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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. At the end of Scene 1, whom does Edward depose in vengeance of his part in Gaveston's exile?

2. According to the nobles in seem to, how is Gaveston normally positioned with the King in court?

3. What new honor does Edward give Mortimer Junior in thanks for Gaveston's return?

4. Who is updating Gaveston on recent events in Scene 3?

5. Whom does Edward send to fight the rebellious Scots in this scene?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who orders Kent's execution and how?

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

3. How is Kent's attitude toward Mortimer and Isabella changing in this scene?

4. What request does Edward make of the nobles via Arundel?

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

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

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

8. How does Edward react to giving up his crown?

9. How does Edward's support change in Scene 2?

10. How do Matrevis and Gurney mistreat Edward II in Scene 3?

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

Much of Marlowe's play deal with the relationship of the sovereign to his peers and vice versa. The plot is driven by two men whose understanding of this relationship is unsound. Write an essay about these men in two parts:

Part 1) How does Edward II represent a king who does not understand the responsibilities of his office? To what extent does he want to enjoy all of the perks of kinship without the responsibility? What conflict does this create? What end does Edward meet as a result?

Part 2) What duty does Mortimer Junior owe to his king that he is unwilling to bestow? How does he justify his unwillingness to respect this customary relationship? In what ways are his arguments reasonable, and i what ways is he simply an ambitious over-reacher? How is his demise brought about by this lack of respect for the sovereign-peer relationship?

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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