Page 18 - FEN1(2)C01 LITERATURES IN ENGLISH PAPER I: From Chaucer to the Present

4. Reverse thy doom;
And in thy best consideration, check
This hideous rashness: answer my life my judgement
Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least;
Nor are those empty hearted whose low sound
Reverbs no hollowness

OR

5. Kill thy physician, and the fee bestow
Upon the foul disease. Revoke thy doom;
Or, whilst I can vent clamour from my throat,
I’ll tell thee thou dost evil

In the opening scene of Act I in the play King Lear, the Earl of
Kent says these words to the king.
When the king denounced Cordelia as his daughter, the Earl of
Kent warns the king not to do such foolish thing. Kent requests
the king to withdraw his decree against Cordelia. Kent also
says that he is willing to be executed if his judgement is proved
wrong. He is sure that Cordelia loves the king more than the
other daughters do. ‘Reverse thy doom’ means repeal your
sentence or decree. He also requests the king that it is wrong
to think that those who speak very little have no love for the
king.

Kent declares that if Lear kills him, it will be just like killing
one’s own doctor and the illness will not be cured.
Shakespeare uses the term ‘foul disease’ for moral corruption
and for mental disorder. The speech reveals the noble
character of Kent who has full of love and respect for his
master, King Lear.