Editing King Lear (section)

===Act III===
[[File:Benjamin West King Lear Act III scene 4.jpg|thumb|''King Lear'', [[Benjamin West]] (1788)]]
Kent later follows to protect Lear. Gloucester protests against Lear's mistreatment. With Lear's retinue of a hundred knights dissolved, the only companions he has left are his Fool and Kent. Wandering on the [[heath]] after the storm, Edgar, in the guise of a madman named [[Tom o' Bedlam]], meets Lear. Edgar babbles madly while Lear denounces his daughters. Kent leads them all to shelter.

Kent tells a gentleman that a French army has landed in Britain, aiming to reinstate Lear to the throne. He then sends the gentleman to give Cordelia a message while he looks for King Lear on the heath. Meanwhile, Edmund learns that Gloucester is aware of France's impending invasion and betrays his father to Cornwall, Regan, and Goneril. Once Edmund leaves with Goneril to warn Albany about the invasion, Gloucester is arrested, and Regan and Cornwall [[Eye-gouging|gouge out Gloucester's eyes]]. As they do this, a servant is overcome with horror and comes to Gloucester's defence, mortally wounding Cornwall. Regan kills the servant and tells Gloucester that Edmund betrayed him. Then, as she did to her father in Act II, she sends Gloucester out to wander the heath.