I believe Edmund is the most villainous character in King Lear. Personally, I think one of the worst and most evil things a person can do is to deceive their family. Edmund continually does this and more. He feels neglected and ostracized because of his status as an illegitimate child so I can see how one may feel empathy and sympathy for his situation, but Edmund takes it to a whole other level. He turns his father, Gloucester against Edgar, who happens to be the "legitimate" son. I definitely sense major jealousy coming from Edmund. Then, just when he has the trust and love that he always wanted from his father, he turns around and betrays his father as well. Edmund is the reason that the Duke of Cornwall and Gloucester get into an argument where they both end up scathed. If Edmund was around during the days of modern psychology, he would definitely be classified as a sociopath.
Not only does Edmund figuratively stab his family members in the back, he interferes with relationships as well. Both Goneril and Regan are married, yet they fawn over Edmund. This causes tension between these two sisters because Regan, recently widowed, wants to already remarry Edmund. On the other hand, Goneril, with no reservations about the Duke of Albany, wishes to claim Edmund and be his mistress. This is a complete lack of respect on Edmund's behalf as well, more reinforcing his status as the most villainous character in King Lear. Edmund almost seems too smart for his own good. During these times, bastard children were probably criticized for not only being borne out of wedlock, but for their mental and physical capabilities too. Edmund clearly disproves this because of his scheming tactics that he masterminds all on his own. I am curious to see what will happen to Edmund in the last act of the play because I have a feeling that other characters will catch onto his wrongdoings and make him face some sort of repentance.
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