I heard myself proclaimed,
And by the happy hollow of a tree
Escaped the hunt. No port is free; no place
That guard and most unusual vigilance
Does not attend my taking. Whiles I may ‘scape,
I will preserve myself, and am bethought
To take the basest and most poorest shape
That ever penury in contempt of man
Brought near to beast.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 2, Scene 3. Having fled his father’s castle and hearing himself declared an outlaw, Edgar has fled to the wilderness and realizes that no port or road is safe for him. He may seem gullible and a bit of a fool, having been so easily duped by brother Edmund, but Edgar the fugitive quickly finds a smart solution to his problem. He plans to save himself by taking on the disguise of a fool and a beggar. He will reinvent himself as the filthiest, lowliest beggar that was ever hated by man, he says.