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King Lear
King Lear

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of King Lear is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for King Lear
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Stew.
Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.
Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.
Helpe, ho, murther, helpe Kent.
Strike you slaue: stand rogue, stand you neat slaue, strike Stew.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

King Lear

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of King Lear is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Stew.
/stuː/
Line 2
Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.
Line 3
Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.
Line 4
Helpe, ho, murther, helpe Kent.
Line 5
Strike you slaue: stand rogue, stand you neat slaue, strike Stew.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

draw verb US /drɔː/

cause to move by pulling

From this reading “Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.”

Kent noun US /kent/

a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans

From this reading “Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.”

neat adjective US /niːt/

clean or organized

From this reading “Strike you slaue: stand rogue, stand you neat slaue, strike Stew.”

puppets noun US /ˈpʌpəts/

plural of “puppet” — a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer

From this reading “Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.”

rogue noun US /roʊɡ/

a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

From this reading “Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.”

shanks noun US /ʃæŋks/

plural of “shank” — a cut of meat (beef or veal or mutton or lamb) from the upper part of the leg

From this reading “Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.”

Stew verb US /stuː/

be in a huff; be silent or sullen

From this reading “Stew.”

strike verb US /straɪk/

deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

From this reading “Strike you slaue: stand rogue, stand you neat slaue, strike Stew.”

All words in this reading · 43

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

AwayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

carbonadonoun

an inferior dark diamond used in industry for drilling and polishing

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

DrawverbUS /drɔː/

cause to move by pulling

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

FathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

haue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

Helpe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Helpe, ho, murther, helpe Kent.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

honounUS /hoʊ/

a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs together with yttrium; forms highly magnetic compounds

From this reading Helpe, ho, murther, helpe Kent.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

Ile

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

KentnounUS /kent/

a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

LettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

murther

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Helpe, ho, murther, helpe Kent.

neatadjectiveUS /niːt/

clean or organized

From this reading Strike you slaue: stand rogue, stand you neat slaue, strike Stew.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

puppetsnounUS /ˈpʌpəts/

plural of “puppet” — a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

Rascall

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

RoguenounUS /roʊɡ/

a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

Royaltie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

shanksnounUS /ʃæŋks/

plural of “shank” — a cut of meat (beef or veal or mutton or lamb) from the upper part of the leg

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

slaue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Strike you slaue: stand rogue, stand you neat slaue, strike Stew.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading Strike you slaue: stand rogue, stand you neat slaue, strike Stew.

Ste

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

StewverbUS /stuː/

be in a huff; be silent or sullen

From this reading Stew.

StrikeverbUS /straɪk/

deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

From this reading Strike you slaue: stand rogue, stand you neat slaue, strike Stew.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

Vanitie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

waies

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Away, I haue nothing to do with thee Kent.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Draw you Rascall, you come with Letters against the King, and take Vanitie the puppets part, against the Royaltie of her Father: draw you Rogue, or Ile so carbonado your shanks, draw you Rascall, come your waies Ste.

Chapter 4 of King Lear by William Shakespeare holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 4 of King Lear contain?

Chapter 4 holds 176 sentences of King Lear, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of King Lear by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 4 of King Lear?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading King Lear

Common questions about reading King Lear by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of King Lear?

Yes. All 1952 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1128 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of King Lear is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1128, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does King Lear take to read?

About 162 minutes of reading across 391 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read King Lear section by section

How to work through King Lear section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of King Lear to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in King Lear

Words and structures a reader meets early in King Lear, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Addition
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Lear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Notes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Lear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Below
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Lear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Think
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Lear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.