Note to King Lear, 2.1.25: "have you nothing said / Upon his party 'gainst the Duke of Albany?"


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King Lear,
Act 2, Scene 1, line 25
have you nothing said / Upon his party 'gainst the Duke of Albany?: In asking this question of Edgar, Edmund has, of course, an evil intention. Their father, Gloucester, is watching, and Edmund wants him to see Edgar run away as though he were guilty of something. So, first he asks Edgar if he has said anything against the Duke of Cornwall and informs him that the Duke, with his wife Regan (King Lear's second daughter), are coming in haste. This is apparently intended to give Edgar the impression that the Duke could be angry at him. Then Edmund adds, "have you nothing said / Upon his party 'gainst the Duke of Albany?" This may imply that Edmund has also incurred the wrath of the Duke of Albany (husband of King Lear's eldest daughter, Goneril). Or, it could mean that in order to be in the Duke of Cornwall's good graces, he needs to be the enemy of the Duke of Albany. I like this last explanation best because it fits with Cornwall's evil nature. Cornwall is the type who hates anyone who does not hate the same person he hates. Later on in the play he and his wife will gouge out Gloucester's eyes because Gloucester dared to offer a little comfort to mad Lear as he wandered the heath.