Describe the first impression that the reader gets from the character of Edmund in William Shakespeare's 'King Lear'

Presentation of Edmund in Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ in Act One, Scene Two

In act one scene two of Shakespeare’s King Lear, the sub-plot continues with Gloucester’s family and the events that will occur. Edmund, Gloucester’s younger illegitimate son, plans to take Edward’s share of land from him through manipulating his father into perceiving Edgar as the bad son and him to be the innocent one, informing him of a letter that hints at murdering Gloucester. Gloucester is convinced that the letter was truly of Edgar’s doing, or so he thinks, and sends Edmund looking for Edgar of who is sent away by Edmund to hide until Gloucester calms down.
Edmund enters this scene reciting a soliloquy. In this soliloquy the reader is able to understand why Edmund’s character acts and thinks the way that he does, being the malcontent of the play. First and foremost, the reader gets the impression that Edmund’s actions are of natural impulses, ‘Thou, nature; my services are bound.’, showing animalistic tendencies in going by his primal instinct to go for what he wants when he wants it. Edmund feels downtrodden being in a ‘plague of custom’, society being compared to a gross infestation that shadows over his status as a human that rejects him; primogeniture. Edmund is also envious of his brother, Edgar, for many things. He questions why society degrades him just because he is ‘twelve or fourteen moon-shines lag of a brother’. It questions as to why fate would draw him in an unfortunate situation, which leads to him doubt in the stars, which was quite radical in their time considering that the general beliefs were amongst them. He questions himself further, ‘why bastard?’ rhetorically questioning why he is labelled this way, showing how strongly it affects him. The constant questioning continues, ‘Baseness? Bastardy? Base, base?’, Shakespeare adds the repetitive rhetorical questions to express how Edmund’s mind is circling around this concept of how he is constantly reminded of his low place in society, yet it is due to circumstance and credible ability nor talent. Edmund tries to justify himself (to himself) how his ‘mind is just as generous, shape just as true’ and ‘as honest madam’s issue’ referring to how he was brought into the world as natural as Edgar. Edmund also voices his opinions on legitimate children like Edgar, in saying that they were born out of ‘dull, stale’ reproduction and glorifies people of his status being born out of ‘the lusty stealth of nature’ connoting passion and drive that he believes to be born with. Later in this scene the sub plot continues with Edmund playing coy with his father in luring him to read a letter that he produced in Edgar’s handwriting. ‘I find it unfit for your o’er-looking.’ To which Gloucester replies ‘Give me the letter, sir.’ His imperative tone connotes a sense of urgency, the exact outcome that Edmund intends. Once Gloucester reads the letter, he immediately accuses Edgar, ‘O villain, villain’ making the swift presumption that Edmund manipulates him into thinking. Edmund’s character expresses his trait of angst against astronomy. ‘often the surfeits of our own behaviour, we make guilty of our disasters the sun, moon and stars; the excellent foppery of the world.’ In this extract he continues to ridicule and make subordinates of the people around him in the way they believe in astrology and rely on the sun, moon and stars to be responsible partly for their actions. In that sense, Edmund finds people weak. Shakespeare portrays Edmund to be quite barbaric, ‘I am lecherous and rough. Fut!’ the exclamatory phrase exploits this manner and perceives Edgar to be a character that uses aggressive language showing connotations of pugnaciousness. As well this, Edmund’s character shows traits of being disrespectful and ill-mannered, calling his father ‘whoremaster’ disregarding any relationship and authority that he has over him. His arrogance is further explored in gloating how he should have had ‘the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkle on my bastardizing!’