Edmund

[gaskillmonster]

i have just read king lear for my ap english class. i am now going to do a report on edmund in king lear. my teacher said that i could use other peoples opinions and info in it. I would classify it as an inter view. so if anyone could just post anything they want on edmund. feel free to. i am not asking anyone to do it for me(just to be clear):) :thumbs_up

[Redzeppelin]

Hi there - one of the best discussions of Edmund I've read is that he fits the Elizabethan image of the Machiavellian Villain (much like Richard III). If you've not read Machiavelli's The Prince, then I'll try and be brief. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a profoundly influencial book entitled The Prince that laid out the "rules" for the successful rulership of a kingdom. Much of what he said horrified the Elizabethans because Machiavelli essentially said "do whatever it takes to maintain control of your people, even if it means doing immoral things - lying, cheating, etc." If you examine Edmund's behavior, you will see that he follows this idea - that he creates/breaks alliances, lies and manipulates others in order to "rise" from the rank of "bastard" (social lesser who cannot inherit his father's estate) to paramour (uh, lover) of one of the ruling sisters of Britain (while also romancing the other sister in order to "stack the deck" in his favor - yet another Machiavellian hint). Machiavelli essentiall said that conscience should not hinder one's ability to lead and rule.

Hope that's helpful.

[gaskillmonster]

thanx that helps a lot:D