King Lear: Act 2

by William Shakespeare
In this tragedy, King Lear's plan to divide his kingdom between his three daughters leads to his downfall when he misjudges their true feelings. Read the full text here.

Here are links to our lists for the play: Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, Act 4, Act 5
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. severally
    one at a time or in the order given
    [Enter Edmund, the Bastard and Curan, severally.]
  2. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
    Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out,
    Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon
    To stand auspicious mistress.
  3. manifold
    many and varied; having many features or forms
    Persuade me to the murder of your Lordship,
    But that I told him the revenging gods
    ’Gainst parricides did all the thunder bend,
    Spoke with how manifold and strong a bond
    The child was bound to th’ father
    On the surface, Edmund is making himself look good to Gloucester by pretending that he had tried to convince Edgar not to kill their father. But Shakespeare's use of the word manifold can be seen as a hint to how Edmund has so many forms that he can't be trusted.
  4. sojourn
    spend a certain length of time; reside temporarily
    I have this present evening from my sister
    Been well informed of them, and with such cautions
    That if they come to sojourn at my house
    I’ll not be there.
  5. disclaim
    make a disavowal about
    You cowardly rascal, nature disclaims in thee; a tailor made thee.
    Kent is claiming that Oswald is such a horrible person that Mother Nature (nature personified) would disclaim having made him. Compare this to Lear's disclaiming of all paternal care for Cordelia in Act 1.
  6. antipathy
    a feeling of intense dislike
    No contraries hold more antipathy
    Than I and such a knave.
  7. verity
    conformity to reality or actuality
    KENT: Sir, in good faith, in sincere verity,
    Under th’ allowance of your great aspect,
    Whose influence, like the wreath of radiant fire
    On flick’ring Phoebus’ front—
    CORNWALL: What mean’st by this?
    On the surface, Kent appears to be sincerely saying great things about Cornwall, but he is taking the flattery so far that there is more mockery than verity in his words.
  8. beguile
    influence by slyness
    He that beguiled you in a plain accent was a plain knave, which for my part I will not be, though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to ’t.
  9. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    Approach, thou beacon to this under globe,
    That by thy comfortable beams I may
    Peruse this letter.
  10. penury
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
    Whiles I may ’scape,
    I will preserve myself, and am bethought
    To take the basest and most poorest shape
    That ever penury in contempt of man
    Brought near to beast.
  11. forbear
    refrain from doing
    I’ll forbear,
    And am fallen out with my more headier will,
    To take the indisposed and sickly fit
    For the sound man.
  12. depraved
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
    O Regan, she hath tied
    Sharp-toothed unkindness, like a vulture, here.
    I can scarce speak to thee. Thou’lt not believe
    With how depraved a quality—O Regan!
  13. vouchsafe
    grant in a condescending manner
    “Dear daughter, I confess that I am old.
    Age is unnecessary. On my knees I beg
    That you’ll vouchsafe me raiment, bed, and food.”
  14. abjure
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
    No, rather I abjure all roofs, and choose
    To wage against the enmity of the air.
    Having given up his kingly powers, disowned Cordelia, and cursed Goneril, Lear does not have much left that he can reject. At the point of this example sentence, Lear thinks he can still rely on Regan, but upon discovering that she is even less welcoming than Goneril of him and his 100 knights, he is forced to carry out his proud threat to "abjure all roofs."
  15. amity
    a state of friendship and cordiality
    How in one house
    Should many people under two commands
    Hold amity? ’Tis hard, almost impossible.
Created on Fri Feb 08 21:43:45 EST 2013 (updated Mon Aug 11 14:05:31 EDT 2025)

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