Beginning of Essay
In Shakespeare's King Lear, Edmund, the illegitimate sone of Gloucester, plans to attain a piece of the land by causing ill feelings between Gloucester and his legitimate son, Edgar. In his monologue at the beginning of Act 1, scene ii, Edmund's tone shows by usi ....

Middle of Essay
.... Edmund uses the word "legitimate" sarcastically when saying, "well, my legitimate," since he does not mean it in a positive way. Again he mentions legitimate negatively saying that he, the base, shall top the legitimate meaning that one day he will exceed his brother. This sarcasm shows the bitterness with which Edmund views all legitimate children. Another way of showing bitterness, which has almost the same effect as sarcasm, is ridiculing. Edmund feels that married couples are "between asleep and awake" when they go to "creating a whole tribe of fops". This nasty way of referring to legitimate children displays the bitterness with which Edm ....