Most of Shakespeare’s tragedies, such as Othello, the Merchant of Venice, and Titus Adronicus, have a character or set of characters that embody the immoral and depraved aspect of humanity. Such villains are often manipulative and scheming individuals who seek to bring sorrow and grief to other characters within the play for a multitude of reasons, some of which include pleasure, revenge, and social aspirations. The character of Edmund, the son of the Earl of Gloucester, is one that stands out in Shakespeare’s Tragedy of King Lear because of his embodiment of the characteristics typical to the Shakespearian villain.

Edmund is the illegitimate offspring of Gloucester. Society and to a lesser extent his father mock him for his secondary status within the social hierarchy. He resents society for shunning him due to his birth status, for branding him with the title of bastard and for preventing him from legally claiming the recognition he believes is his birthright. He further resents his legitimate half-brother Edgar because of society’s acknowledgement of his claim to their father’s title, wealth, and name. It becomes evident in Act I scene 2 that Edmund aims to ensure that he “the base shall top the legitimate” Edgar (I.2.15). This resentment, harbored for many years, is ultimately acted upon when Edmund seeks to breach the strong bond between Edgar and Gloucester. His purpose for this separation is made evident when he states “Legitimate Edgar I must have your land” (I.2.11). Since he cannot seize the land that has been allocated to Edgar through legitimate means, he does so by planting false evidence, manipulating many the characters within the play, and playing the part of the loyal son.  He states, “let me if not by birth, have lands by wit” and he does exactly that by setting father and son against each other and by convincing others of Edgar’s “villainy” (I.2.162).

Edmund’s schemes to implicate his half-brother in a false conspiracy against Gloucester’s life resemble those of other famous Shakespearian villains, such as Othello’s Iago and Titus Adronicus’ Aaron the Moor and Tamora. He is highly manipulative, easily able to control a situation and guide the thoughts of others in any direction he chooses. This is first made evident when he convinces Gloucester, simply through the use of a fabricated letter, that Edgar was after his life. By decrying the importance of the letter, he goads Gloucester to read it and sets off the chain of events that has Edgar running for his life. He is able to create and enact elaborate schemes, one such being the “sword fight” he has with Edgar, in which he garners sympathy, while solidifying Gloucester’s hatred against Edgar, by intentionally injuring himself. These examples can be compared to Tamora’s efforts to avenge the murder of her son, which she does by falsely implicating Titus’ sons in the murder of the emperor’s brother through the use of a letter as well and by entrapping them at the scene of the murder. Furthermore, his ability to remain the innocent bystander or to be the “hero” can be likened to the role that Iago played in Othello. Despite the fact that Iago blatantly admitted his crimes to those around him, he was trusted by all until the end, when his evil deeds were revealed. Similarly, Edmund gains the trust of not only Gloucester, but of Edgar, Cornwall, and Regan. Despite the fact that Edgar realized that “some villain has done him wrong,” he continues to blindly trust Edmund, a faith that leads to Gloucester casting him off (I.2.144).

Although Edmund is as much a villain of the play as are King Lear’s eldest two daughters, Goneril and Regan,  and he follows the guidelines of the typical Shakespearian Villain, one who is cunning, highly intelligent and influential, and easily able to asses a situation and maneuver it in his favor, his motivations seem to shed a new light on his character. They are not fueled purely by a desire to acquire and retain immense wealth and power, such as Shylock’s were in the Merhcant of Venice, nor does he derive outright pleasure from his heinous deeds, as did Aaron the Moor in Titus Adronicus. Rather, from what has been explored thus far in the first two acts, he has a great desire, even a need to be recognized by his father and by society and to receive the love that has been showered on Edmund throughout his life. This wish for acceptance, for love, a concept not accepted by most of the other villains, somewhat sets him apart from them.