A Critical Analysis of King Lear's Daughters'Attraction to Edmund Shakespeare' 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. Edmund is displayed as a " most toad-spotted traitor." When we first see Edmund, he is already knee deep in treachery. His need …showed first 75 words of 491 total…

…showed last 75 words of 491 total…Edmund shares their ambition-power. He shares their strength-treachery. And he is possibly the only person more evil than they are. Evil has a tendency to align itself with evil. In its constant quest to triumph over good evil unites to gain power. The two daughters follow this pattern. They are instinctively drawn to the pure evil that emanates from Edmund's very being. Their attraction to Edmund is merely a symptom of their quest for power.