Showing posts with label Edward II. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edward II. Show all posts
Describe the character of Isabella in Edward II.
Marlowe's views of thinking are not presented in any of his characters, in other words, he does not speak through his characters, but makes his characters speak for themselves and reveal their characteristics attributes. Isabella is a character who has not been properly treated by Marlowe in "Edward II". As a matter of fact, Marlowe had never drawn a female character before.
In the beginning of the drama, Queen is introduced as deserted and lonely who has failed in all her endeavours to attract her husband and free him from the spell of Gaveston. In a word, she is a model of wifely patience, specially in those scenes where Edward neglects her for Gaveston. She dotes on Edward and is forced to go " Unto the forest,...../ To live in grief abd baleful discontent." Even she is persuaded by Edward to appeal to the barons to recall Gaveston. Indeed she works hard to have the banishment revoked so that Edward may be pleased. Edward cruelly treats her and throws her out as a 'French strumpet'.
The King is bewitched by Gaveston and is giving him the share of his wife's love also. He totally ignores and deserts her. She expresses her regrets by saying,
"Like Frantic Juno will I fill the earth
With ghastly murmur of my sighs and cries."
She wants to get love from Edward though she knows it is useless: "Yet I love in vain; he will never love me." She also asserts that the King has declared his hatred for her: "Now breaks the King's hate forth,/ And he confesseth that he loves me not."
Isabella is also concerned to have peace between the King and the earls; thus she has a political awareness, and a sense of reality, more mature than Edward himself. She is a devoted wife also. She is ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of the King because she does "love him more/than he can Gaveston." This us the part of Marlowe's imagination and there is no historical basis for the agonising triangular relationship if Isabella, King Edward and Gaveston.
There is a drastic change in the character of the Queen. Though in the beginning she is pathetic, loving, faithful to her husband, in the later half of the drama, she is drawn towards Mortimer, though she does not express her love explicitly and in front of Mortimer, she just says about the King's accusation:
"You know the King is so suspicious
As if he hear I have but talked with you,
Mine honour will be called in question;"
But as soon as Mortimer leaves, she confesses,
"So, well hast thou deserved, Sweet Mortimer
As Isabel could live with thee for ever."
According to Levin, "Isabella is a split personality." She needs live and her love is rejected by her husband time and again. So she is drawn to the gallant Mortimer who consoles her in the day of her distress.
The Queen then assists Mortimer and displays her marked characteristics of dissembling. She is completely Committed to Mortimer and is ready to do anything what he commands: "Sweet Mortimer, the life of Isabel,/ Be thou persuaded that I love thee well."
The Queen and Mortimer murders the King and thinks that she would appease Prince Edward's queries regarding his father and convince him to wear the crown and lead the life peacefully with him and Mortimer but fate has destined something else for her. Prince Edward comes to know the truth and is activated to punish the culprits. Then Queen says,
"Ah, Mortimer, the King my son hath news
His father's dead, and we have murdered him."
And decalres : "Now, Mortimer begins our tragedy."
In the beginning of the drama, Queen is introduced as deserted and lonely who has failed in all her endeavours to attract her husband and free him from the spell of Gaveston. In a word, she is a model of wifely patience, specially in those scenes where Edward neglects her for Gaveston. She dotes on Edward and is forced to go " Unto the forest,...../ To live in grief abd baleful discontent." Even she is persuaded by Edward to appeal to the barons to recall Gaveston. Indeed she works hard to have the banishment revoked so that Edward may be pleased. Edward cruelly treats her and throws her out as a 'French strumpet'.
The King is bewitched by Gaveston and is giving him the share of his wife's love also. He totally ignores and deserts her. She expresses her regrets by saying,
"Like Frantic Juno will I fill the earth
With ghastly murmur of my sighs and cries."
She wants to get love from Edward though she knows it is useless: "Yet I love in vain; he will never love me." She also asserts that the King has declared his hatred for her: "Now breaks the King's hate forth,/ And he confesseth that he loves me not."
Isabella is also concerned to have peace between the King and the earls; thus she has a political awareness, and a sense of reality, more mature than Edward himself. She is a devoted wife also. She is ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of the King because she does "love him more/than he can Gaveston." This us the part of Marlowe's imagination and there is no historical basis for the agonising triangular relationship if Isabella, King Edward and Gaveston.
There is a drastic change in the character of the Queen. Though in the beginning she is pathetic, loving, faithful to her husband, in the later half of the drama, she is drawn towards Mortimer, though she does not express her love explicitly and in front of Mortimer, she just says about the King's accusation:
"You know the King is so suspicious
As if he hear I have but talked with you,
Mine honour will be called in question;"
But as soon as Mortimer leaves, she confesses,
"So, well hast thou deserved, Sweet Mortimer
As Isabel could live with thee for ever."
According to Levin, "Isabella is a split personality." She needs live and her love is rejected by her husband time and again. So she is drawn to the gallant Mortimer who consoles her in the day of her distress.
The Queen then assists Mortimer and displays her marked characteristics of dissembling. She is completely Committed to Mortimer and is ready to do anything what he commands: "Sweet Mortimer, the life of Isabel,/ Be thou persuaded that I love thee well."
The Queen and Mortimer murders the King and thinks that she would appease Prince Edward's queries regarding his father and convince him to wear the crown and lead the life peacefully with him and Mortimer but fate has destined something else for her. Prince Edward comes to know the truth and is activated to punish the culprits. Then Queen says,
"Ah, Mortimer, the King my son hath news
His father's dead, and we have murdered him."
And decalres : "Now, Mortimer begins our tragedy."
"My knee shall bow to none but to the king" - comment.
This line is quoted from Act I sc I of Edward II, a remarkable historical play by Christopher Marlowe, an Elizabethan genius.
This line is spoken by Gaveston to suggest his emotion towards Edward II and his extreme love for him. Gaveston does not want love of ordinary persons, since he has the love of the King. He will stop bowing before the lordly peers. He will now kneel only before the King. As for the common people, he thinks that they are like dying sparks in the cold ashes. What he means to say is that the persons without entities are of no account to him, since their poverty will of no avail.
Gaveston's character has been well revealed by the dramatist in this single line. His arrogance and pride is also come to the light. This line suggests his love for the king and his hatred for the other. Marlowe shows his poetic streak in this smaller part of Gaveston's speech.
"The sight of London to my exiled eyes/ Is as Elysium to a new come soul" - comment.
These lines are taken from Act I sc. I of Marlowe's Edward II, a famous historical play of the Elizabethan period. These lines are spoken by Gaveston when he re-read the latter of Edward the Second, his close friend from early childhood. These lines are used to suggest the acute happiness of Gaveston after arriving at London.
The letter of Edward II makes Gaveston 'surfuit with delight', which means that he is extremely happy with the emotion expressed by the King. After many years of staying in France, when Gaveston returned to England, the sight of London to his eyes was as pleasurable or beautiful as the sight of heaven is to a soul when it teaches here for the first time. 'Elysium' is the classical name of paradise. Here London is compared to paradise and he himself is compared with 'a new come soul'. The sight of London is so beautiful to Gaveston neither for his love for the city not for his men but for his beloved one i.e. Edward II was born and brought up in this city.
Marlowe's poetic ability is well revealed here. Gaveston's strong emotions for Edward II is expressed as to him nothing is important except Edward II.
The letter of Edward II makes Gaveston 'surfuit with delight', which means that he is extremely happy with the emotion expressed by the King. After many years of staying in France, when Gaveston returned to England, the sight of London to his eyes was as pleasurable or beautiful as the sight of heaven is to a soul when it teaches here for the first time. 'Elysium' is the classical name of paradise. Here London is compared to paradise and he himself is compared with 'a new come soul'. The sight of London is so beautiful to Gaveston neither for his love for the city not for his men but for his beloved one i.e. Edward II was born and brought up in this city.
Marlowe's poetic ability is well revealed here. Gaveston's strong emotions for Edward II is expressed as to him nothing is important except Edward II.
Comment on the significance of the reference of Leander in "Edward II".
In the opening scene of the play, "Edward II" by the Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe, the reference of Leander is used to suggest Gaveston's acute longing to visit his early childhood friend, Edward II.
"Hero and Leander" is the famous poem of Marlowe which was finished by Chapman. Leander used to swim across the Helespont to meet his beloved Hero. One night Leander was overtaken by a stormand drowned. Gaveston wants to say that he has such an effusion of love for the king Edward II when he received the affectionate letter that he would have swum across the English channel like Leander at the risk of his life, had there not been any ship to bring him to England.
It is believed that there was a homosexual relationship between Edward II and Gaveston. The reference of Leander traces on this belief. Gaveston was so impatient to meet the king that he would cross the English channel at the risk of his life. Actually he thinks that his love for the king is as strong as Leander's love for Hero was.
"Hero and Leander" is the famous poem of Marlowe which was finished by Chapman. Leander used to swim across the Helespont to meet his beloved Hero. One night Leander was overtaken by a stormand drowned. Gaveston wants to say that he has such an effusion of love for the king Edward II when he received the affectionate letter that he would have swum across the English channel like Leander at the risk of his life, had there not been any ship to bring him to England.
It is believed that there was a homosexual relationship between Edward II and Gaveston. The reference of Leander traces on this belief. Gaveston was so impatient to meet the king that he would cross the English channel at the risk of his life. Actually he thinks that his love for the king is as strong as Leander's love for Hero was.
Comment on the phrase, "amorous lines" in Edward II.
This phrase "amorous lines" is used in the very opening scene of the drama "Edward II" by Christopher Marlowe, a famous Elizabethan dramatist.
After receiving the letter of Edward II, Gaveston was very much delighted and expressed his happiness in the opening soliloquy of himself. Here he uses the phrase 'amorous lines'. The word 'Amorous' comes from the French word 'Amor' which means 'love'. Here Gaveston refers to the affectionate words of the letter by the word 'amorous'. These words of the letter makes him "surfeit with delight".
It is believed that there was a homosexual relationship between Edward II and Gaveston. This phrase "amorous lines" traces on this belief of homosexual love.
After receiving the letter of Edward II, Gaveston was very much delighted and expressed his happiness in the opening soliloquy of himself. Here he uses the phrase 'amorous lines'. The word 'Amorous' comes from the French word 'Amor' which means 'love'. Here Gaveston refers to the affectionate words of the letter by the word 'amorous'. These words of the letter makes him "surfeit with delight".
It is believed that there was a homosexual relationship between Edward II and Gaveston. This phrase "amorous lines" traces on this belief of homosexual love.
Comment on the opening two lines of the drama Edward II.
The opening two lines of the drama "Edward II" by Christopher Marlowe are the two lines of the letter of Edward II which he wrote for his 'dearest friend' Gaveston. These lines are -
"My father is deceased. Come, Galveston,/ And share the kingdom with thy dearest friend."
Gaveston and Edward II are very close friend from the very early childhood. Gaveston was banished from England to France by Edward I as he thought that Gaveston had the sinister influence upon Prince Edward II. When Edward I died and Edward II ascended the throne, Gaveston was recalled from exile. Edward II wrote to Gaveston to come back to England since his father had died.
It is believed that there was a homosexual relationship between the king and Gaveston. There are some hints in the opening two lines. The phrase "share the kingdom" and "dearest friend" are much significant. These phrases suggest that their relationship is not only friendship, but something more than that.
"My father is deceased. Come, Galveston,/ And share the kingdom with thy dearest friend."
Gaveston and Edward II are very close friend from the very early childhood. Gaveston was banished from England to France by Edward I as he thought that Gaveston had the sinister influence upon Prince Edward II. When Edward I died and Edward II ascended the throne, Gaveston was recalled from exile. Edward II wrote to Gaveston to come back to England since his father had died.
It is believed that there was a homosexual relationship between the king and Gaveston. There are some hints in the opening two lines. The phrase "share the kingdom" and "dearest friend" are much significant. These phrases suggest that their relationship is not only friendship, but something more than that.
Comment on the reference of 'Diana'.
In Edward 2 by Christopher Marlowe, the reference of Diana is used by Gaveston, the beloved of the King Edward 2.
He makes the plan to entertain the king, Edward 2, before Gavestone's meeting with the king. He has already chosen to use ' wanton poets, ' musicians, and many others to make the king happy.
He will also present a beautiful kid dressed as Diana, the chastity goddess, bathing in a pond. His hair will fill the water with a golden color. The kid will flaunt pearl bracelets on his bare arms and hold in his playful hands an olive branch to conceal his private parts that licentious people like to see. A person standing nearby will peep through the trees like Actaeon when he bathes in the stream. And like Diana, the kid also gets upset and the guy runs like a deer, suggesting that the boy turns him into a deer, and then it will be shown that his own hounds kill the deer. Such a scene is greatly pleasing to the king.
Here Edward 2 and Gaveston's homosexual relationship re-emphasized as Gaveston likes to dress a kid like Diana though she was a goddess. People of the Renaissance were very interested in literature in Greek and Latin. Gaveston therefore borrows from mythology the tale of the Diana. And here the king's taste is expressed.
He makes the plan to entertain the king, Edward 2, before Gavestone's meeting with the king. He has already chosen to use ' wanton poets, ' musicians, and many others to make the king happy.
He will also present a beautiful kid dressed as Diana, the chastity goddess, bathing in a pond. His hair will fill the water with a golden color. The kid will flaunt pearl bracelets on his bare arms and hold in his playful hands an olive branch to conceal his private parts that licentious people like to see. A person standing nearby will peep through the trees like Actaeon when he bathes in the stream. And like Diana, the kid also gets upset and the guy runs like a deer, suggesting that the boy turns him into a deer, and then it will be shown that his own hounds kill the deer. Such a scene is greatly pleasing to the king.
Here Edward 2 and Gaveston's homosexual relationship re-emphasized as Gaveston likes to dress a kid like Diana though she was a goddess. People of the Renaissance were very interested in literature in Greek and Latin. Gaveston therefore borrows from mythology the tale of the Diana. And here the king's taste is expressed.
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