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ALBANY Bear them from hence. Our present business Is general woe. Friends of my soul, you twain, Rule in this realm, and the gored state sustain. KENT I have a journey, sir, shortly to go. My master calls me, I must not say no. EDGAR The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest heth borne most; we that are young Shall never see so much nor live so long. Exeunt with a dead march CURTAIN CURTAIN UP All actors have left the stage. The throne has been removed from the stage. All actors, except King Lear, appear on stage to the sound effect of raucous applause. Kent and Fool are central. Lear is wheeled out sitting on the throne by Second Knight and Third Knight. As the throne comes to a stop in the middle of the actors Lear falls forwards. The body is caught by Kent and Fool, and placed back in the throne. Lear’s arms are raised in the air by the Understudy still behind the throne. Applause becomes noticeably louder. Kent and Fool look at each other, grin mischievously and look at Lear. They take him by the arms and lift the lifeless corpse into the air. The Understudy is seen for a brief moment before ducking behind the throne. CURTAIN (End of Act 2, Scene 4) End of Act 2 ========================================================== Š Thom Goddard 2011