King Lear - Edmund Quotes

Act 1, Scene 2: Edmund's ambition to subvert the natural order - seems to have an obsession with his own illegitimacy

'Edmund the base, shall top th' legitimate. I grow; I prosper. Now, gods, stand up for bastards!'

Act 1, Scene 2: Celestial imagery used to support Edmund's desire to change his destiny as an illegitimate son

'we make

guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and the stars'

Act 3, Scene 3: ominous end to a soliloquy - Edmund announces his plans to topple his father and take over

'The younger rises when the old doth fall'

Act 3, Scene 5: Prolific use of asides makes Edmund feel 'unnatural' due to his uncomplicated self ambition and breaking of the fourth wall

'[aside] If I find him comforting the King, it will stuff his

suspicion more fully.'

Act 5, Scene 1: Edmund revels in the power and control he has over Goneril and Regan - use of rhetorical questions makes it seem like he's toying with the idea of what he could do

'Which of them shall I take?

Both? one? or neither? Neither can be enjoy'd,

If both remain alive.'

Act 5, Scene 3: On the brink of death, Edmund reflects on his journey on the wheel of fortune

'The wheel is come full circle; I am here.'