power,

Pre-eminence, and all the large

effects
That troop with majesty.

Ourself, by monthly course,

With reservation of an hundred knights

By you to be sustained, shall our abode

Make with you by due turns. Only shall we retain

The name, and all th' additions to a king. The sway,

revenue, execution of the rest,

Belovèd sons, be yours; which to confirm,

This coronet part between you.” (1.1, 123-141)

King Lear also shows how expecting he is when he tells his daughters to profess their love to him. He tells them that this is how he is going to split his kingdom up, and that whoever loves him the most will get the best part of his kingdom. He allows flattery to cloud his judgment during this. King Lear assumed that Cordelia loved him the most. When she wasn't the one to profess her love like the others, it made him angry. She was being honest, while her other sisters were saying whatever they could so they could get the best part of the kingdom.

“Meantime we shall express our darker purpose.

Give me the map there. Know that we have divided

In three our kingdom, and ’tis our fast intent

To shake all cares and business from our age,

Conferring them on younger strengths while we

Unburdened crawl toward death. Our son of

Cornwall,

And you, our no less loving son of

Albany,
We have this hour a constant will to publish
Our daughters' several dowers, that future strife
May be prevented now. The two great princes, France and
Burgundy,
Great rivals in our youngest daughter’s love,
Long in our court have made their amorous sojourn,
And here are to be answered. Tell me, my daughters,
(Since now we will divest us both of rule,
Interest of territory, cares of state)
Which of you shall we say doth love us most,
That we our largest bounty may extend
Where nature doth with merit challenge? Goneril,
Our eldest born, speak first.” (1.1, 38-56)
He allows flattery to cloud his judgment.
In conclusion, King Lear is hasty and expectant. He shows these characteristics often throughout the first two acts. He disowns Cordelia and gives Kent five days to get out of the kingdom, showing how hasty he can be. King Lear expected Cordelia to be the one to take care of him in the future when he is older. He also expected his daughters to profess their love to him.

Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Lear. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1988. Print.