The Bishop of Canterbury is the head of the Catholic Church in England. His anger with Edward II and Gaveston over the latter's assault on the Bishop of Coventry therefore reflects the king's broader and more general relationship to the Church, which Marlowe depicts as troubled: Edward resents the idea that a bishop—or even a pope—should have any authority over his actions as King of England. This is one area in which Edward would likely have appeared sympathetic to an Elizabethan audience, because England had recently broken away from the Catholic Church over precisely these sorts of jurisdictional issues.
Bishop of Canterbury Quotes in Edward II
The Edward II quotes below are all either spoken by Bishop of Canterbury or refer to Bishop of Canterbury . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, Scene 2
Quotes
Bishop of Canterbury: …We and the rest that are his councillors
Will meet and with a general consent
Confirm his banishment with our hands and seals.
Lancaster: What we confirm the King will frustrate.
Mortimer Junior: Then may we lawfully revolt from him.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Edward II LitChart as a printable PDF.
Bishop of Canterbury Quotes in Edward II
The Edward II quotes below are all either spoken by Bishop of Canterbury or refer to Bishop of Canterbury . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, Scene 2
Quotes
Bishop of Canterbury: …We and the rest that are his councillors
Will meet and with a general consent
Confirm his banishment with our hands and seals.
Lancaster: What we confirm the King will frustrate.
Mortimer Junior: Then may we lawfully revolt from him.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
