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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. Where does Edward send Gaveston for banishment?

2. Whose death is announced in the first moment of the play?

3. What does Edward protest he will use to sign the writ of banishment?

4. Which of the following nobles speaks in defense of Edward in Scene 1?

5. Why does Mortimer say Gaveston will be more fearful of the nobles on his return to England?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Warwick's plan at the end of Scene 5?

3. What is Baldock's attitude toward the court?

4. What is Mortimer's plan regarding Edward III?

5. What revenge does Gaveston have on the Bishop of Coventry, and why?

6. Describe the relationship between Leicester and Edward.

7. How do Edward and Gaveston react to Isabella's entrance in Scene 4?

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

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

10. How does Gaveston die?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining the motivations and essential character of Mortimer Junior. What are his grievances against the King? Are they well-founded, and does he defend them in reasonable ways? Is he, in the end, merely an ambitious charlatan who wants only to consolidate power? Is ahe a concerned peer of England? Does he exist somewhere in between? Cite from the text to defend your position.

Essay Topic 2

The character of Edward II seems at times to be a man with a kingdom thrust upon him. He does not want, initially, to concern himself with the acts of kinship. Write an essay on Edward's relationship with governance in three parts:

Part 1) Gaveston is Edward's dear partner, but he represents something more essential in Edward's personality. How is Gaveston indicative of Edward's desire not to be a leader? How does he represent Edward's egoism?

Part 2) Describe the larger political events that swirl around Edward as he focuses on his personal happiness. What happens with France and Scotland? How do the nobles react? What comments does Edward make regarding his attitude toward his realm?

Part 3) At the end of Edward II, the titular character is transformed. How does loss render Edward a new outlook on the realities of kinship? Whatis his deepest relationship after Gaveston and Spencer Junior are gone?

Essay Topic 3

Edward III, the young prince of Marlowe's play, is portrayed as the closest thing to a hope for the future of England. Write an essay about this supporting but imperative character, his initial hesitancy to take power and his eventual moral rectitude int he final moments of the play. In the essay focus on the plot points: his journey to France with Isabella, his feeble defense of Kent, and his confrontation with Mortimer and his mother. How do these points demonstrate a strong character journey?

(see the answer keys)

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