Who is edmund in king lear

He manages to convince everyone of his loyalty to them, beginning with his father, while in truth working for no one but himself and betraying without a wualm all who trust him when he needs to.

Introduced by his father as his bastard on all occasions, and having to hear Gloucester discuss how much fun he had conceiving the lad, he does not consider his bastardy a good enough reason for him to have no land of his own and hence no money.

Only this last part of the plan fails. He is a brilliant actor and an excellent fighter. When both Goneril and Regan fall for him, he has no particular opinion as to which one to go with.

He overreaches himself when he begins to act as though he is already of equal rank to Albany. To rid himself of his father, Edmund feigns regret and laments that his nature, which is to honor his father, must be subordinate to the loyalty he feels for his country.

Thus, Edmund excuses the betrayal of his own father, having willingly and easily left his father vulnerable to Cornwall's anger. Later, Edmund shows no hesitation, nor any concern about killing the king or Cordelia. Yet in the end, Edmund repents and tries to rescind his order to execute Cordelia and Lear, and in this small measure, he does prove himself worthy of Gloucester's blood.

Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title. Edmund never apologises for his wickedness; he revels in it right up to the final scene. All the beliefs he outlines in Act I Scene 2 suggest he rejects the hierarchy that has made his father and brother so prosperous.

Surely Edmund cannot therefore be viewed as an anti-establishment figure? Yet Edmund is subversive. The alacrity of his rise is an indication of this. He is responsible for the deaths of three princesses, as well as the cruel maiming of his father. His progress is halted too late to save Lear. By the end of the final scene Edmund has proved himself to be formidably destructive. He almost obtains everything he wants. However, we come to loathe everything Edmund stands for.