Thus we see that the King’s passion is not an isolated ground for his monomania. ‘The mightiest king have had their minions : Great Alexander lov’d Hephaestion the conquering Hercules for Hylas wept : And for Patroclus stern Achilles droop’d……….The Roman Tully lov’d Octavius : Grave Sacrates, wild Alcibiades.’ Queen Isabella tells junior Mortimer, ‘The king regards me not, but dotes upon the love of Gaveston.’ Lancaster observes: ‘Thus arm in arm the king and he doth march’. ‘Embrace me Gaveston’, he says ‘kiss not my hand.’ He squanders titles and wealth on him, which should naturally incense their enemies. Come, Gaveston, Bad share the kingdom with thy dearest friend’.Ĭuriously the King presents an ideal of friendship, but he is too much drunk with it which upsets the balance of the state of affairs. The first note in the drama be-speaks of monomania of the King in which he desires the company of Gavestonon the death of his father.
The king does not play heed to the affairs of the state, and even acts in a manner which alienates the love of his Queen and the possible allegiance of the barons. His love for Gaveston lacks proportion and balance. Like all the outstanding characters of Marlowe Edward 2 is also a monomaniac. He suffers only from the spasms of vengeful anger, and lacks the grit of a soldier and a diplomat. His own wife, Queen Isabella, turns against him. His authority is not equal to the collective force of the rebels headed by Mortimer.
The character has been drawn as subtly as in the character of Shylock of Shakespeare like him Edward II has also been more sinned against than sinning. “Presumes upon the sacredness of his kingship like a child using a talisman whose magic it does not understand, but in which it has a superstitious faith.”
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