To take the widow
Exasperates, makes mad her sister Goneril,
And hardly shall I carry out my side,
Her husband being alive.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 5, Scene 1. Edmund weighs up which of Lear’s daughters he should pick to marry, as both love him. It is clear that he loves neither, his only concerns are which of them will give him the least trouble and who will advance him most. If he chooses the widowed Regan he can become Duke, but this will anger Goneril. If goes for Goneril who has a husband he will not be able to advance himself. The self-serving Edmund is focused soley on his quest for power, feelings of affection never enter these matters for him.