Baldock and Spencer, two minor figures hoping to gain employment in the court of King Edward II, gossip about the royal family. They observe that the Queen seems pleased by news that Piers Gaveston has been recalled from exile in Ireland, and they incorrectly assume that the Queen and Gaveston are lovers in a scene rife with dramatic irony:
SPENCER
A friend of mine told me in secrecy
That he’s repealed and sent for back again,
And even now a post came from the court
With letters to our lady from the king,
And as she read, she smiled, which makes me think
‘It is about her lover Gaveston.BALDOCK
’Tis like enough, for since he was exiled
She neither walks abroad nor comes in sight.
But I had thought the match had been broke off
And that his banishment had changed her mind.SPENCER
Our lady’s first love is not wavering.
My life for thine, she will have Gaveston.
In one of the very few comic scenes in this altogether serious and gloomy play, Baldock and Spencer discuss recent events in court and their chances of gaining employment there. Spencer observes that the Queen “smiled” upon reading a letter that announced the return of Gaveston, and he therefore assumes that Gaveston is “her lover.” By this point in the play, it is very clear to the audience that Gaveston and the Queen despise each other because he is, in fact, the lover of the King. They assume that she is pleased by his return to court, though the audience is aware that she is merely relieved, as the King has vowed never to speak with her again unless she can convince the nobles to repeal Gaveston’s exile.
In a soliloquy saturated with situational irony, Mortimer reveals his plans to rule England as a King in a manner similar to his predecessor, King Edward II. Preparing to establish Edward’s son as a puppet-ruler under his control, Mortimer states:
The queen and Mortimer
Shall rule the realm, the king, and none rule us;
Mine enemies will I plague, my friends advance,
And what I list command, who dare control?
Maior sum quam cui possit fortuna nocere;
And that this be the coronation day
It pleaseth me and Isabel the queen.
Previously, Mortimer opposed King Edward for his favoritism, granting great rights and privileges to his “favourites” and neglecting the nobility. Ironically, Mortimer plans to rule England much as Edward did, stating, “Mine enemies will I plague, my friends advance.” Further, Mortimer anticipates having complete control of the Kingdom, as all will have to obey his “command” and none “dare control” a King. His belief in the absolute power of the King is ironic, given his own role in overthrowing the previous King; if a King really holds such unquestioned power, then Mortimer himself would not stand behind the throne. This soliloquy suggests that his newfound power has corrupted his earlier ideals and that his reign over England would simply replicate the political issues that once justified his rebellion.
