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

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

3. What covert act must a gentleman occasionally enact, according to Spencer Junior?

4. What part of Edward's body does he chastise Gaveston not to kiss?

5. How does Mortimer Junior characterize Gaveston in Scene 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Isabella's end?

2. Why does Edward agree to Gaveston's exile?

3. What are the fates of Edward, Spencer Junior and Baldock after they are discovered?

4. What is Margaret and Spencer's plan at the end of Scene 1?

5. What is Edward's state of mind in Scene 5?

6. How does Isabella greet the victory of Scene 5?

7. How do the nobles respond to Gaveston's advancement?

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

9. Why does Edward part from Gaveston in Scene 4?

10. Who is captured in the victory against Edward?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the noble's as a group. What does Marlowe intend to say about the nobility of this time? Are they unified for a single purpose, or is each separately focused on personal advancement? At which points over the course of the narrative do individual nobles break from the collective will of the group? Which nobles are they, and why does each choose to break ranks? What is Marlowe saying about the way that history is made by individual men?

Essay Topic 2

The relationship between Gaveston and Edward II is both intense and ambiguous. Write an essay about it, dissecting its purpose within the plot. Does Gaveston ever make mention of his social advancement through Edward? What are the nobles' concerns regarding him? Does Marlowe ever make explicit reference to homosexuality in the play? What does Edward's passionate attachment to Gaveston represent in the world of the play?

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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