Passage III (Shakespeare, King Lear, 4.6.160–67)
Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand!
Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thine own back;
Thou hotly lust'st to use her in that kind
For which thou whipp'st her. The usurer hangs the cozener.
Through tatter'd clothes small vices do appear;
Robes and furr'd gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks;
Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw does pierce it.
Who speaks these lines, and to whom?
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Correct answer: C. Lear to Gloucester
Explanation
Mad Lear to the blinded Gloucester near Dover ('reason in madness').
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