GLOUCESTER: O, let me kiss that hand!
LEAR: Let me wipe it first; it smells of mortality.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 4, Scene 6. The blinded Gloucester cannot see the raving Lear, but recognizes his voice and begs to kiss his hand as a sign of respect. The mad Lear has his eyesight but does not recognize Gloucester, and makes the irrational comment that he must wipe his hand first because it smells of death. What does Lear mean? Lear’s hands may be dirty, he may feel unworthy, or humanity may be dead to him and he wants to wash the traces off.