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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 Lord does Spencer Junior specifically say does not want to serve?

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

3. From whom is the letter that Lady Margaret carries with her in Scene 1?

4. Which of the following nobles does not leave with King Edward in this scene?

5. When Isabella entreats Lancaster for Gaveston's return, what is the only situation that Lancaster says will bring Gaveston back?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Edward dealing with Mortimer's escape?

2. Who is Lady Margaret?

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

4. Describe Edward and Gaveston's parting in Scene 4.

5. What fate befalls the nobles in Scene 3?

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

7. What promises does Edward make to Isabella when she gives him the good news regarding Gaveston?

8. How does Mortimer fall from grace in the final scene?

9. How does Edward react to Leicester's departure?

10. What does Sir John of Hainault offer the English exiles?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of love - personal, genuine love - is ambiguous and somewhat dangerous element in Marlowe's play. Write an essay about the precarious, perverse ends that love brings in three parts:

Part 1) The most all-consuming love in Edward II is that between the King and Gaveston. Why is Edward so consumed by his love with Gaveston? What does he sacrifice for it? What are the end results of this love for both men?

Part 2) Lady Margaret genuinely loves Gaveston and longs to be his wife. How do Baldock and Spencer Junior use this love as something strategic? What advancement can they gain from it?

Part 3) Isabella genuinely loves Edward, who does not reciprocate it. Write a chronicle of the different reactions Isabella has to these snubs. How does she eventually avail herself of this unrequited love?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

In Marlowe's medieval England, murder is a carefully chosen and strategically effective means for altering the political dynamics of the realm. Write an essay about the key murders of the play and their effects in three parts:

Part 1) What are the noble's essential issues with Gaveston, and what other tactics do they attempt before murdering him? What is the final straw for the nobles, and what do they achieve with Gaveston's murder?

Part 2) Who decides that Kent must die, and how does he go about accomplishing this end? What is Kent's role in the political world of Edward II, and how does his removal change the dynamic?

Part 3) The murder of a king i s a major decision, rife with awful possibilities. Why do Isabella and Mortimer Junior decide to have Edward II killed after he is deposed? What do they hope to achieve? What is the ultimate result of this murder?

(see the answer keys)

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