Summary

Scenes One

Act Five opens with Regan quizzing Edmund about his relationship with Goneril. Regan feels certain that Albany has turned against them, and that he will soon be killed as a result, which would leave Goneril free to remarry as she chooses. She demands to know whether Edmund loves Goneril, and he claims to love Regan alone. She makes him promise that he will “be not familiar with her,” meaning that he will not sleep with her, which Edmund swears to. Their conversation is interrupted when Goneril and Albany arrive. Despite earlier swearing to aid Lear, Albany has had a change of heart. The French invasion challenges all of Britain, and as the highest nobleman in the land, he recognizes his responsibility to protect the nation. Therefore, he has agreed to fight alongside Goneril, Regan, and Edmund, despite his issues with their...