King Lear Act 5 Scene 1


yyThe battle is about to begin and Edmund wonders if Albany still intends to fight. Regan is more interested in Edmund and whether or not he has been intimate with Goneril. He assures her that he feels only respectable or ‘honoured love’ for Goneril and appears shocked at the thought he could have an affair with a married woman.


yyAlbany arrives and Edmund urges him to prepare his army for battle as quickly as possible.


yyAlone on stage at the end of the scene, Edmund reflects on Goneril and Regan’s desire to marry him. He wonders, ‘Which of them shall I take? / Both? One? Or neither?’ He reflects that he cannot have one if the other remains alive, as they are so jealous of one another. Goneril has asked him to kill Albany, but Edmund says he needs him for the coming battle, after which Goneril can murder him herself if she is so eager to be rid of him. Edmund also reveals his intentions for Lear and Cordelia: he plans to have them executed as soon as he captures them.


Analysis of Edmund’s character and role in Act 5 Scene 1


yyEdmund’s comments at the start of the scene remind us of the division within the British forces. Albany is reluctant to fight and the audience may reasonably wonder if his attitude will adversely affect the chances of a British win.


yyEdmund’s hypocrisy is clear as he pretends to be too honourable to sleep with a married woman. Compared to his other sins, this would be a relatively minor transgression and one of which he is certainly capable.


yyThey may be consumed with desire for Edmund, but he has little interest in Goneril or Regan beyond wondering how an alliance with either would benefit him. He is willing to take either one, or neither. If he marries either one, he will be king.


yyGoneril wants Edmund to kill Albany, but he makes it clear that he will not. Edmund prefers to plot and to allow others to carry out the actual unsavoury acts that result from his scheming. He was not there when Gloucester was blinded, he will not kill Albany and later in the play he will order another soldier to execute Cordelia and Lear.


yyEdmund’s cold, ruthless nature is to the fore once more in this scene. He intends to have Lear and Cordelia killed as their survival threatens his chance of becoming king.


y yEdmund’s rapid rise to power and the very real possibility that he may be king would be shocking for any audience, considering his evil and corrupt nature, but a Shakespearean audience would have been appalled to think of such a man ruling. His ascent shows the danger that can arise when the divinely appointed king abdicates his responsibilities.


264


King Lear


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