MDA 105 - Babcock

Spring 1997

First Paper

Due date: in class, February 4 Length: 5-6 pages, typed and double-spaced

Discuss the role of Edmund in King Lear.

Consider the situation in which we modern readers find ourselves: the most modern (in the sense used in this class) character in the play is also the villain, responsible for terrible deeds.

In what ways might one say that Edmund is modern? Does his modernity earn any sympathy from the modern reader? How do you, as a modern reader, react to Edmund?

There are a lot of very interesting things in Edmund’s role. For example, he appears to undergo some kind of conversion at the end of the play: ". . . some good I mean to do, / Despite of mine own nature" (V.iii.245-46). Does this (belated and unsuccessful) attempt to do good alter your view of him?

Notes:

This is not meant to be a research paper: you needn’t consult any secondary sources. If you do, however, they must be properly documented in your paper by means of footnotes and a list of "Works consulted" or bibliography. Failure to do so is plagiarism.

See the quotation in the topic above for an example of the proper way to document quotations from a play that has numbered lines.