Edmund is one of the most controversial characters.His peculiar
change of heart, rare among Shakespearean villains, is enough to make the
audience wonder, amid the carnage, whether Edmund's villainy sprang not from
some innate cruelty but simply from a thwarted, misdirected desire for the familial
love that he witnessed around him.He is an excellent schemer, a
cunning character eager to seize any opportunity and willing to do anything to
achieve his goals with no feelings for others.His
treachery is not merely for self-interest; it is a conscious rebellion against the social
order that has denied him the same status as Gloucester's legitimate son, Edgar.He, in fact, desires the status
equal to Edgar, the legitimate son of Gloucester.After this ambiguous statement, he seems to
repent of his villainy and admits to having ordered Cordelia's death...