Five-minute digest

Edward the Second

Christopher Marlowe

Summary

Edward the Second, written around 1592 and printed in 1594, is Christopher Marlowe's history play about the troubled reign and violent deposition of King Edward II of England, who ruled from 1307 to 1327. It is often considered the finest English history play before Shakespeare's. The play opens with Piers Gaveston, the king's favourite, reading a letter: Edward's father is dead, and Edward calls him back from exile to share the kingdom with his dearest friend. The king showers Gaveston with titles and wealth, neglecting his wife, Queen Isabella, and insulting the great nobles, led by the elder and younger Mortimer and the Earls of Lancaster and Warwick. The barons force Gaveston into exile, and Isabella, hoping to win back her husband's love, persuades them to recall him, but conflict breaks out again. The barons capture and execute Gaveston. Edward then takes new favourites, the Spencers, and defeats the rebels for a time, executing Lancaster. The younger Mortimer escapes to France, where Isabella, rejected by Edward, joins him; together they return with an army, defeat the king, and capture him in a monastery. Forced to give up his crown in a scene of great pathos, Edward is imprisoned, moved from place to place, and humiliated. Mortimer, now ruling through Isabella and the young prince, sends the assassin Lightborn, who murders Edward cruelly in a dungeon at Berkeley Castle. The young King Edward III, however, avenges his father, has Mortimer executed and sends his mother to the Tower. As he goes to die, Mortimer reflects that Fortune's wheel raises men to a point from which they tumble headlong down. The play explores the conflict between private love and public duty, the misuse of royal favour, and the cruelty of political ambition. Its murder scene is harrowing, and the relationship between Edward and Gaveston is intense; it suits mature students.

Top Lessons

Duty and favour
Edward's devotion to Gaveston weakens the realm.
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The wheel of Fortune
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Pity for the fallen
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Verified Quotes

“My father is deceas'd. Come, Gaveston, And share the kingdom with thy dearest friend”

— Christopher Marlowe, Edward the Second, Opening scene (Project Gutenberg #20288).Quote card

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“Base Fortune, now I see, that in thy wheel There is a point, to which when men aspire, They tumble headlong down”

— Christopher Marlowe, Edward the Second, Final scene (Project Gutenberg #20288).Quote card

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Edward the Second

Summary

Top Lessons

Duty and favour

The wheel of Fortune

Pity for the fallen

Verified Quotes