Is Edmund Selfish In King Lear
The characters in the play who are inherently selfish are the core of the play’s tragic outcome. King Lear mainly focuses on maintaining power and obedience; he goes as far as to disown his own child because he believes she's being defiant. Likewise, Edmund is willing to tear apart his own family in order to gain power and respect, after being mocked for being a bastard child. Goneril and Regan, the daughters of King Lear, are also seeking power and are willing to do anything to achieve their own goals. They work together to take down their own father and each other in the process. These characters are only focused on their own agendas while ignoring the thoughts and feelings of their own family, leading the play into such a disastrous ending.
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Edmund’s selfish ideals are first brought to the audience when he says to himself, “Well then / Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land / Our father's love is to the bastard Edmund / As to the legitimate,” (1.2.16-18). This shows that Edmund wants nothing less than to be seen in the same light as Edgar in Gloucester’s eyes. He yearns for the love and respect Edgar has, and is willing to sacrifice his own brother for his selfish desires. Furthermore, Edmund desires more power, and this time he sacrifices his own father, Gloucester. After his own father confides in his about secretly siding with the weaker side, Edmund says to himself, “This seems a fair deserving, and must draw me / That which my father loses–no less than all,” (3.3.20-21). This proves that Edmund only wants power and respect from the people who are of a higher social class. He sees his father as no more than a pawn in his mind and uses him as so.Edmund’s selfish plans and actions directly affect the play’s tragic outcome by controlling his father, using him, and then turning against him for his own personal
It …show more content…
Edmund’s selfish ideals are first brought to the audience when he says to himself, “Well then / Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land / Our father's love is to the bastard Edmund / As to the legitimate,” (1.2.16-18). This shows that Edmund wants nothing less than to be seen in the same light as Edgar in Gloucester’s eyes. He yearns for the love and respect Edgar has, and is willing to sacrifice his own brother for his selfish desires. Furthermore, Edmund desires more power, and this time he sacrifices his own father, Gloucester. After his own father confides in his about secretly siding with the weaker side, Edmund says to himself, “This seems a fair deserving, and must draw me / That which my father loses–no less than all,” (3.3.20-21). This proves that Edmund only wants power and respect from the people who are of a higher social class. He sees his father as no more than a pawn in his mind and uses him as so.Edmund’s selfish plans and actions directly affect the play’s tragic outcome by controlling his father, using him, and then turning against him for his own personal