I pant for life: some good I mean to do
Despite of mine own nature. Quickly send –
Be brief in it, to th’ castle; for my writ
Is on the life of Lear and on Cordelia.
Nay, send in time!
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 5, Scene 3. As Edmund takes his last breaths he makes an effort to redeem himself by showing his desire to do good despite his evil nature. He admits that he has ordered the executions of Lear and Cordelia and urges that a messenger be quickly sent to the castle to intervene to save them. Even though Edmund is one of the villains in the play, he shows in the face of imminent death that he may still possess some small shred of humanity.