Edward the Second - Christopher Marlowe

Story Summary:

Christopher Marlowe’s Edward the Second is a historical play about England’s King Edward II, who shirks his kingly duties in order to instead dote upon his lover, Gaveston; Gaveston, hated by the nobles of England, is subsequently killed, and his death leads to a huge revolt between King and noblemen that results in Edward’s demise.

Reflections:

Although homosexuality in Edward the Second could easily be seen as the play’s primary topic of concern, a deeper problem is responsible for the King’s eventual demise. The nobles of England did not reject Edward solely because of his lover Gaveston—they rejected him because he was majorly disrupting the social order. On page 76, Lancaster says, “The worst is death, and better die to live, / Than live in infamy under such a king” (76). As Gaveston is long dead and therefore no longer an issue at this point in the play, “such a king,” is referring to a much bigger problem. Edward directly defies several main staples of the social order, such as distinct class divisions and their monarchic society as a whole. The nobles then revolted against their King, fearing this terrible disruption that jeopardized the organization of their favorable society.

King Edward rejects social order when he defends Gaston’s less-than-noble class. Gaston is oftentimes referred to as “base,” a slang word for bastard that also connotes lower class. Mortimer Junior shows his obvious disdain for Gaveston’s class when he says, “But this I scorn, that one so basely born / Should by his sovereign’s favour grow so pert” (37); this sentiment is a common theme amongst the other nobles as well. Not only does Edward disregard Gaveston’s lower class by accepting him as his cherished lover, he also defends it and threatens to completely overturn their social order, saying, “Were he a peasant, being my minion, / I’ll make the proudest of you stoop to him” (21). This risks everything that the nobles hold sacred—their very wellbeing depends upon class division. By threatening to make nobles bow down to someone so “base,” Edward is defying one of the most important social norms. Even worse is when the king brings Gaveston up to his own level, saying, “Embrace me, Gaveston, as I do thee! / Why shouldst thou kneel; knowest not who I am?” (11). Edward, being king, is the top tier in the social ladder—even his wife Isabella addresses him as “my lord.” By allowing Gaveston to embrace him in greeting, rather than address him with traditional titles and respect, Edward shatters all social norms regarding class division.

Edward’s clear disregard for his kingly duties is another way in which he rejects social order. Not only does he shirk his duties, he often vocalizes how much he doesn’t want to be king. This instills fear in the nobles, as their monarchy—the government system used for centuries—is ultimately threatened. On page 22, the King tells Pembroke to, “Make several kingdoms of this monarchy, / And share it equally amongst you all, / So I may have some nook or corner left / To frolic with my dearest Gaston.” His priorities here are clearly personal; he has no interest in being king, he only has interest in his lover. He even goes as far as to suggest breaking up the entire monarchy of England—a grave offense to the nobles. Furthermore, Edward disregards the country’s wealth when he states, “And could my crown’s revenue bring him back, / I would freely give it to his enemies” (31). Edward’s clear neglect for his kingdom disrupts the social foundation on which his country thrives; this same threat ultimately leads to his demise.

Although Edward’s love for Gaveston is the primary contributing factor to his failure as king, the real issue at hand is his eagerness to overturn England’s social order. On page 35, Mortimer Senior admits that, “The mightiest kings have had their minions.” Had King Edward “had his minion” without disrupting social norms, he could very well have successfully reigned as king. However, because his love for Gaston resulted in his total disregard for the social hierarchy, he was eventually overturned.

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