Note to King Lear, 2.1.19: "Brother, a word, descend"


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King Lear,
Act 2, Scene 1, line 19
The word "descend" may indicate that Edmund has been hiding in the second-story gallery above the back of the stage; Gloucester, who is trying to catch his son Edgar in the act of betraying him, may be in the same gallery, so that the entire audience could see him trying to overhear the conversation between Edgar and Edmund.

The drawing below shows three spaces where Gloucester and Edgar could be hiding: the left "Window stage," the "Chamber, with Tarras in front," and the right "Window stage." However, there may have been only a single gallery, or a single window for actors, with the rest of space occupied by spectators.



Interior of Globe Theatre