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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Spencer and Baldock served what newly-deceased lord?

2. Where is Isabella headed when Mortimer halts her in Scene 2?

3. What does Warwick believe is the only mean the nobles have of challenging Gaveston?

4. Which of the following outrages is not one that his befallen the Bishop of Coventry?

5. Who do Lancaster and Mortimer say no longer inhabits the court?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Edward III caught between Kent and Mortimer at the end of Scene 2?

2. To what extent is Mortimer's pride getting the best of him in Scene 4?

3. How does Edward discover Mortimer's whereabouts?

4. How does Isabella's position on Gavestone change during her soliloquy?

5. What fears do the nobles have regarding Kent in Scene 3?

6. How is the English war with Scots references in Scene 4?

7. How does Edward react to giving up his crown?

8. Why does Spencer Junior send Levune to France at the end of Act 3?

9. What is the state of the Bishop of Coventry in Scene 2?

10. Describe the space where Edward is kept in Scene 5.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Edward II is a man who clearly does not have a clear definition of self. Write an essay exploring his quest for identity in the play. What do his passionate defenses of the unpopular Gaveston and Spencer Junior say about his sense of his place in England? Does he view himself as a king at the beginning of the play? What does his unwillingness to relinquish his crown at the end indicate about his progress over the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Edward II is a young and cocky monarch who inflames his country with a complete rejection of certain entrenched institutions. Write and essay about these institutions and how he subverts them, focusing on three. In what ways does he subvert the system? How do the vested interests of England rebel? What is the end result?

Part 1) The social hierarchy.

Part 2) The Church.

Part 3) The military.

Essay Topic 3

Marlowe adeptly connects the larger, international crises of Edward II's England to the private and domestic quarrels the are the centerpiece of the plot. Write an essay, focusing on the two foreign armies that plague England throughout the play. How does Edward react to news of their success? How do major victories for them affect his relationship with the nobles? How are certain of these defeats the result of poor decisions Edward makes throughout the play?

Part 1) France.

Part 2) Scotland.

(see the answer keys)

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