In the opening scene of the play, Piers Gaveston is in good spirits after his exile from Britain has been lifted by his lover, the new King Edward II. After reading a letter from the King that conveys this news, Gaveston is approached by a group of poor men who hope to benefit from his good fortune, and each of them in turn asks him for employment. His conversation with one man in particular, a former soldier, heavily foreshadows later events in the play:
GAVESTON
And what art thou?THIRD POOR MAN
A soldier, that hath served against the Scot.GAVESTON
Why, there are hospitals for such as you.
I have no war, and therefore, sir, begone.THIRD POOR MAN
Farewell, and perish by a soldier’s hand,
That wouldst reward them with an hospital.GAVESTON [aside]
Ay, ay, these words of his move me as much
As if a goose should play the porcupine
And dart her plumes, thinking to pierce my breast.
After the Third Poor Man explains that he was a soldier employed by King Edward II’s father in his war with the Scottish King, Robert the Bruce, Gaveston responds rudely, dismissing the man and recommending that he seek aid in a hospital. The Third Poor Man, in turn, states that Gaveston is foolish for underestimating the importance of soldiers and suggests that this error will someday lead to his death. In this early scene, then, Marlowe already foreshadows the military failures of Gaveston and King Edward II, whose troops will be defeated by those of the rebelling lords. Gaveston, in fact, seems to recognize the prophetic quality of the Third Poor Man’s words, acknowledging that they give him a deeply unsettling feeling.
