Act 1, Scenes 5 and 6 Summary

These scenes tell of Lear's flight from the field of battle and from his daughters, and of the sanctuary he finds at a farmhouse.

Scene 5 - Lear, wandering through the forest, discovers a dropped piece of bread and devours it hungrily. As he eats, Warrington appears and stealthily sneaks up on him as Lear muses aloud on how his daughters are torturing him. Warrington sees someone coming and runs off. The Gravedigger's Son comes, carrying bread and water. He explains, after being questioned by Lear, that it's for a wild man roaming the forest. Lear offers to buy it, but the Son says he can have it for free, and then offers to take Lear home with him. Lear asks whether the Son has any daughters, the Son says no, and Lear accepts the offer.

Scene 6 - As he...