Edmund from King Lear as Nietzsche's Free Spirit In King Lear, Shakespeare creates a brilliant tragedy whose plot is driven primarily by its villains. Of these, Edmund is the only man who makes his fortune, surrounded by those who seize the fortune only when it is handed to him. Shakespeare's ability to create a vivid, living character in the space of a few lines of speech triumphs in Edmund, who embodies a moral system totally different from that of Shakespeare's time. Three centuries later, Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of the Free Spirit would respect these values. Like Edmund, Nietzsche's unorthodox views have been considered evil from the moment they were written. The Free Spirit is defined not by its attack on the values ​​defined by society, but by their rejection. Free from the values ​​of a society he did not choose, the Free Spirit makes his way in the world, defining morality for himself and acting in a truly free way. In Act I, Scene II, Edmund's character is revealed. In his first soliloquy he clearly shows that he knows his situation, but at the same time he questions its validity. You, Nature, are my goddess; to your law my services are bound. Why should I resist the plague of custom, and allow the curiosity of nations to deprive me, since I am about twelve or fourteen moons retarded of a brother? Why you bastard? why basic? (I.2.1-6) This reveals the fundamental structure of Edmund's character: why would society give him a name for events over which he had no control? Why should he be deprived of something simply because he was born a year late?...... middle of paper ......ll to Power, Book I, Aphorism 553. Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and of evil, Aphorism 2604. Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, too human, page 45. Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, page 906. Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond good and evil, Aphorism 267. Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, too human, page 618. Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, part 9.9. Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, all too human, Aphorism 230Works Cited1. Friedrich Nietzsche. Human, all too human, Bison Books, 1996.2. Friedrich Nietzsche. The will to power. Bison Books, 1994.3. Friedrich Nietzsche. Beyond good and evil. Penguin Publishing. London, 1973.4. Friedrich Nietzsche. Thus spoke Zarathustra. Penguin Publishing. London, 1973.5. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Noble books. Cambridge, 1921