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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. Who does Arundel promise as ransom for Gaveston's temporary reprieve in Scene 4?

2. Why can Edward not commit Mortimer Junior to the Tower?

3. Over what two forms of execution do the nobles argue regarding Gaveston in Scene 4?

4. What land's ship do the nobles take to pursue Gaveston at the end of Scene 3?

5. What does Lancaster intend to do with the writ of banishment after Edward signs it?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In what precarious situation are Spencer Junior and Baldock in Act 2, Scene 1?

3. Who is Lady Margaret?

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

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

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

7. Why does Isabella want Edward dead?

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

9. What request is made of King Edward by the nobles in Act 3, Scene 1?

10. Describe the relationship between Leicester and Edward.

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 play of Edward II focuses on the scripture of the English class system, in which people are born into their station and social mobility is looked upon with disdain. Focusing on three characters, write an essay on social mobility in the play. How does each character view himself in the pecking order? How does he seek to improve his station? What is his attitude toward the system as a whole?

Part 1) Gaveston

Part 2) Mortimer Junior

Part 3) Spencer Junior and Baldock

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 900 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample