Edmund was the Earl for a solid 5 seconds there and that’s something we collectively forget so easily

like it’s so easy to just think Edmund the Bastard and forget Edmund, Earl of Gloucester

If act 1 Edmund could see act 5 Edmund, he’d be so proud. He wouldn’t even care that he ultimately died– he won. He got the Earldom, he got two of the King’s daughters romantically pursuing him, he’s the most powerful person in England through those things alone.