Shakespearean plays always contain intriguing characters with many sides, secrets and stories. The evil Edmund of King Lear is no exception. Although he is a supporting actor by theatrical standards, he is one of the first characters introduced to the audience in the opening scenes. He plays a key role in the King Lear subplot and establishes himself as a complex "evil" character. Compared to Regan and Goneril, Edmund is much more cunning in his ambitions. His ultimate goal is to demonstrate his importance and value to society despite being born a bastard. Edmund believes that his legitimacy should not rest on those who bore him, and decides to do whatever it takes to rise above this irrational social law and make a name for himself. He treats people only as useful tools to achieve his goal, as will later become evident in his flirtations with both Regan and Goneril. He has no compelling desire to hurt his brother or father, but they hinder his goal and therefore must be removed. His soliloquy in the first act isn't very long, but it serves to provide significant insight into his character's motivations and personality. Shakespeare creatively weaves the language of Edmund's speech to powerfully convey meaning in a small amount of words. Edmund's Machiavellian character takes shape in the very first lines of his soliloquy when he appeals to the laws of nature for guidance, rather than those of man. . Social laws do not assign any value to him because of his parents, but value in nature itself derives from the quality of a person. Edmund's “rhetorical practice is not to summon devils and invoke deities… His wit puns on the words of others, or parodies them” (Kinney 681). “Nature,” for Edmund, presents all people as tabula… in the center of a sheet of paper… only a clever way to introduce a character, but also a creation of a language full of double meanings and a representation penetrating. Works Cited Brown, Steve and McCarthy Marcella. Open access in English. Books Unlimited, June 17, 2003. Web. November 10, 2010. Greg, W. W. "The Staging of King Lear." The Review of English Studies 16.63 (1940): 300-03. Print.Johnston, Ian. "Let's Talk What We Feel: An Introduction to King Lear." English 366: Studies in Shakespeare. BC, Nanaisom. July 1999. Lecture released to the public domain November 11, 1999. Accessed via internetKinney, Arthur F. "Lear." The Massachusetts Magazine Winter 17.4 (1976): 677-712. Print.Shakespeare, William and Kenneth Muir. King Lear. London: Methuen, 1972. Print.Summers, Claude J. ""Stand Up for Bastards! ": Shakespeare's Edmund and Love's Failure." University Literature 4.3 (1977): 225-31. Press.