How is the character of Edmund presented in this extract? (Act 1, Scene II, Lines 1-22)

Firstly, Edmund is delivering a soliloquy, suggesting that whatever thoughts and feelings that are conveyed in this extract are his true and innermost thoughts. Edmund is addressing nature in this speech, opening with the line “Thou, nature, art my goddess”. “Nature” is not only personified in this metaphor, giving it a sense of power and authority, but is also compared to a “goddess”. Through this, Shakespeare presents Edmund as believing that nature is more important than man-made and superficial structures. The authoritative portrayal of nature is continued when Edmund says “to thy law My services are bound”. Again, it is suggested that Edmund feels more closely aligned with nature than to societal standards. Through using the word “law”, it is implied that Edmund feels that what he does and believes is right and justified; he does not feel guilty about whatever he does because he believes it is what is just. This is in contrast to “custom”, which he describes as a “plague”. “Plague” clearly conveys Edmund’s resentment of societal standards, suggesting that he feels embittered towards society’s rigid customs that make him worth less than his brother, Edgar. Edmund uses rationale to suggest that the societal customs he hates so much are ridiculous, asking why he should be subject to the “plague” simply because he is “twelve or fourteen moonshines lag of a brother”. He questions why the twelve or fourteen months between him and Edgar make such a difference in inheritance. His logic is further shown when he asks “Why bastard?” when he has a “Mind as generous and shape as true As honest madam’s issue?”; this implies that Edmund believes he is the same mentally as a legitimate child, so why should he be treated any differently. Edmund’s anger at this is shown in the phrase “Why brand they us With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?”. His repetition of the word “base” conveys his hatred towards being deemed lower than his brother for purely superficial reasons, in addition to the repeated plosive ‘B’ sound creating a sense of intense anger. The word “brand” also connotes harshness and pain, creating the image of the ‘bastard’ label being branded into him from birth. Using such a harsh image to describe his status further suggests how much he despises it. Shakespeare’s use of caesura also fractures the line, creating the sense that Edmund is angrily ‘spitting out’ his words; it would also force the actor playing Edmund to pause, conveying his fury to the play’s audience. This is an example from one of my A Level 'extract question' practice answers, however the style of analysis shown can be applied to GCSE 'essay questions' too. I have selected a piece which shows how to integrate literary techniques into your essays without making it seem forced or formulaic, a common critique from examiners in their feedback.