The play “King Lear” is the tragedy of an old king and the problems of his destroyed kingdom; but the play illustrates, more than anything, that lies and betrayal lead to one's desires but fail to last. Edmund from act one expressed from the beginning that he has a vision of being more, of being more than he was born, of being more than his half-brother and his father. In the time of the Lear lords, that is, those of high birth, they had children when they were ordinary or common women. These children are called bastards and often, despite their noble heritage, they were treated like commoners. Furthermore, they inherited neither lands nor titles. This effort to be better than he is has led him to want to hurt others; a helpfulness that extends to his father and brother. Edmund is shown to be someone who is willing to do anything to get what he wants. Example when he puts his brother's trials on himself. Now most people would put evidence elsewhere, especially not on themselves. This act shows how confident he is in his efforts, that he is willing to put himself in danger and be captured, all for the sole purpose of making it seem like he is a person with good morals in his father's eyes. Edmund shows this again when he sells his father to the Earl of Cornwall for the position of Earl of Gloucester. Well, to say that that was his original plan is giving it too much credit. Cornwall never officially gave any intention of making Edmund Earl of Gloucester. Edmund had conveniently “found” his father's letter from France. We now know from his past experiences that he was probably trying to gain Cornish's favor, not have his father blinded and he never said he wanted his father harmed, “our fathers love… middle of paper. .....he doesn't hold back his pain, and we actually see him take the final steps towards madness. While we are known to commit actions and speak words that we do not mean, Lear's actions and deeds speak otherwise. Being naked in the storm can be better explained after a night of drinking in the pub, but is harder to explain after becoming homeless. Lear does something similar when he holds a mock trial for his daughters' crimes, in his mind, against him. The way it is being conducted is very questionable. The verdict was delivered quickly, with Lear as judge, jury, and executioner. This trace shows that Lear places all the blame on his eldest daughters, without any other outside interference. But he shows regret with Cordelia, his youngest. His emotional breakdown shows us that he feels really wrong about this, and he was shown this when he kills the man who killed Cordelia..