he cliff when in reality they are on level ground. His father attempts to fall over the edge, fainting before hitting the ground. Edgar reappears as someone entirely different again when his father regains consciousness and tells him that he did indeed fall from the cliff but the gods intervened and saved his life. Edgar goes through so much trouble to keep his father alive and to instill the will to live. When Gloucester first regains consciousness he tells Edgar to go away and let him die, but Edgar tells him:
             Hadst thou been aught by gossamer, feathers, air,
             Thou'dst shivered like an egg; but thou dost breath;
             Hast heavy substance; bleedest not; speakest; art sound.
             Ten masts at each make not the altitude
             Which thou hast perpendicularly fell.
             Thy life's a miracle. Speak yet again. (Act 4, Scene 6, Lines 49-55)
             With this lie Edgar let's his father, Gloucester believe that the gods want him to live. He is instilling hope into his father's heart. This shows that Edgar will do whatever he can to make sure his father lives because he loves him. If Edmund had been in the same situation, he probably would have let his father die so that he could have his father's land; and he would have been sure to get it since his brother was already out of the picture. Instead, Edgar does what his father wishes him to do but makes it so he thinks it is fate that wants him to live. Due to Edgar's loyalty his father has a new hope for life and no longer wishes to die.
             Unlike Edgar, Edmund's loyalty or lack of it, is shown through rebellion. After lying to his father and betraying his brother, Edmund feels no remorse and comments on how easy it was to fool them. After telling Edgar to leave and hide he says this:
             A credulous father! And a brother noble,
             Whose nature is so far from doing harms
             That he suspects none; on whose foolish honesty
             My practices ride easy! I see t...