Edmund: Not A Villain
Jennifer McMahon
Mrs. Mattachini
ENG 4U1
May 9 2014
Two Sides to Every Person There are two sides to every story; that of the protagonist and that of the antagonist. As shown in the Shakespearean play King Lear, there is very little difference between the two. Edmund, who appears to be a villain, is more than meets the eye. His evil is a rebellion against the social order that denies him legitimacy. His villainy does not come from innate cruelty but from misdirected desire for familial love. His remorse in the end displays his humanity and blindness. Through his nature, the social construct, and the humanity he exemplifies, it is impossible to regard Edmund as a villain, but as an unavoidable force of nature. Edmund’s cruelty is a rebellion against the unnatural social construct in which he is living. He is the only character in the play who is aware of his nature and of the nature of society. In this knowledge, he notices the ways in which the kingdom is beginning to part ways with the natural order, and seeks to set it right. He is alive in a culture which claims that they must “shake all cares and business from [their] age/Conferring them on younger strengths, while [they]/Unburdenth’d crawl toward death” (Lear. I.i.39-41). In a society focused so intently on issues of nature and civilization, the reversal of natural order affects a great deal. Edmund, in his knowledge of this reversal, does not become a villain seeking personal gain; he seeks to chastise the wicked and to point the way to atonement by highlighting the areas in which society has begun descending into chaos. He feels the justness of his cause, and therefore is willing to become villainous for it. He asks, “Wherefore should I/stand in the plague of custom, and permit/The curiosity of nations to deprive me” (Lear. I.ii.2-4). Edmund, in his cruelty and depravity, believes himself to be a hero. He is fighting for equality by opposing the culture which has deprived him and all other bastards
Mrs. Mattachini
ENG 4U1
May 9 2014
Two Sides to Every Person There are two sides to every story; that of the protagonist and that of the antagonist. As shown in the Shakespearean play King Lear, there is very little difference between the two. Edmund, who appears to be a villain, is more than meets the eye. His evil is a rebellion against the social order that denies him legitimacy. His villainy does not come from innate cruelty but from misdirected desire for familial love. His remorse in the end displays his humanity and blindness. Through his nature, the social construct, and the humanity he exemplifies, it is impossible to regard Edmund as a villain, but as an unavoidable force of nature. Edmund’s cruelty is a rebellion against the unnatural social construct in which he is living. He is the only character in the play who is aware of his nature and of the nature of society. In this knowledge, he notices the ways in which the kingdom is beginning to part ways with the natural order, and seeks to set it right. He is alive in a culture which claims that they must “shake all cares and business from [their] age/Conferring them on younger strengths, while [they]/Unburdenth’d crawl toward death” (Lear. I.i.39-41). In a society focused so intently on issues of nature and civilization, the reversal of natural order affects a great deal. Edmund, in his knowledge of this reversal, does not become a villain seeking personal gain; he seeks to chastise the wicked and to point the way to atonement by highlighting the areas in which society has begun descending into chaos. He feels the justness of his cause, and therefore is willing to become villainous for it. He asks, “Wherefore should I/stand in the plague of custom, and permit/The curiosity of nations to deprive me” (Lear. I.ii.2-4). Edmund, in his cruelty and depravity, believes himself to be a hero. He is fighting for equality by opposing the culture which has deprived him and all other bastards