| Quote #10 JAMIE |
This passage isn't particularly tricky, but it complements quote nine well. In Act IV, the character we really learn the most about is Jamie, and here we see that literally everything in his life is teetering on the edge of destruction.
As we saw in quote nine, Jamie cares much more about his mother than the first three acts suggest, and here we realize, finally, that Edmund really is Jamie's only friend. He doesn't know anyone else and has no resources outside the family. He certainly can't go to James for support. The play's sympathy with Jamie seems a bit delayed, but, when it comes, it's intense.