Edward II

“Farewell base stooping to the lowly peers! My knee shall bow to none but to the king.” 

Gaveston clearly looks down on the common people. He views it as a base insult to count himself among them. Given the influence he wields over the king, this is an ominous sign that the priorities of the kingdom will go ignored. 

“My father is deceased. Come Gaveston, and share the kingdom with thy dearest friend” 

The idea that a king shares a kingdom with its citizens should be heartening. It implies that the king is aware that he, too, is one of the people, not a deified symbol. But this is not what Edward means when he offers to share it with Gaveston. Edward sees the kingdom as a personal playground for himself and his friends.

“I can no longer keepe me from my lord” 

Gaveston, as with other characters, acts as if he does not have a choice in his own actions. It is unclear whether it is his love for Edward that calls to him, or the lure of court and the status that association with Edward can provide. 

“My lord, these titles far exceed my worth” 

Even Gaveston is taken aback by the king’s impetuous doling out of titles. And yet, he is willing to let the king determine his worth. Those who fare worst in the play are those who have little identity outside of their value to others. 

“Were he a peasant, being my minion, I’ll make the proudest of you stoop to him” 

Posturing and shows of force only provide temporary results in the play. Characters can be brought to heel by whoever has power, but the king—and later, Mortimer—has no ability to change the way people feel or think. Power in Edward II tends to result in resentment, and resentment typically leads to a desire for vengeance. 

“Why should you love him whom the world hates so?” / “Because he loves me more than all the world” 

Gaveston’s love is proof to Edward that his own actions are justifiable. It is small wonder that the lords worry so much about the “flatterers” who corrupt the king’s attention. 

“But he that hath the favour of a king, may with one word advance us while we live” 

It is difficult to take the hierarchy seriously when it is only an utterance from the king that can elevate someone incompetent into any important job that the king may choose. 

“You must be proud, bold, pleasant, resolute. And now and then stab as occasion serves” 

The cynicism of the social climber is bleak. Young Spencer views any methods of acquiring power as valid. There will be times when pleasantries may get a job done, but if stabbing is more likely to succeed, it is just as well to use that method.

“They love me not that hate my Gaveston” 

The king is so blinded by his infatuation that he cannot entertain the notion that anyone could have legitimate grievances against Gaveston. This is essentially a royal decree that the way to support the king is to endorse his whims and ignore his performance as a ruler. 

“Undique mors est” 

Translated as “Death is everywhere,” this theme underwrites most scenes of the play.

“Thy court is naked, being bereft of those that make a king seem glorious to the world” 

It is other people who grant a king his reputation and glory. An empty court has no worshippers. A king who is not worshipped is truly alone.

“If I be cruel and grow tyrannous, now let them thank themselves, and rue too late” 

No tyrant ever thinks that he is to blame for his own actions. Paranoia becomes an excuse for all actions. The justification of cruelty in advance is a sinister development. 

“No farewell to poor Isabel thy queen?” 

Isabella genuinely seems to want Edward’s love, even though she asks for it in a passive, pitiful manner. It is also disingenuous of her to demand his attention if she is in fact having an affair with Mortimer. She gives the readers reasons to pity her, but also reason to dismiss her as being insincere. 

“Spencer, not the riches of my realm can ransom him!” 

After Gaveston’s capture, Edward realizes that he has been foolish. He is wealthy, but there is no price the lords would accept at this point. He ignored prudence and caution, trusting that his status and money would be enough to solve his problems. Learning that he is wrong is a bitter lesson.

“Ah, boy! this towardness makes thy mother fear Thou art not mark'd to many days on earth” 

Prince Edward is neither belligerent nor threatening. And yet, his ability to speak clearly and honestly is a weakness that mark him for death. Deference, false flattery, and deception are the only strengths that increase the chances of surviving.

“To die, sweet Spenser, therefore live we all; Spenser, all live to die, and rise to fall” 

There is an undercurrent of death running behind many scenes in the play, but this is one of the more overt acknowledgements of it. This passage implies that the purpose of life is death, and that good luck will always fail. 

“Ah, nothing grieves me, but my little boy is thus misled to countenance their ills.” 

Edward only reflects on his actions in the aftermath of a disaster. Now that his son may fall under the influence of the lords, Edward realizes he should have been a better father. Now, others will teach his son according to their own agendas. This realization wounds Edward as deeply as any other event in the play. 

“But what is he whom rule and empery, have not in life or death made miserable?” 

Edward professes a longing for a contemplative life of peace, but he feels that it is impossible. To be a king is to be made miserable and to become well acquainted with various forms of death. 

“Fear’d am I more than lov’d; let me be fear’d. And when I frown make all the court look pale” 

Mortimer shows the importance of fear when it comes to commanding respect in the kingdom, declaring that fear is preferable to love. However, the play as a whole demonstrates that to instill fear in enemies requires a constant search for acts that will maintain the fear. It is a poor foundation for a monarchy. 

“Come, death, and with thy fingers close mine eyes, or if I live, let me forget myself” 

Edward is beginning to see how frivolous his priorities have been. If he is not given the relief of death, he wishes to forget himself. Meaning, to forget what he has done, what he has squandered, and to escape the feelings of regret and guilt that now consume him. 

“More safety is there in a tiger’s jaws, than his embracements” 

Being in a tiger’s jaws is undesirable, but at least the situation and threat are clear. An embrace is more vague, depending on who is giving it. The lords smile and bow to Edward when it suits them, but their shows of civility—their embracements—mask the jaws they would use if they could. 

“What safety may I look for at his hands, if that my uncle shall be murdered thus?” 

Edward III now sees that he will never be able to trust Mortimer. If Mortimer is willing to kill out of spite, no one, not even the king, should think that they are safe in his presence, or that they ever truly know his motivations. 

“Forbid me not to weep, he was my father; And, had you lov’d him half so well as I, You could not bear his death thus patiently” 

When Edward III finally stands up for himself, his grief is also an accusation of his mother’s suspected guilt in the murder of his father. He is acting on his own terms, but his freedom is earned at the cost of a tragedy.