One major motif running throughout Edward II is the metaphorical treatment of England as a garden and the King as a large tree at the center of that garden. This political metaphor was conventional when Marlowe wrote the play and is also used by Shakespeare in a number of his own history plays. We see one instance of this motif when King Edward and Mortimer discuss the return of Gaveston to the English court:
EDWARD
[...] But tell me, Mortimer, what’s thy device
Against the stately triumph we decreed?MORTIMER
A homely one, my lord, not worth the telling.EDWARD
Prithee let me know it.MORTIMER
But seeing you are so desirous, thus it is:
A lofty cedar tree, fair flourishing,
On whose top branches kingly eagles perch,
And by the bark a canker creeps me up.
And gets unto the highest bough of all.
Edward asks Mortimer to describe the emblem he has chosen to adorn his shield, and Mortimer reveals that he has designed a symbolic emblem that criticizes Gaveston as a “canker” or disease that has afflicted the “lofty cedar tree” that is the King. The King immediately perceives the intended insult, setting off another vicious argument between him and Mortimer.
Later, a Herald sent by the rebellious lords conveys a message that further develops this motif. The lords, the Herald reports, make a demand of the King:
That from your princely person you remove
This Spencer, as a putrefying branch
That deads the royal vine whose golden leaves
Impale your princely head
Again, the flattering courtiers surrounding the King are discussed metaphorically as unhealthy plant life that threatens the stability of the garden of England. Spencer, who replaces Gaveston in the King’s affections, is a “putrefying branch” that risks damaging the “royal vine” that is the King. Throughout the play, characters use this metaphor of a garden to understand and discuss important political concerns.
One major motif running throughout Edward II is the metaphorical treatment of England as a garden and the King as a large tree at the center of that garden. This political metaphor was conventional when Marlowe wrote the play and is also used by Shakespeare in a number of his own history plays. We see one instance of this motif when King Edward and Mortimer discuss the return of Gaveston to the English court:
EDWARD
[...] But tell me, Mortimer, what’s thy device
Against the stately triumph we decreed?MORTIMER
A homely one, my lord, not worth the telling.EDWARD
Prithee let me know it.MORTIMER
But seeing you are so desirous, thus it is:
A lofty cedar tree, fair flourishing,
On whose top branches kingly eagles perch,
And by the bark a canker creeps me up.
And gets unto the highest bough of all.
Edward asks Mortimer to describe the emblem he has chosen to adorn his shield, and Mortimer reveals that he has designed a symbolic emblem that criticizes Gaveston as a “canker” or disease that has afflicted the “lofty cedar tree” that is the King. The King immediately perceives the intended insult, setting off another vicious argument between him and Mortimer.
Later, a Herald sent by the rebellious lords conveys a message that further develops this motif. The lords, the Herald reports, make a demand of the King:
That from your princely person you remove
This Spencer, as a putrefying branch
That deads the royal vine whose golden leaves
Impale your princely head
Again, the flattering courtiers surrounding the King are discussed metaphorically as unhealthy plant life that threatens the stability of the garden of England. Spencer, who replaces Gaveston in the King’s affections, is a “putrefying branch” that risks damaging the “royal vine” that is the King. Throughout the play, characters use this metaphor of a garden to understand and discuss important political concerns.
An important motif in the play is Fortune’s wheel, a common allegorical figure in the Renaissance for the unpredictability of life. After assigning Matrevis and Gurney to guard the former King Edward, tormenting him with insults and discomfort, Mortimer states:
As thou intendest to rise by Mortimer,
Who now makes Fortune’s wheel turn as he please,
Seek all the means thou canst to make him droop,
And neither give him kind word nor good look.
Mortimer tells Matrevis and Gurney that if they seek advancement at court they must heed his instructions carefully, as Mortimer has the political power to “[make] Fortune’s wheel turn as he please.” In the early modern period, many writers invoked the goddess Fortune, whose wheel allegorically represents the twists of fate: as one man rises on the wheel, another must fall. Having successfully defeated King Edward, Mortimer feels secure in his political position, confidently asserting that he has the power to shape destiny.
Later, Mortimer revisits the motif of Fortune’s wheel, as his own fortune has taken a turn for the worse:
Base Fortune, now I see that in thy wheel
There is a point to which when men aspire
They tumble headlong down. That point I touched,
And, seeing there was no place to mount up higher,
Why should I grieve at my declining fall?
Despite his previous confidence in the success of his plan, Mortimer’s role in the murder of the former King has been exposed, and he now faces execution. He again invokes Fortune, noting bitterly that he has “touched” the top of the wheel and must now “tumble headlong down.” Here, he acknowledges that he was never truly in control of fortune, but rather, just another of its victims.
Mortimer compares himself metaphorically to a tall tree and his enemies to small shrubs after receiving word that his order to murder the imprisoned former King Edward has been carried out. Speaking with Matrevis, who assisted in the murder, Mortimer states:
As for myself, I stand as Jove’s huge tree,
And others are but shrubs compared to me;
All tremble at my name, and I fear none.
Let’s see who dare impeach me for his death?
Writers in Ancient Rome often described the oak tree as sacred to Jupiter, the Latin equivalent of Jove. Here, Mortimer imagines himself as “Jove’s huge tree,” or, in other words, an oak. In comparison, the other lords are “but shrubs” who “tremble” at his name. He contentedly imagines himself towering over his subjects once he has assumed the power of a King and enjoys complete power.
His botanical metaphors reflect a key motif in the play: the treatment of England as a garden and the King as a tall tree at its center. As his language here suggests, Mortimer has changed greatly throughout the course of the play. Where he once defended the right of the lords to oppose the King and defend their own interests, he now craves the power to rule with complete authority and terrify his enemies.
An important motif in the play is Fortune’s wheel, a common allegorical figure in the Renaissance for the unpredictability of life. After assigning Matrevis and Gurney to guard the former King Edward, tormenting him with insults and discomfort, Mortimer states:
As thou intendest to rise by Mortimer,
Who now makes Fortune’s wheel turn as he please,
Seek all the means thou canst to make him droop,
And neither give him kind word nor good look.
Mortimer tells Matrevis and Gurney that if they seek advancement at court they must heed his instructions carefully, as Mortimer has the political power to “[make] Fortune’s wheel turn as he please.” In the early modern period, many writers invoked the goddess Fortune, whose wheel allegorically represents the twists of fate: as one man rises on the wheel, another must fall. Having successfully defeated King Edward, Mortimer feels secure in his political position, confidently asserting that he has the power to shape destiny.
Later, Mortimer revisits the motif of Fortune’s wheel, as his own fortune has taken a turn for the worse:
Base Fortune, now I see that in thy wheel
There is a point to which when men aspire
They tumble headlong down. That point I touched,
And, seeing there was no place to mount up higher,
Why should I grieve at my declining fall?
Despite his previous confidence in the success of his plan, Mortimer’s role in the murder of the former King has been exposed, and he now faces execution. He again invokes Fortune, noting bitterly that he has “touched” the top of the wheel and must now “tumble headlong down.” Here, he acknowledges that he was never truly in control of fortune, but rather, just another of its victims.
