Study Questions
1. Where is the King at this point in the play?

2. Who has stayed with the King to give him comfort?

3. What are the rumors concerning Cornwall and Albany?

4. Who are the spies sent to England by the King of France?

5. What news do France’s spies bring regarding King Lear?

6. Where does Kent think Cordelia will be staying?

7. What does Kent tell the Gentleman to show Cordelia as proof of Kent’s identity?

8. Before the Gentleman goes to Dover, what does he do?

9. What does the French Army intend to do in England?

10. What is Cordelia’s purpose for her temporary stay in Dover?

Answers
1. Lear’s Gentleman tells Kent that the King is in the storm on the heath outside of Gloucester’s castle.

2. Only the Fool accompanies the King on the heath.

3. It is rumored that there is division between Cornwall and Albany, leading to civil strife in the kingdom.

4. The spies act as servants in the households of Cornwall and Albany.

5. The spies bring the news that King Lear has had to bear the abuses of Goneril and Regan, his daughters.

6. Kent thinks Cordelia is waiting in Dover.

7. Kent instructs the Gentleman to give Cordelia a ring as proof of Kent’s identity.

8. The Gentleman helps to find Lear in the storm.

9. The French Army intends to stage a secret attack on England.

10. Cordelia waits, along with the French Army, to rectify her sisters’ injustices to the King.