Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

Compare and Contrast the presentation on Edmund and Edgar in Sheakespeare's King Lear

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Compare and Contrast Shakespeare's Presentation of Edmund and Edgar Throughout King Lear, Shakespeare uses language to create insight into a character and to portray their emotions. It is clear that Shakespeare's use of language forms a striking contrast between characters. Shakespeare begins King Lear with a subplot, involving Gloucester and his illegitimate son Edmund. Gloucester is having a conversation with Kent (one of Lear's advisors) concerning Gloucester's affair with Edmunds mother. Gloucester consistently compares Edmund to Edgar, his elder son, and appears to feel very disconnected to Edmund. This is revealed in the first scene when Gloucester speaks of Edmund as his mother's son, while he claims Edgar as his own. Edmund are Edgar are conflicting characters. Despite Edmund's malicious nature he is incredibly charismatic on stage, which creates a distinct contrast to his brother Edgar's bland goodness. This essay will explore how Shakespeare uses language and a variety of techniques he uses to present this contrast. One similarity that could be drawn between the two characters Edmund and Edgar is the respectful language they use when they speak to their father Gloucester. ...read more.

Middle

Here Edmund stands alone on stage when thinking about how he is going to deceive his innocent brother. Shakespeare may have chosen to stand Edmund alone in his resentment towards Edgar just as Edmund feels he stands alone in his 'baseness', he feels nobody understands how inferior he feels. A further contrast between the two brothers is that while here Edmund stands ands feels alone, Edgar scarcely stands alone. When Edgar adopts his new persona as 'poor Tom' he is shortly joined by other demoralized characters such as Lear who immediately warms to his base character 'Noble philosopher, your company.' Gloucester choice to banish Edgar is a rash decision, which parallels to Lear's sudden decision to banish Cordelia and Kent. Both Lear and Gloucester overlook the child that loves them most. The audience might feel sympathy for Edgar as he has been put in a situation that he believes is real whereas Edmund and the audience know that this is not so. On the other hand the audience may feel frustrated by how much Edgar trusts his brother when they know what he really believes and the true nature of his character. ...read more.

Conclusion

However later the wheel 'turns' from Edmund when Edgar returns and Edgar 'hast this fortune on' him. In conclusion, Shakespeare primarily focuses on creating contrasts between Edgar and Edmund opposed to similarities between the two characters. However one striking similarity does arise. Shakespeare chose to names the brothers Edgar and Edmund; the names are very alike, which is unexpected when their characters differ so greatly. This may be Shakespeare's way of explaining how difficult it is to distinguish between good and evil. The most important contrast he presents is how the two characters represent good or evil. In performance, the colours each of the characters wear reveal the distinct contrast between Edmund and Edgar. This is specifically shown in the battle between the two brothers at the end of the play. Edgar wears white to suggest innocence and goodness and Edmund wears dark colours, which represent evil and sin. The colours symbolise their mental attitudes and personalities. Edmund is presented as a cold malevolent character while Edmund is shown as a trustworthy and loyal who is devastated by losing his family and livelihood. However, it is Edgar who represents morality and is one of the few characters who survives the play, in consequence, presenting the legendary moral that good will always defeat evil. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Other Criticism & Comparison section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level Other Criticism & Comparison essays

  1. Marked by a teacher

    The English Patient

    5 star(s)

    One day, Hana sees Kip listening to the radio on his headphones in the garden. He hears something awful, runs into the tent, grabs his rifle, and runs into the villa, into the English patient's room. He tells Almasy that the Allies have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, and

  2. Compare and contrast how Atwood and Orwell use language in their regimes as a ...

    'Language is a definitive example of the difference between human beings and other animals' 10. The proles are described the Party as being equal to animals. Atwood also uses this technique with the Marthas who use colloquialisms such as 'It could of been me'.

  1. `Compare and Contrast the Presentation of Family Relationships in Atonement (TM)and(TM) Oranges Are Not ...

    'Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,' This epigraph signifies that there is a range of fruit to choose from, not just one, relating to the Church and that there is more to life than the church.

  2. madness through king lear, the fool and edgar

    As the play progresses, we can see that the king's identity is gradually becoming unbeknown to him when he asks the question "Who is there that can tell me who I am?"1, we can see that Lear is slowly losing his wits.

  1. Compare and Contrast The Grauballe Man(TM) and Punishment(TM) by Seamus Heaney

    In 'Punishment', we begin to sense a feeling of guilt coming from Heaney as he first describes the woman as 'little adulteress'. From here, the poem takes on a different level. A similar transition occurs in 'The Grauballe Man', as Heaney begins to question the reader with 'Who will say 'corpse to his vivid cast?

  2. A Comparison of the imagery and symbolism in Birdsong and Fair Stood the Wind ...

    Although no coverage of colour, Fair Stood the Wind for France has a different take on the imagery of 'nature' than that provoked in Birdsong. In Birdsong Faulks generally seems of the opinion that nature and natural actions are seen in anything that is apart from human touch, even love-making is an almost animalistic and unnatural movement.

  1. Compare and contrast the writers presentation of conflict and power between men and women ...

    Unlike the female characters such as Goneril and Regan where they have strong insight towards Lear?s actions, ?he hath ever but slenderly known himself.?, this shows how generally male characters are have greater power over women however one could argue the female characters have a greater insight to the people

  2. Compare and contrast American playwrights presentation of masculinity in Death of a Salesman, Whos ...

    the old and pudgy George, described often as ?about thirty, blond, and? good-looking? and once as ?quarterback.? He was even a middleweight boxing champion. Thus, George is ugly, unmanly and no longer virile. He feels threatened: ?I said I was impressed Martha.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work