Edmund | |
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King Lear character | |
![]() Demeter Bitenc in costume as Edmund (Ljubljanska Drama, 1949) | |
Created by | William Shakespeare |
In-universe information | |
Family | Earl of Gloucester (father) Edgar (half-brother) |
Nationality | English |
Edmund is a fictional character and the main antagonist in William Shakespeare's King Lear. He is the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester, and the younger brother of Edgar, the Earl's legitimate son. In the first act of the play, Edmund resolves to get rid of his brother, then his father, and become Earl in his own right. He later flirts with both Goneril and Regan and attempts to play them off against each other. His mother died during childbirth.