In comparison with the titanic Lear, who faces his
suffering head on in full view of the audience, Edgar can seem a less perceptive, more limited figure. Although it is possible to argue that he is the most creative character in the play, in practice Edgar tends to appear on stage for brief
periods at a time in a variety of guises, usually keeping his deepest feelings hidden, and this restricts his impact. In the end our reception of his character depends heavily upon how he is played. Edgar’s heroic qualities can be stressed,
and in performance his disparate parts can be forged into a more or less satisfactory whole.