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

Short Answer Questions

1. To what town is Edward bound with Leicester at the end of the scene?

2. As he is taken captive, where does Kent protest the court is?

3. What is Edward's mother's name?

4. Which of the following groups of soldiers is not mentioned to be in Spencer Senior's retinue?

5. What information about Isabella does Kent reveal in his soliloquy in Scene 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the character of Kent. Does Christopher Marlowe intend Kent to act as a surrogate for the audience, reflecting its sympathies and concerns? With whom does Kent side for the majority of the play? What are his reasons for betraying Edward II and later Mortimer's faction? Are these betrayals understandable? Who is the audience's reaction to Kent's final fate in the fifth act?

Essay Topic 3

The world of Edward II, as presented by Christopher Marlowe, is one in which powerful men and women cannot control the forces that exist around them, try as they might. Write and essay about three attempts of powerful characters to control the world around them and failing. What tactics do they use? How do these tactics prove ineffective? What is the end-result for this character?

Part 1) Edward's attempt to control the nobility

Part 2) Isabella's attempt to influence the French aristocracy

Part 3) Mortimer's attempt to consolidate power in the English Court

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 426 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample