Shakespeare’s King Lear is a story of treachery and deceit. The villainy of the play knows no bounds. Family lines are ignored in an overwhelming quest for power. This villainy is epitomized in the character of Edmund, bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester. Terms to describe Edmund might include young, ambitious, evil, manipulative, calculating, power-hungry, cruel, hateful and deceitful. Through Edmund’s actions, words and the opinions of the other players the audience comes to an understanding of his character. Edmund is evil personified; the antithesis of his “legitimate” brother, Edgar, who represents all that is good in the play. “Nature art my goddess” reveals that E