‘grime,’ vb., used only in II. iii. 9, recalls
     ‘begrime,’ used only in O. III. iii. 387 and
     Lucrece.

     ‘unbonneted,’ III. i. 14, appears only here and in
     O. I. ii. 23.

‘delicate,’ III. iv. 12, IV. iii. 15, IV. vi. 188, is not a rare word with Shakespeare; he uses it about thirty times in his plays.  But it is worth notice that it occurs six times in O.

     ‘commit,’ used intr. for ‘commit adultery,’ appears only in
     III. iv. 83, but cf. the famous iteration in O.
     IV. ii. 72 f.

     ‘stand in hard cure,’ III. vi. 107, seems to have no
     parallel except O. II. i. 51, ‘stand in bold cure.’

     ’secure’=make careless, IV. i. 22, appears only here
     and in O. I. iii. 10 and (not quite the same sense)
     Tim. II. ii. 185.

     Albany’s ‘perforce must wither,’ IV. ii. 35, recalls
     Othello’s ‘It must needs wither,’ V. ii. 15.

     ‘deficient,’ IV. vi. 23, occurs only here and in O.
     I. iii. 63.

     ‘the safer sense,’ IV. vi. 81, recalls ’my blood
     begins my safer guides to rules,’ O. II. iii. 205.

     ‘fitchew,’ IV. vi. 124, is used only here, in O.
     IV. i. 150, and in T.C. V. i. 67 (where it
     has not the same significance).

Lear’s ’I have seen the day, with my good biting falchion I would have made them skip,’ V. iii. 276, recalls Othello’s ’I have seen the day, That with this little arm and this good sword,’ etc., V. ii. 261.

The fact that more than half of the above occur in the first two Acts of King Lear may possibly be significant:  for the farther removed Shakespeare was from the time of the composition of Othello, the less likely would be the recurrence of ideas or words used in that play.

NOTE S.

KING LEAR AND TIMON OF ATHENS.

That these two plays are near akin in character, and probably in date, is recognised by many critics now; and I will merely add here a few references to the points of resemblance mentioned in the text (p. 246), and a few notes on other points.

(1) The likeness between Timon’s curses and some of the speeches of Lear in his madness is, in one respect, curious.  It is natural that Timon, speaking to Alcibiades and two courtezans, should inveigh in particular against sexual vices and corruption, as he does in the terrific passage IV. iii. 82-166; but why should Lear refer at length, and with the same loathing, to this particular subject (IV. vi. 112-132)?  It almost looks as if Shakespeare were expressing feelings which oppressed him at this period of his life.