Edmund the Revolutionary

In class when never really touched on the subject of Edmund in King Lear. In the play Edmund is the bastard son of Gloucester who serves as the main antagonist. It is interesting to note that the name Edmund means wealthy protector. Edmund is anything but a protector in the play. The focus of Edmund is usually his underhanded deeds that lead to death and tragedy, but one must also take into account the attempt at redemption that Edmund tries near the end of the play.
In the opening act of the play Shakespeare almost captures the audiences sympathies in regards to Edmund who seems a nice lad from his fathers descriptions, but will be left out of an inheritance completely due to the circumstances of his birth over which he has no control. It is during his soliloquy that he looses audience support and becomes the evil character. He eventually plays suitor to both Goneril and Regan stirring up sibling rivalry and jealousy and causing the sisters to quarrel. His redemption comes in the form of an attempt to rescind the order to execute Lear and Cordelia. I believe Edmund feels true regret because he believes his cause was worthy, but not the actually following through. Edmund is a character who attempts to revolt against traditional power and the makeup of what he saw as an unfair society. In this way Edmund could be seen as a freedom fighter or a revolutionary figure. I am in no way trying to paint Edmund as a noble character I just think it is interesting to look at him from the perspective of his attempts at a redemption and his feelings of somewhat regret.