Edmund in King Lear

A detailed Summary of Edmund in King Lear

The development of the character is a genuinely important asset to the presentation of a story. Shakespeare is no stranger to producing a strong representation of his cast through different development methods. In the tragedy King Lear, the character Edmund, who is the illegitimate son to the Earl of Gloucester, is almost immediately presented to the audience as a villain. Shakespeare does this through the usage of monologues and his relation to other characters throughout the play. However, despite his villainous portrayal, there is a sense of redemption for the traitor before his death at the close of the play.

Shakespeare is known for being an extremely versatile playwright, producing perhaps the most powerful and influential tragedies and comedies. The historic story of King Lear, which fits the tragedy mold, follows the family problems revolving around King Lear and the Earl of Gloucester. The story begins when the 80-year-old King of Britain decides to retire and divide his land among his three daughters: Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Cordelia, King Lear's youngest daughter, is almost immediately dispossessed of the rights to her land, and is cast from the kingdom after she does not profess her love to her father

And my invention thrive, Edmund the base

Which he intends to Lear and to Cordelia,

Shall never see his pardon; for my state

That hast this fortune on me? If thou 'rt noble,

Her husband being alive., Now then we'll use

Even though Edmund has revealed his feelings about the distress of having two lovers, he does not totally come clean. This may confuse the audience since it seems as if the character is being double-sided, which does not totally redeem him. He announces "There's my exchange. What in the world he is that names me traitor, villain-like he lies call by thy trumpet. He that dares approach, on him, on you, who not? I will maintain my truth and honor firmly" (V.ii.99). He once again is lying in order to hide what his true intent is by saying that he is not a traitor despite the accusations that the Duke of Albany has brought about. Edmund and his brother Edgar, who is in a disguise, fight together and Edmund is mortally wounded.

His speedy taking off. As for the mercy

Exasperates, makes mad her sister Goneril;

Some common words found in the essay are:
Duke Albany, Vi55 Act, Earl Gloucester, Goneril Regan, Legitimate Edgar, Lear Cordelia, Gloucester Edgar, III Edmund, King Lear's, IIIiii17 Shakespeare, king lear, duke albany, earl gloucester, goneril murdered, edmund's character, goneril regan, lear cordelia,

Approximate Word count = 1506
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

"Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
Jack M.
"With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
Brian P.
"I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
Sara J.
"I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
Rachel W.
"I love this site!!!"
Marie N.

Edmund in King Lear

Related Essays

Professional Essays

Saved Paper

Newest Essays

Testimonials