Lear Fate Quotes

Edmund is the most methodical in his deceptions. Both he and his brother seem oddly adept at trickery, but Edmund fooled his brother and his father. First he forges a letter to turn Gloucester against Edgar. Then he convinces Edgar to leave, which will only make the legitimate son look guilty. He tells him that he has read the stars and that Edgar should flee. While Edmund does not believe astrology works, he is very intelligent and knows that he can use it to his advantage. He uses this to maintain his visage of innocence. Continuing the charade, he convinces his father to

Edmund writes a fake letter signed by Edgar about a plot to kill Gloucester in order to share the wealth between the two sons. After Gloucester reads the letter, he becomes enraged and is in disbelief of what he read and rejects his legitimate son, Edgar. Edmund at the same time is telling Edgar that Gloucester is angry at him and that he should run off and not return. Edmund’s plan succeeds because he is very good at gaining people’s trust which helps him to manipulate others into doing what he wants. Edmund feels he must use people or else he will always be seen as a “bastard”.

In this soliloquy, the audience gets its first glimpse of the character of Goneril. The full spectrum of her greed and selfishness will not be revealed until later, but this is certainly a good sample of her personality. Her profession of love is so large that it seems almost artificial, and it also seems motivated by the fact that possession of land is involved. Still, Lear seems immensely pleased by her statement, and requests a similar profession of love from his other daughter, Regan. She obliges, and in her declaration she tells her father that she loves him even more than Goneril does. Regan emerges from her

Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester, is very savage and cruel towards his own family. His ultimate downfall is his greedy nature. Even though, Gloucester loves both of his sons equally, Edmund feels that his accidental birth has been unjust and wants to take over all his father’s land and subsequently the whole kingdom. We begin to see Edmund’s greedy nature, when he begins to plot against his own brother, Edgar. Edmund uses a forged letter saying how Edgar wants to take over their father’s land.

Lear was so hung up on the fact that Goneril and Regan were able to tell him how much they love him but Cordelia was not that he had no insight into why Cordelia was doing what she was. Lear now sees how gullible he was to believe what his daughters were saying. Lear unfortunately learns his lesson too late because Cordelia dies soon after and Lear does not get the chance to enjoy the unconditional love that he should have valued in the

Goneril's first underhanded act, falsely professing an exalted love for her father solely in order to gain more land, does not constitute an isolated incident; Lear's blindness to the love of Cordelia fosters Goneril's megalomaniacal tendencies as well as permits likeminded Regan, "of the self-same metal that [Goneril] is," to commit the same trespass (1.1, 69). Although Goneril speaks first and delivers a very calculated response, Cordelia's genuine, candid answer should have trumped the transparent rejoinders of her sisters. Instead, Lear falls victim to their ploy and invests far too much command in Goneril; she responds as would anyone of her ambitious disposition and decides that she "must do something, and i' the heat," meaning take advantage of Lear's burgeoning infirmity (1.1, 308).

Starting the play with the revelation of Edmund’s plans to see his half brother and father’s downfall, we receive an image of a father who cares only for pure bloods of higher class per say. One can conclude that this man is obviously high class and stereo typically favors the older, direct bloodline son, nevertheless, we can’t take a rash conclusion so fast. Thus, we wait for the plot to develop and let us glance into the true selves of the characters further. We come to the knowledge that Lord Gloucester realizes he values his ties with the king to a great extent, him risking and losing his title as lord due to aiding King Lear. Afterwards, we see him come to appreciation of virtues of honesty and his sons after he is captured by the Duke, losing his eyes as punishment. Gloucester as a character has developed greatly, going forth through challenges and misdemeanors against his pride and being, ending disgraced and blind. Yet, he holds a calm sense to himself, valuing what he has left and becoming more than humble with others. This is a transformation worthy of Shakespeare himself, rather impressive at the very least. This man has lived through the betrayal of his bastard child and being blinded violently for helping a distressed king, he has sacrificed much with spiritual values in return. Astounding that he didn’t suicide out of pure remorse that he will never be able to witness the world again. Unfortunately, he does die of a mixture of happiness and shock when he is revealed that Edgar still breathes life, so he has that going for

Upon hearing this, Edmund presents himself as sympathetic and supportive towards Gloucester. After his father leaves, Edmund reveals to the reader his true intentions of betraying his father and taking his title. This abrupt transformation of attitude and objective is part of the theme of “Appearance vs Reality.” Although he appears to be loyal and innocent to Gloucester, the reality is that he is planning to overthrow Gloucester and is apathetic towards his

The power that makes Edmund corrupt is trust. He uses the trust to manipulate and control his father for the benefit of himself. He frames his brother by composing a false letter to his father implicating a plot to kill Gloucester, that when “our father would sleep till I waked him, you should enjoy half his revenue forever.” (1, 2, 55-56) Gloucester replies with “this villain of mine comes under the prediction of mine: there’s son against father” (1, 2, 112-117) This shows that Gloucester had great faith and trust in his son Edgar. To better his plan he goes to Edgar and convinces him to run away. The thought that he would frame his own brother for the chance to gain power shows his corruption, and that he will do anything to have more power. Edmund writes another letter, except this implicates his father in a plot with France to kill The Duke of Cornwall. He does this so that “the younger rises [and] the old doth fall” (3, 4, 25) and he will become the Earl. Edmund is so corrupted and blinded by his quest for power that he is willing to jeopardize his father’s

Like Lear, Gloucester fails to see the true nature of his children and also invokes the language of nature in blind ways. After wrongly condemning Edgar he calls Edmund a "loyal and natural boy" (II. i. 85).

Unlike King Lear, Edmund has no power at the beginning of the play. Being Gloucester’s youngest and illegitimate son he is not accepted by society or his father. Gloucester says in front of Edgar, “His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge / I have so often blushed to acknowledge him that now I am brazed to it” (1.1.8-9).  Edgar, Edmund’s older brother will inherit their father's wealth, land, and title. Knowing this Edmund’s hunger for power has probably grown through the years, giving him the motivation to act the way he did. In 1.2 Edmund tells the audience that he’s going to con

After King Lear’s two oldest daughters, Goneril and Regan express their love for their father in a flattering speech they were granted their share of the kingdom, and Cordelia his youngest daughter and favorite daughter refused to play along, Lear felts she was disrespectful and she was banished from his sight. Cordelia bids farewell to her sisters, and tells them that she knows they don’t love him, “I know you what you are, and like a sister am most loath to call your faults as they are named.” (1.2.273-275). “Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides; who covers faults, at last shame them derides. Well may you prosper!” (1.2.284-286). Once Cordelia left, Goneril and Regan revealed to the audience that they had no love for their father.

Lear 's lost royal authority now transfers to his two daughters, Goneril and Regan, and they deceitfully use this power against him. Ironically, Lear also falls in status, to a level inferior to that of his own children. Goneril no longer loves him "beyond all manner" and Regan no longer is "an enemy to all other joys" as they have professed in the beginning (I.i. 61, 73). Instead, Goneril reprimands his father for the way his servants and knights have "infected" her home (I.iv.237). Regan follows suit, and insist that "The old man and his people/ Cannot be well bestowed" (II.iv.258). His daughters no longer even respect him. Lear has now lost his identity as a father, since he even confesses that "[He] should be false persuaded / [He] had daughters" (I.iv.227-228). Troubled and confused, Lear reveals his weakened sense of identity when asking "Who is it that can tell me who I am" (I.iv.224). Stripped of authority as king, Lear has now also

Edmund’s frustration at the treatment of illegitimate children was present from the start of the play, as he exclaimed: “Why ‘bastard’?/ [..] When my mind as generous and my shape as true / As honest madam’s issue?” (I ii 6-7). He considered himself an

Edmund , an extremist of evil is emotionally moved by Edgar's account of Gloucester, he shows remourse and regret when he realises the destruction of his actions. Edmund makes a bleated efort to undo some of the evil he has intended by revealing he has signed Lear and Cordelia's death warrants : ''Some good i mean to do despite mine nature''. Here we see that even the villainous Edmund is not entirely devoid humanity