the strength of each daughter’s proclamation of love for him. King Lear says that it is his “fast intent,” or in other words, his immediate intention, to “shake all cares and business from our age.” The “our” here is the royal plural, meaning that the king is referring to himself. He says that he wants to give his kingdom away to his daughters so that he will no longer have to concern himself with the “cares and business” that come with ruling a kingdom. He is old and simply wants, or needs, to retire.

In the second half of the quotation, King Lear says that the “cares and business” involved with running a kingdom will be passed or conferred to his daughters, who are younger and have the strength and stamina of youth to better deal with such “cares and business.” The implication of the comparative “younger” is that he is, himself, too old to cope with these “cares” any longer.

The king then says that when he no longer has to deal with these “cares,” he will be able to “Unburthen’d crawl toward death.” He is being rather self-pitying here and is saying that once the burdens of running a kingdom have been passed to his daughters, he will have nothing left to do but “crawl toward death.” The word “crawl” suggests how tired he is but also implies that he perhaps loathes the prospect of having nothing to do once he has conferred his power to his daughters. He imagines his future self, devoid of responsibilities or burdens, as a somewhat pathetic creature. This suggests that while he recognizes that he is no longer able to carry out his duties as well as he would like, he nonetheless dislikes the fact that his age is compelling him to give up his duties, and, of course, the power that goes along with them.

This quotation is taken from act one, scene one of the play. In this scene, King Lear summons his three daughters to him and informs them that he intends to divide his kingdom between the three of them. He will decide how much land to give each daughter depending on the strength of each daughter’s proclamation of love for him. King Lear says that it is his “fast intent,” or in other words his immediate intention, to “shake all cares and business from our age.” The “our” here is the royal plural, meaning that the king is referring to himself. He says that he wants to give his kingdom away to his daughters so that he will no longer have to concern himself with the “cares and business” that come with ruling a kingdom. He is old and simply wants, or needs, to retire.

In the second half of the quotation, King Lear says that the “cares and business” involved with running a kingdom will be passed, or conferred, to his daughters, who are younger and have the strength and stamina of youth to better deal with such “cares and business.” The implication of the comparative “younger” is that he is himself too old to any longer cope with these “cares.” The king then says that when he no longer has to deal with these “cares,” he will be able to “unburden’d crawl toward death.”

He is being rather self-pitying here and is saying that once the burdens of running a kingdom have been passed to his daughters, he will have nothing left to do but “crawl toward death.” The word “crawl” suggests how tired he is, but also implies that he perhaps loathes the prospect of having nothing to do once he has conferred his power to his daughters. He imagines his future self, devoid of responsibilities or burdens, as a somewhat pathetic creature. This suggests that while he recognizes that he is no longer able to carry out his duties as well as he would like, he nonetheless dislikes the fact that his age is compelling him to give up his duties and, of course, the power that goes along with them.

It's a roundabout way of saying Lear's getting old and no longer wants to bear the onerous responsibilities of being king. It's time to hand on the reins of power to the next generation so that Lear can enjoy what little time he has left upon this earth free from the cares and worries of kingship. So Lear decides, foolishly as it turns out, to divide his kingdom among his daughters. This fateful decision, far from leading to a sedate and happy retirement, instead results in madness, bloodshed, and chaos. In giving up his kingdom, Lear still wants to retain the respect he feels is rightly due to a king. But two of his daughters, the wicked Regan and Goneril, are not about to give it to him. In giving up his kingdom, Lear's also given up his right to be respected.

This quote is from the first scene, and basically what Lear is saying is that he wishes to divest himself of his royal responsibilities ("care and business") because he is getting older. He would like to live out his last years (an "unburdened crawl toward death") without worries that could better be dealt with by a younger man. Of course, this sets the stage for his famous challenge to his daughters, in which he promises the largest dowery to the one who  most convinces him of her love. Goneril and Regan, married to the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall respectively, offer florid, obsequious speeches, but Cordelia, the youngest daughter, is more honest.