Kent arrives, disguised as a servant, and offers his services to Lear, Lear accepts but as a result of the servants' and Goneril’s lack of respect for him, he storms out of her house. He then goes to Regan's house. While leaving, the fool again criticizes Lear for giving his lands to his daughters. Lear is worried he is going mad.
At Gloucester's castle, Edmund tells Edgar to flee, then cutss himself to make it look like Edgar cut him. Gloucester vows to capture Edgar and reward Edmund. Regan and Cornwall talk to Albany about their problems with Lear. Kent comes to Gloucester's with a message from Lear and meets Oswald with a message from Goneril. Kent fights Oswald, but Cornwall and Regan break it up after this Kent is put in the stocks for a day. Lear arrives to find Kent in the stocks. At first, Regan and Cornwall refuse to see Lear which makes him more angry but then they allow him to enter. Oswald and Goneril arrive, which gets Lear even more angry. After this he leaves Gloucester's castle into a storm. His daughters are glad he has left, though Gloucester is worried about his health.
In the storm, Kent sends a man to Dover to tell Cordelia. Her French forces have arrived to rescue Lear and help him fight Albany and Cornwall. Lear stands in the storm shouting but Kent convinces him to hide in a hovel. Gloucester tells Edmund about the French forces and leaves. Edmund then plans to betray his father and tell Cornwall. Kent finds Lear, quite mad, in the storm, and tries to take him into the cave. Just then, Edgar comes out of the cave, pretending to be a madman. Lear refuses to go into the cave. Gloucester arrives and convinces them all to go to a farmhouse. Edmund, tells Cornwall about Gloucester's dealings with the French army. Cornwall vows to arrest Gloucester and name Edmund the Duke of Gloucester.
On the Lear pretends his two eldest daughters are on trial for betraying him. Edgar says that the King's situation makes it difficult to keep up his act. Gloucester returns and convinces Lear, Kent, and the fool to flee because Cornwall plans to kill him. Cornwall captures Gloucester for being a traitor and plucks out his eyeballs. Gloucester's servant rescues him from Cornwall and they flee to Dover. Gloucester and the servant meet Edgar (still in disguise)who leads his father (Gloucester) the rest of the way.
At Albany's palace, Goneril promises her love to Edmund. Albany believes that the daughters mistreated Lea. A messenger brings news that Cornwall has been killed by a servant who attacked him while he was plucking out Gloucester's eyeballs. Albany, feeling sorry for Gloucester vows revenge.
At Dover, Cordelia sends a someone out to find her father. Regan tells Oswald to tell Edmund that she wants to marry him as Cornwall is dead. Edgar pretends to let Gloucester jump off dover cliffs (Gloucester believes it happened), then Edgar pretends to be a different man at the bottom and continues to help his father. Lear now completely mad approaches and speaks to them. Cordelia's men arrive and take Lear to her. Oswald finds Edgar and Gloucester and threatens to kill them. Edgar, though, kills Oswald, and discovers that Goneril plants to murder Albany and marry Edmund. At Cordelia's camp, King Lear awakes and recognizes Cordelia.
At a different camp, Goneril, whilest arguing with Albany says that she would rather lose the battle than let Regan marry Edmund. Edgar still in disguise, tells of plots against Albany. Lear and Cordelia are captured in battle by Edmund. Edmund sends them to jail and tells the Captain to kill them. Edgar arrives and fights with Edmund, who admits everything. Goneril poisons Regan, then stabs herself. Edmund says he and Regan ordered the Captain to hang Cordelia and kill Lear. Lear then emerges with a dead Cordelia, and says that he killed the Captain that hung her. Edmund dies and King Lear mourning Cordelia dies.
