If you’re looking for a villain in Shakespeare, it’s hard to go past Edmund. Let’s take a look at and breakdown, Edmunds monologue from William Shakespeare’s King Lear. King Lear is a tragedy all about family ties, politics, and succession. It is one of Shakespeare’s later works and is largely considered to be one of his best.
Context
King Lear is set in ancient England. So that’s before the Roman invasion. When Druids and Celts roamed the land. And thus, the rules of succession were a little messier then. At the beginning of the play, we find an old and ailing King Lear. He has decided to divide his land up between his three daughters, Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril. So he calls them all to court. In order to determine who will be given what, he asks them all to explain to him how much they love him. Goneril and Regan, his two eldest daughters, flatter him, which he happily accepts, but when Cordelia tries to speak truthfully, his reaction is very different. He banishes her from the Kingdom, promising her nothing. The Duke of Gloucester, is outraged at this turn in events.
We then meet Edmund. The illegitimate son of Gloucester. Being discontented with his place in the world, he hatches a plan to get rid of his older brother, Edgar. He forges a fake letter for his father outlining how Edgar plans to usurp his estate. But being the machiavellian that he is, he feigns disbelief in the content of the letter, saying to his father that he doubts its legitimacy. His father Gloucester of course eats it up and promptly sends to have Edgar arrested leaving Edmund alone with the audience who says…
Text
This is the excellent foppery of the world that when we
are sick in fortune—often the surfeit of our own
behavior—we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the
moon, and the stars, as if we were villains by
necessity, fools by heavenly compulsion, knaves,
thieves, and treachers by spherical predominance,
drunkards, liars, and adulterers by an enforced
obedience of planetary influence, and all that we are
evil in by a divine thrusting-on. An admirable evasion
of whoremaster man, to lay his goatish disposition to
the charge of a star! My father compounded with my
mother under the dragon’s tail and my nativity was under
Ursa Major, so that it follows I am rough and
lecherous. Fut, I should have been that I am, had the
maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my
bastardizing.
Unfamiliar Language
Foppery: Foolishness
Fortune: Luck
Compulsion: Command
Knaves: Scoundrels
Treachers: Traitors
Predominance: Influence
Thrusting–On: Compulsion
Whoremaster: Lustful
Goatish: Lustful
Compounded: Slept with
Lecherous: Lustful
Fut: Swear
Maidenly: Virtuous/Pure
Firmanent: Sky
Translation
This is the amazing stupidness of the world,
When we are unlucky, often because of our own actions,
We blame the sun, the moon and the stars as if they made us villains!
Idiots by holy decree,
Scoundrels, thieves and traitors because the world forced us to be that way,
As though we were all evil because we’re forced to be by heaven!
An impressive technique by a lustful man to avoid blame by putting it on a star!
My father and mother conceived me under Dracos influence and I was born under the Big Dipper, so naturally, I am rough and lustful.
Damn, I would have been no different than I am, even if I was born under the most virtuous star, twinkling above my bastardry.
Notes on Performance
This is a great monologue for really diving into the nature of evil in a character. So you should focus on figuring out what exactly makes this character up, and let the venom fly.
The other thing to note and make a point of is relationships. Edmund has really complicated relationships with both his brother and father, so working to really flesh those out will really bring this monologue to life.
Lastly, in this monologue it is paramount that you have a good relationship with the audience. Be clear, precise and connecting with them, and they will be in the palm of your hand.
