Shakespeare on the subject of torture

Torture has been around for centuries and millenia and the great literary artists have had something to say about it, none the least of which has been Shakespeare.  In his blog, Jeff Kaye shares a passage from King Lear in which Shakespeare presents torture and "makes clear at the very beginning, the torture is not in the main about gaining information, but about exerting control, and serves as a release for Cornwall and Regan’s "wrath" and sadism." 

Shakespeare lovers, eat your heart out at http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/35173#