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Edmund
Gloucester's elder, legitimate son. Although at first Edgar comes across as a bit naïve, easily duped by Edmund, he later disguises himself successfully as a madman beggar and manages not only to save himself from the death sentence his misled father has pronounced on him, but also to help Gloucester and Lear and to avenge the wrongs committed by his traitorous half-brother.
Edgar Quotes in King Lear
The King Lear quotes below are all either spoken by Edgar or refer to Edgar. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 2, scene 1 Quotes
"My old heart is cracked; it's cracked."
Related Characters:
Gloucester (speaker), Edgar
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
2.1.106
Explanation and Analysis:
Edgar has now fled Gloucester’s castle, causing his father to become convinced that Edgar is indeed guilty. Gloucester bemoans the events and their effect on his emotions.
That Gloucester draws attention to his “old heart” returns the text to the ever-present question of aging. He implies that the emotional pain is particularly damaging due to his age, for he has been abandoned by his son after having invested so deeply in their relationship. Having lost his heart, Gloucester begins to follow actions reminiscent of Lear’s: irrationally aiding his deceitful child and lashing out against the honest one. “Cracked” thus speaks not only to sadness but also to the misdirected emotion that causes him to condemn Edmund to death.
One should note that the image of being “cracked” appears often in this text. Characters use it to refer to emotional stress and to betrayal as Gloucester does here, but the term is also employed to signify insanity. By bringing these two meanings together in one word, Shakespeare shows how pain and betrayal function alongside insanity: the first can induce the second or visa versa, and the line between the two is never particularly clear.
Act 2, scene 3 Quotes
"I will preserve myself, and am bethought
To take the basest and most poorest shape
That ever penury in contempt of man
Brought near to beast."
To take the basest and most poorest shape
That ever penury in contempt of man
Brought near to beast."
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, scene 4 Quotes
"Child Rowland to the dark tower came
His word was still 'Fie, foh, and fum,
I smell the blood of a British man."
His word was still 'Fie, foh, and fum,
I smell the blood of a British man."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, scene 1 Quotes
"The worst is not
So long as we can say 'This is the worst.'"
So long as we can say 'This is the worst.'"
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, scene 6 Quotes
"How fearful
And dizzy tis to cast one's eyes so low!
[…]
I'll look no more
Lest my brain turn and the deficient sight
Topple down headlong."
And dizzy tis to cast one's eyes so low!
[…]
I'll look no more
Lest my brain turn and the deficient sight
Topple down headlong."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire King Lear LitChart as a printable PDF.
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Edgar Character Timeline in King Lear
The timeline below shows where the character Edgar appears in King Lear. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, scene 1
...him no less than the other "son" he has "by order of law" (1.1.19) (i.e., Edgar).
(full context)
Act 1, scene 2
...to the audience that he is plotting to steal the land of his half-brother, "legitimate Edgar" (1.2.17), by winning all his father, Gloucester's, affection.
(full context)
Act 2, scene 1
...his schemes if he acts boldly and is just a bit lucky. He calls to Edgar to come out of his hiding spot.
(full context)
Edgar enters. Edmund pretends to be frightened for Edgar's safety. He tells Edgar that Gloucester has...
(full context)
Act 2, scene 3
In a soliloquy, Edgar explains that he escaped the "hunt" (2.3.3) sent after him by hiding in the hollow...
(full context)
Act 3, scene 4
...darts back out, reporting that someone is in the hovel: a spirit named Poor Tom. Edgar emerges raving as if possessed by the "fiend," or devil, in his Bedlam beggar disguise....
(full context)
Act 3, scene 6
...then reports that Lear has gone entirely mad. Gloucester exits as Lear, the Fool, and Edgar enter, raving together. Lear has Edgar and the Fool sit down, announcing that they are...
(full context)
Act 3, scene 7
...was Edmund himself who betrayed his father. Devastated, Gloucester realizes that he was misled regarding Edgar. He calls upon the gods to forgive him and to help Edgar prosper.
(full context)
...they find Cornwall and Regan's actions. Resolving to find "the Bedlam" (125), i.e. the disguised Edgar, to lead Gloucester to safety, they first fetch flax and egg whites to help stop...
(full context)
Act 4, scene 1
Edgar, disguised as Poor Tom, stands in the wind, reflecting that it is best to be...
(full context)
Act 4, scene 6
Edgar, now dressed as a peasant, pretends to lead Gloucester up a steep cliff, while in...
(full context)
