Edgar is arguably one of the plays most pitiful characters, by the end of the play he is probably the character who ends up with the most wits. Edgar proves he is adaptable to the changing situations around him by making four different persona changes throughout King Lear. He started as a simpleminded victim of Edmund, but then he changed to a poverty stricken beggar, then an ordinary peasant, then a chivalrous champion challenging Edmund, and lastly the wiser, peaceful version of Edgar. Edgar is also the religious voice in the play.
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In the beginning of King Lear, Edgar would be clothed in some of the nicest garments because he`s the son of the Earl of Gloucester. Edgar was oblivious to the fact that his illegitimate brother had a plan ruing to oust their father from power. When Edmund told him to run away for a short period of time because Gloucester was mad at him, the simpleminded Edgar did not think twice and listened to his brother.
After learning of his death warrant issued by his father Gloucester, Edgar realizes that the only way to stay alive is to take on his first of four persona transformations. When he makes his decision to become a Bedlam Beggar, he says “‘Poor Turlygod! Poor Tom!’ That’s something yet! Edgar I nothing am” (2.3.20-1). Edgar realizes that if he does not change himself to Poor Tom he will not survive. Edgar is wise for doing so because Gloucester has all the guards in the country looking for him (2.3.4). As he becomes a beggar, he is stripping himself of everything, his title, his clothes, and his personality. This goes along with one of the main themes of “nothing” in King Lear.
Edgar starts conversing with Lear, his Fool, and Kent, whom are about to enter the hovel. Lear has already stated that he thinks that Edgar is a philosopher. While Gloucester is trying to bring Lear out of the storm, But Lear tells him “I’ll talk a word with this same learned Theban” (3.4.150). Edgar is being spoken highly of by Lear, a Learned Theban is a learned Greek or scholar. In Shakespeare’s days, Greeks were associated with wisdom and education, especially in Philosophy.
Edgar is the religious voice and can be seen as an optimistic voice throughout King Lear. Several times, Edgar spoke of the relationship between man and god. He believes in good will triumph evil; he is also able to see above luck, and believe in a higher plan. Edgar is Gloucester’s saviour in the play. Without Edgar, Gloucester would have died sooner than he did with Edgar. As a result of everything that has happened to Edgar, he becomes much wiser and is able to show his compassion. Edgar has been hopelessly optimistic throughout King Lear. Even after seeing his father blinded, Edgar is being hopeful in thinking that it is only the worst if we believe it is, and nothing gets better if it is no believe to be the worst (4.1.26-7).
“He has some reason, else he could not beg. I’ th’ last night’s storm I such a fellow saw, Which made me think a man a worm. My son Came then into my mind, and yet my mind Was then scarce friends with him. I have heard more since” (4.1.31-7). After Gloucester is physically blinded, he was finally able to comprehend that Edmund, not Edgar was the one who had betrayed him.
Even though, Edgar could hear Gloucester yearning for him, Edgar did not reveal himself to Gloucester. This is possibly one of the biggest mysteries in King Lear. Edgar may not have revealed himself to Gloucester as a form of torture because he was the one that issued the death warrant. It can also be looked at in the form of Edgar “blinding” Gloucester However, the reason may be that it was too overwhelming for Edgar to see Gloucester (his father who has always been strong) so broken and helpless.
Any Father could not possibly ask his son to lead him to a cliff so he can jump to his death, but Gloucester who is depressed and blind, asks Edgar who he thinks is just a beggar to do the task. Edgar does not refuse the task of leading his father to jump to his death; instead, he carries out a clever plan to fool his father into thinking that he survived the jump. Edgar describes to his father that they are at the top of the cliff with the waves hitting the bottom of the cliff, but they cannot be heard because Gloucester’s other senses are dulling from the pain of having his eyes gouged out. Gloucester believes his son and when he goes to jump, he faints.
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When Gloucester comes back to his senses, Edgar has transformed himself again to a peasant to make his plan work. The Peasant Version of Edgar convinces Gloucester that some fiend convinced him to jump, not Poor Tom, so the gods pitied him and saved him (4.6.69-72). The Gloucester suicide scene as a whole showed that Edgar still cares about his Father even though he issued the death warrant. He realized if he had let Gloucester die then he would have no one left that cared about him.
At the beginning of the final act, Edmund takes on yet another persona. He’s disguised in the uniform of a knight when he draws Albany aside and give him the letter that Oswald was carrying. Edgar states that he wants to challenge Edmund in a duel to the death (5.1.44). He then becomes a chivalrous champion after he wins the duel against his brother Edmund.
Edgar has endured so much throughout King Lear; becoming nothing, and having to see his father die from two extremes of grief and joy. But once Edgar takes his knight helmet off, he changes for the last time. He goes back to being Edgar, but there is little to no similarities between his first and current persona. First of all, he is no longer simpleminded, the things that he has seen have made him wise. “The weight of this sad time we must obey, speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne the most; we that are young shall never see so much nor live so long.” (5.3.323-26). In that quote he was saying that nobody will ever go through as much as Lear did or live so long, so we have to learn from this experience (5.3.323-26).
Edgar is arguably one of the play`s most wise and caring characters. Edgar is the religious voice in King Lear. He has proven that he is adaptable to the changing situations around him by taking on five different personas throughout King Lear.
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