After spending the enitre play manipulating and desroying the lives of everyone around him Edmund spends his last few moments of the play repentant and looking to undo some of the damage he did. In the end, I feel bad for him. Maybe I'm just too soft but I did feel sympathy for the bastard (in both senses of the word). Maybe what saves him from being completely un-smpathtic is the fact that his evil is very machiavellian in nature. Yes it's selfish and bad, but bad in an opportunistic way. He feels he must act like this in oder to achive and station in life. Compare this to say, Iago from Othello who is just evil for the sake. Now that guy was a bastard.
One of my favorite moments in the play is when Edmond and Edgar exchange words of forgivness right before they fight. I felt it was very original and refreshing even when compared with modern stories. I can't think of another set of characters who, though rivals and enemies, come to terms with each other and agree to kill each other albiet in an atmosphere of undersanding and honor.
5 comments:
I agree with you, for some odd reason I found myself feeling sympathetic towards Edmund. I can see how he would feel unwanted and even jealous of his half brother to the point where he would do all that he did. I don't think it justifies his actions, but at the end he definitely became a character whom I felt sympathy for and actually liked.
I agree with you too, Chris. Maybe it's just that feeling of the whole bastard child and "it's not really his fault" ordeal. How can we blame him, you know? Good post!
The problem I've had with Edmund is precisely the one I had with Shylock. We have a character with legitimate grievances who has been undoubtedly wronged, yet the means by which he rights these wrongs are immoral and villainous. This is likely true of all villains, even outside the world of fiction. Shakespeare is simply sympathetic enough to all of humanity to present even the nastiest characters' grievances.
It is definitely possible to find the good in any person, but it comes down to the person that is giving this forgiveness. This does say a lot about the person's character and their integrity as a human, but is certainly not a problem in their character. I think that it comes down to how someone finds the balance between good and evil, in addition to the details surrounding their life.
I agree. Although Edmund does everything in his power to make the people around him miserable, the audience can see the motivation behind his vindictive actions. The motivation almost excuses him from his reproachable deeds, but not quite.
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