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Quote 13 Thou hast seen a farmer’s dog bark at a beggar?[…]there thou mightst behold the great image of authority: a dog’s obeyed in office. (IV.vi) Meaning Like everything Lear says to Gloucester on Dover beach, these lines are the rambling of a madman, but they contain an undeniable and bitter truth. Lear’s suffering and madness have taught him self-knowledge, in particular the knowledge that Lear the man is separate from Lear the king. As a result, Lear has gained several insights about the nature of his vanished power. In these lines he expresses the truth that anyone can wield power if they hold “office,” regardless of their personal qualities. Lear may have his daughters Regan and Goneril in mind, since he has compared both of them to dogs in previous scenes.