The Characterization of Edmund Imagine yourself as an outcast but accepted by name. This life would be confusing, agitating; well to be exact, a problem. All it takes for any considerably good person to become a monster, is just one bad day. Your thoughts would be rash in a sense only for to you determine what “just” is and good would be only things that benefit you. So what makes you wrong, morals? The ones who see different around you? To be frank, you’re evil now. Get used to it because for the most part without death or a life altering change, this is your life. Exciting right? Edmund of the Shakespearean play The Tragedy of King Lear is the exact outcome of what I have proposed to you, the basic bastard child. He is downright wicked. …show more content…
It’s one thing to accuse your brother of wanting to kill his father but now you’re just saying he is downright crazy. As an assumption by the way Gloucester treats and talks to Edgar it’s safe to say that he has, is, and always will be true and loyal to his father. That being said it really is amazing how Gloucester just eats these lies up and believes it without doubt. “Look sir, I bleed,” (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 972). Here Edmund after telling Edgar to run away because his father comes soon, he cuts himself to appear as if Edgar attacked him. Edmund is what you could say to be quick on his feet. No matter the situation he always has a plan or some idea of what he wants and needs to do to get where he is going. Winging it usually is a great downfall but he always manages to pull it off. As intended in the story Edmund is a static character and represents wit, deception, and the wicked. Yet with all these amazing traits comes the consequences of using the for evil and not good. Sadly and ironically him trying to kill Edgar eventually leads to Edgar killing him out of the rage he feels after their father dies. What goes around always comes around good or bad and Edmund just got the bad side
For the rearrangement of the bonds, it is necessary that those based on money, power, land, and deception be to abandoned. In the case of Lear and Goneril and Regan, his two daughters have deceived their father for their personal gain. Furthermore, they had not intended to keep the bond with their father once they had what they wanted. Goneril states "We must do something, and i' th' heat." (I, i, 355), meaning that they wish to take more power upon themselves while they can. By his two of his daughters betraying him, Lear was able to gain insight that he is not as respected as he perceives himself to be. The relationship broken between Edmund his half- bother, Edgar and father, Glouster is similarly deteriorated in the interest of material items. By the end of the play, Edgar has recognized who is brother really is and when he has confronted him says "the more th' hast wronged me...
Even after his clouded judgement, Gloucester admitted that “the grief hath crazed [his] wits” (III.iv.180). Due to Gloucester being a “credulous father / Whose nature is so far from doing harms / That he suspects none” (I.ii.187-189), he was deceived by the craftiness of his illegitimate son and believed that his good son Edgar was evil, thus proving that retributive justice did not win in this case. Gloucester was loyal to King Lear and wanted to help him despite Regan advising him not to do so. Gloucester, unfortunately was concluded to be a spy for France by Edmund to Cornwall. Instead of being sceptical and making a correct judgement, Cornwall immediately believed him and decided to arrest him. Edmund handed him a letter for further proof, but even without reading it, Cornwall proclaimed, “True or false, it hath made [Edmund] Earl of / Gloucester” (III.vi.18-19), and right after decided to arrest the true Earl. Even without his knowledge, his status was handed over to one who did not deserve it, a situation that Nemesis would never have allowed. Finally, after all of this chaos ensues, Gloucester comes to his own home where he is tied to a chair and was cruelly
To begin with, Edgar seems to be the good guy of the story. He does not really do anything bad throughout the novel, with the exception of really
Lear banishes the Earl of Kent whilst the latter is in the process of protecting the relationship between Cordelia and Lear (7). Due to his love for King Lear, Kent disguises himself as a servant in order to protect and serve him (18). When Lear dies, Kent indicates to Albany that he has “a journey [...] shortly to go;/[his] master calls [him, and he] must not say no” (118). Despite the fact that Lear is dead, Kent still continues his facade as a loyal servant, and he would rather die than live without Lear. Another character who turns to madness is Edgar, who at the beginning of the play is naive and does not realize other’s deceit, however, upon realising other’s deceit, he becomes a different person — he becomes Tom o’Bedlam, a beggar (42). He chooses to descend into madness as Tom in order to warn his father and godfather, whom he loves and cares for, about the facetiousness of Edmund, Goneril and Regan. Edgar’s choice for a descent into madness is a strong parallel to Lear, who falls victim to it. Lear is the preeminent character who’s love leads to madness. Lear, whilst talking to the fool, confesses that he did Cordelia wrong and regrets acting as an extremely harsh father to her (29-30). Lear, upon feeling betrayal from his oldest daughters, tells himself to stop feeling heartache since that is what will impel his madness. Lear, later, mentions that Tom o’Bedlam “wert better in [his] grave than to answer with [his] uncovered body” whilst it is pouring rain, but then Lear asks himself if there were “any a man more than that” and begins to disrobe to clothe the homeless, poor Tom
Edgar's role, as an outcast and madman, corresponds to King Lear in four ways: (1) they both are deceived by family. Edgar is deceived by his half brother, and King Lear is deceived by two of his daughters. Edgar babbles about how Edmund deceived him: "Who gives anything to Poor Tom? whom the foul fiend hath led through fire and through flame" (3.4.51-52), and reveals his plan "to kill [the] vermin" (3.4.51-52). And by calling Edmund a "foul fiend" who had "course[d] his own shadow for a traitor" (3.4.57-58), he parallels Edmund with a devil, which is trying to make him commit suicide by laying "knives under his pillow" (3.4.54). And because King Lear's madness begins to be revealed after realizing that he'd been fooled by his daughters (2.4.273-286), he asks Edgar if he became mad due to daughters too (3.4.49-50). (2) The...
King Lear is often regarded as one of Shakespeare’s finest pieces of literature. One reason this is true is because Shakespeare singlehandedly shows the reader what the human condition looks like as the play unfolds. Shakespeare lets the reader watch this develop in Lear’s own decisions and search for the purpose of life while unable to escape his solitude and ultimately his own death. Examining the philosophies Shakespeare embeds into the language and actions of King Lear allows the reader a better understanding of the play and why the play is important to life today.
Shakespeare’s treatment of illegitimacy in the play King Lear can be interpreted in many ways depending on the audience. The situation of illegitimacy is portrayed through the relationships of the characters the Earl Of Gloucester and his two sons Edgar and Edmund. Edmund is the illegitimate son while Edgar was born within the law. We learn of Edmund’s illegitimacy in the opening scene in the first act where The Earl of Gloucester is holding a conversation with Kent while Edmund is nearby. Gloucester speaks flippantly and lightly of the way his illegitimate son came into the world while introducing him to Kent saying, “ Though this knave came something saucily into the world before he was sent for, yet his mother was fair, there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged” (Act I, Scene I, Lines 19-24). There are several peculiar things about this dialogue. One of the interesting aspects of Gloucester and Kent’s discussion is the readiness of Gloucester to admit he has fathered a child out of wedlock. This may be influenced by the fact that Edmund had obviously grown into a son that a father would be proud to have. At first meeting he seems polite, courteous, and loyal. Perhaps these admirable character traits are cause for Gloucester’s willingness to publicly claim Edmund as his own. Another unusual occurrence in the opening dialogue is that Gloucester calls Edmund a whoreson and a knave while he is close by and probably in hearing distance. This seems odd because Gloucester professes to feel only love for his son and no shame but he seems to almost mock him in this situation. One explanation for this behavior may be that deep down Gloucester still harbors some discomfort about the relationship between himself and his son despite his verbal proclamations of shamelessness. This could be inferred from Gloucester’s statement, “ His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge. I have so often blushed to acknowledge him that now I am brazed to ‘t.” (Act I, Scene I, Line 9). Again, depending on the audience the attitudes displayed in the play by the characters and Shakespeare himself by his writing can be interpreted in a variety of ways depending on the observer.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Shakespeare utilizes his ability to use words to paint emotion, the story, and characters into the readers mind. Shakespeare creates the memorable character of Hamlet Junior in his poem, Hamlet, through the characteristics of insanity and madness and suicidal tendencies or thoughts of suicide. His capability of doing so enlarges the ability of the reader to understand the story, but also to construct the storyline.
I grow, I prosper.” Here, he is clearly showing his reasoning as to why he wants to usurp his brother, as doing so will provide him with power, prestige, and prosperity that he is not able to attain while he is still labeled a bastard. Through his actions, he proves that he is capable enough to oust his brother and betray his father, all in order to gain power. Edgar’s blind trust in his brother is seen when Edmund tells him that Edgar may have upset their father when they last spoke. Edmund asks Edgar whether they parted in good terms and whether their father was unhappy with him; Edmund’s answer is “None at all” (1.2.157). Even though Edgar’s answer contradicts Edmund’s assertion, Edgar is still gullible enough to trust his brother and does not question him. This led to his downfall as his trust in his brother led him to believe that Edmund was acting in Edgar’s best interests, while in fact he was not. Furthermore, Edgar’s mistake to trust his brother comes when Edmund tells him to flee. Edmund says to Edgar, “I hear my father
Imperfect traits can make for a unique leader whose actions can lead to their demise. An example of this would be the king in Shakespeare’s tragedy, “King Lear”. His traits make him an interesting king and father, who tends to want things to go his way. Throughout the first act, King Lear has many events of overreaction and selfishness. In the beginning of the act, Lear forces each of his daughters to pronounce their love for him, but when Cordelia refuses, the king banishes her and Kent who tries to defend her. At the end of the act, Lear is unsatisfied again with how his other daughters are treating him. King Lear in Act 1 is egotistical and stubborn in order to show his control over a situation.
Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester is not pleased with his status as a bastard. Edgar the legitimate son of Gloucester stands to obtain the lands, wealth and power of his father. Edmund thinks this is unfair and begins a plot to banish his brother and obtain the lands of his father. He begins by writing a fake letter from Edgar saying that he wants to murder his father and wishes to take power by force. Edmund uses his deceiving abilities to make the letter seem genuine. He lies to his father about how he came into possession of the letter: “It was not brought me, my Lord; t...
Undoubtedly, King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s most revered tragic plays. The complex plot, with its unexpected twists and turns, keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as some of Shakespeare’s most interesting characters, namely Edmund, the illegitimate son of Gloucester and brother of Edgar, are revealed. However, Edmund is truly the unsung hero of the iconic play. Although he is perceived as a Machiavellian vigilante, he is indeed a man whose true intent is simply to correct the injustices and inequalities within society. The fact that he has been brought up in a tormenting environment gives him a justifiable reason to stand up against the immoral society in order to correct the iniquitous
He confirms his reasons for disrupting the established order when he claims… This implies that he is complying with the rules of nature rather than the rules that most of the society chooses to follow. Edmund believes that an illegitimate being cannot survive under the man-made laws of society, therefore he must infringe them for all bastards to achieve justice. Edmund decides to ascend the chain by means of deception and betrayal in response to the lack of recognition he receives from society and his father. Considering Edmund was conceived outside of what would be “human society’s harmonious order”, he is not required to uphold the social order within the country, since he was never apart of it. Edmund is aggravated that although his “mind [is] as generous” as everyone else’s, he does not have any connection with society, which initiates his continuous plan to disrupt any stable relationships; in response to being an outsider. When Edmund achieves power, he becomes consumed by the benefits that come with being recognized. After Goneril and Regan threaten their relationship with jealousy over Edmund, he responds with, “To both these sisters have I sworn my love…Which of them shall I take? Both? One? Neither?” This shows that Edmund is inconsiderate of the various relationships he is disrupting due to being newly recognized by society. Even after Edmund is acknowledged by his father through his words, “I'll work the means to make thee capable” he is still unsatisfied. Although recognition from his father was partly what Edmund was striving for, the new influence he has over society has made him protective of his title within society. He must eliminate his father from the social order and repel his brother away from receiving Gloucester’s throne in order for him to be ensured the position on the wheel of fortune, permanently. Edmund’s pinnacle of power causes him to utter, This
Edmund lusted for all of his father’s power, lying to his gullible brother and father aided him in his plan for total authority along with destroying their lives. As bastard son of Gloucester, Edmund wanted to receive all of the power destined for his brother, Edgar, who was Gloucester’s legitimate son. Edmund stated his disapproval of his brother, “Wherefore should I/ Stand in the plague of custom, and permit/ The curiosity of nations to deprive me/ For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines/ Lag of a brother? Why bastard?”(1.2.2-6). Edmund wanted the respect and love that Edgar received even though he was Gloucester’s bastard son. He claimed that he was not much younger or “moonshines lag of a brother” therefore he should be considered just as smart and able-minded as any legitimate son. He built up hatred toward Edgar and in order to get rid of him he convinced his father that Edgar had betrayed him through a letter. The letter that Edmund made read, “If our father would sleep till I waked him, you/ should enjoy half his revenue for ever, and live/ the beloved of your brother, Edgar”(1.2.55-57). Edmund portrayed Edgar as the son that would kill Gloucester only to inherit his money and share his inheritance with Edmund. Gloucester believed Edmund, sending out guards to kill Edgar for his betrayal...
In our world today, we come across all sorts of people. Some you see do evil actions and some you see do good actions. The person doing a good action might be a psychotic killer-- you never know. The other person doing the evil action, could be a priest. Not everything you see people do shows what type of person they really are inside. These people may look one way on the outside, but the world can change the way they see the world and their ultimate actions. Regardless of how someone seems, they are consistently changing because of the evil energies of the world. Humans are all born good and pure, although as we grow up we are corrupted by the evil world around us.