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Fortune and Tragedy
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Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes
These are not men for me;
I must have wanton poets, pleasant wits,
Musicians, that with touching of a string
May draw the pliant King which way I please.
…In the day when he shall walk abroad,
Like sylvan nymphs my pages shall be clad.
My men like satyrs grazing on the lawns,
Shall with their goat-feet dance an antic hay;
Sometime a lovely boy in Dian's shape,
With hair that gilds the water as it glides,
Crownets of pearl above his naked arms,
And in his sportful hands an olive tree
To hide those parts which men delight to see,
Shall bathe him in a spring.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Shortly after Edward II summons Gaveston back to court, three poor men approach Gaveston asking for his help in finding work. Gaveston rejects them, however, on the grounds that they do not serve his purposes: one, for instance, is a former soldier, and therefore unlikely to find favor with a king who prefers theater to warfare. Since the English nobility see Edward's disinterest in military matters as yet another sign of his unfitness for rule, Gaveston's speech here helps to set up later questions of where a monarch's authority comes from and whether a monarch can ever be lawfully stripped Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At
My lord, why do you thus incense your peers
That naturally would love and honour you,
But for that base and obscure Gaveston?
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As Gaveston, newly returned from exile, listens in hiding, Edward and the nobility argue about the King's favorite. This is the first dispute of its kind in the play, and it therefore establishes the nobles' main quarrels with Gaveston. Lancaster's speech, for instance, introduces several ideas that will recur throughout the nobles' interactions with Edward—first and foremost, the fact that as a commoner, Gaveston is not entitled to the honor Edward has shown him. This is a sticking point for the nobility, because their own power depends on the claim that their lineage makes them specially worthy of authority. In Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciun
Come uncle, let us leave the brainsick King,
And henceforth parley with our naked swords.
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When it becomes clear that Edward has no intention of giving Gaveston up, the nobles storm off issuing threats of war. Mortimer Junior's words, however, are particularly significant, because they explicitly associate violence and language—two forces which are often at odds in the play, but which also overlap in some ways. Here, for instance, Mortimer describes his sword as speaking, implying that violence itself can function as a form of communication when language itself fails. Mortimer, of course, vastly prefers action to talking, so his words here also help to establish a clear contrast between him and Edward, who loves Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusant
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.
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In the aftermath of Gaveston's attack on the Bishop of Coventry, the nobles and the Bishop of Canterbury meet to discuss how to address the threat they feel Gaveston poses. The conversation quickly turns toward rebellion, and Canterbury—alarmed by the thought of rising against the King—urges the nobles to instead present a legal order for Gaveston's exile. Mortimer responds with what is possibly the clearest articulation of why the nobles' rebellion might be considered legitimate: by ignoring the law himself, Edward II would undercut his own claims to lawful rule and therefore free the nobility of any responsibility to obey Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae
Act 1, Scene 4 Quotes
Edward: Lay hands on that traitor Mortimer!
Mortimer Senior: Lay hands on that traitor Gaveston!
[The NOBLES draw swords]
Kent: Is this the duty that you owe your King?
Warwick: We know our duties; let him know his peers.
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When Edward places Gaveston beside his throne, the nobles react with outrage, and Mortimer Junior goes so far as to predict the "downfall" of both the King and his favorite. Edward responds with this order for Mortimer Junior's arrest, and the exchange that follows distills the conflicting perspectives the play offers on treason and monarchical legitimacy. Mortimer's words certainly seem treasonous at first glance, since they directly threaten the reigning king. The nobles, however, view Gaveston as the true traitor, both because he is manipulating Edward (and thus usurping the king's status) and because his actions are harming the country's Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesc
Rend not my heart with thy too-piercing words.
Thou from this land, I from my self am banished.
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When Edward confirms to Gaveston that he has been exiled, Gaveston says that his happiness has turned to a "hell of grief." Edward responds by suggesting that Gaveston's misfortune is relatively mild compared to Edward's, since Gaveston's exile means that Edward is "banished" from himself. This is in keeping with other comments Edward has made about feeling that he and Gaveston are one and the same person. To some extent, this is conventional romantic language, but in the context of the play's interest in internal division and turmoil (e.g. civil war), it takes on added significance. Throughout the play, Edward Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas
Edward: Fawn not on me, French strumpet; get thee gone.
Isabella: On whom but on my husband should I fawn?
Gaveston: On Mortimer, with whom, ungentle Queen—
I say no more; judge you the rest, my lord.
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As Edward prepares to accompany Gaveston on his way to exile in Ireland, Isabella stumbles across her husband and asks him where he is going. Edward responds with an insult—"French strumpet"—and then takes his wife to task both for her foreign birth and for her sexual promiscuity. Since there is no indication, at this point in the play, that Isabella actually has been unfaithful to her husband, the latter charge is puzzling. It does, however, draw a parallel between Isabella and Gaveston, who (like the Queen) is French, and whose sexual behavior lies outside societal norms. In other words, where Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti
His wanton humour grieves not me,
But this I scorn, that one so basely born
Should by his sovereign's favour grow so pert,
And riot it with the treasure of the realm
While soldiers mutiny for want of pay.
He wear's a lord's revenue on his back,
And Midas-like he jets it in the court
With base outlandish cullions at his heels,
Whose proud fantastic liveries make such show
As if that Proteus, god of shapes, appeared.
I have not seen a dapper jack so brisk;
He wears a short Italian hooded cloak,
Larded with pearl; and in his Tuscan cap
A jewel of more value than the crown.
Whiles other walk below, the King and he
From out a window laugh at such as we,
And flout our train and jest at our attire.
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Before Mortimer Senior leaves to lead Edward's army in Scotland, he urges tolerance of Edward's relationship with Gaveston, telling Mortimer Junior that it is not unusual for a king to have a favorite, and that Edward will likely outgrow the infatuation in time. Mortimer, however, refuses to listen to his uncle, because it is not primarily the nature of Edward and Gaveston's relationship that concerns him. Although the above speech does touch on Gaveston's sexuality—"cullions," for instance, means both "scoundrels" and "testicles"—Mortimer references it in the context of Gaveston's broader status as an outsider. Gaveston, for instance, is French and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusanti
Act 2, Scene 1 Quotes
You must cast the scholar off
And learn to court it like a gentleman…
You must be proud, bold, pleasant, resolute,
And now and then, stab, as occasion serves.
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When Spencer Junior and Baldock—former retainers of Lady Margaret's father—learn that their master has died, they begin to look for a new noble to attach themselves to. Baldock hopes to win favor with Gaveston, but since Baldock was previously employed as Lady Margaret's tutor, Spencer says he first needs to learn to act the part of a "gentleman." This is a striking statement in and of itself, because it implies that nobility is a series of actions rather than a birthright. As Spencer goes on, his words become even more subversive. There is a sexual double meaning to the word Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus volupta
Act 2, Scene 2 Quotes
Base leaden earls that glory in your birth,
Go sit at home and eat your tenants' beef,
And come not here to scoff at Gaveston,
Whose mounting thoughts did never creep so low
As to bestow a look on such as you.
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When Gaveston returns from his second exile, the nobles greet him with mocking references to the titles Edward has conferred on him—the implication being that Gaveston is still not a true nobleman despite these honors. Gaveston responds with the above insult, which undercuts the grounds for the nobles' own mockery by suggesting that there is nothing noble about inherited wealth and power. In fact, Gaveston implies that there is something distinctly ignoble about the nobility's status: he refers to them as "base," which is a word the nobles themselves have repeatedly used to describe Gaveston's low birth. This implication becomes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusant
Lancaster: Look for rebellion, look to be deposed:
Thy garrisons are beaten out of France,
And, lame and poor, lie groaning at the gates;
The wild O'Neill, with swarms of Irish kerns,
Lives uncontrolled within the English pale;
Unto the walls of York the Scots made road
And, unresisted, drove away rich spoils.
Mortimer Junior: The haughty Dane commands the narrow seas,
While in the harbour ride thy ships unrigged.
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When Edward refuses to ransom Mortimer Junior's uncle, who has been captured while waging war in Scotland, the nobles vent their frustrations even more explicitly than they had previously. These concerns range from allegations of misspending and overtaxation to the persistent complaint that Edward does not adequately respect his nobles. The topic they spend the most time discussing, however, is Edward's neglect of military matters. In this passage, for instance, Lancaster and Mortimer argue that Edward's behavior has opened thc country up to attack by a number of foreign powers, including France, Scotland, and Ireland. Their words thus play on Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Exp
Act 2, Scene 4 Quotes
Monster of men,
That, like the Greekish strumpet, trained to arms
And bloody wars so many valiant knights,
Look for no other fortune, wretch, than death;
King Edward is not here to buckler thee.
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As Gaveston flees from Tynemouth, he taunts the nobles who are pursuing him, and they respond in kind. Lancaster's insults are especially interesting because of their complex treatment of sexuality and social order. On the one hand, Lancaster's use of the word "monster" seems quite clearly homophobic, in that it positions Gaveston as an abnormal and dangerous outsider. In the very next breath, however, Lancaster compares Gaveston's effects on England to Helen of Troy's role in inciting the Trojan War. On the face of it, this is an odd comparison: Helen and Paris's relationship was heterosexual (though adulterous), and Lancaster Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes
Edward: O, shall I speak, or shall I sigh and die?
Spencer Junior: My lord, refer your vengeance to the sword
Upon these barons.
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When Edward learns that the escort charged with bringing Gaveston to him has been ambushed (and Gaveston himself killed), he responds with despair. Edward consistently prefers words to action, but in this case he seems incapable of even speech, saying that he may "sigh and die" instead. Although this silence is temporary, it is telling: as Mortimer rises to power in the second half of the play, action (and violent action in particular) renders language increasingly ineffective and ultimately takes its place. Edward's speechlessness here foreshadows this development. The fact that Edward more or less wishes for death is also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus volup
Act 3, Scene 3 Quotes
Mortimer Junior: Then, Edward, thou wilt fight it to the last,
And rather bathe thy sword in subjects' blood
Than banish that pernicious company?
Edward: Ay, traitors all! Rather than thus be braved,
Make England's civil towns huge heaps of stones
And ploughs to go about our palace gates.
Warwick: A desperate and unnatural resolution.
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As Edward and the rebel nobles fight over the King's favoritism of Spencer Junior, Mortimer Junior asks Edward whether Spencer's companionship is truly worth killing his own subjects. Edward replies that it in fact is, insisting that he would rather destroy every town in England than allow the nobles to overrule him. Presumably, Edward's determination reflects not only his feelings for Spencer, but also his belief in his absolute power as king: yielding to the nobles would mean admitting that they should in fact have some power to curb his actions. Not surprisingly, Edward's words appall the nobles, who have Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi nece
Act 4, Scene 4 Quotes
Isabella:…A heavy case,
When force to force is knit, and sword and glaive
In civil broils make kin and countrymen
Slaughter themselves in others, and their sides
With their own weapons gored. But what's the help?
Misgoverned kings are cause of all this wrack;
And Edward, thou art one among them all,
Whose looseness hath betrayed thy land to spoil
And made the channels overflow with blood.
Of thine own people patron shouldst thou be,
But thou—
Mortimer Junior: Nay madam, if you be a warrior,
Ye must not grow so passionate in speeches.
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When Isabella and Mortimer Junior arrive in Bristol to do battle with Edward II, Isabella launches into what appears to be a speech to rally the troops. Tellingly, however, Mortimer interrupts her midsentence and tells her that her words are not suited to the battlefield. He describes her speech as too "passionate," but it seems likely that he also views it as overly long and too abstract in its speculations about the causes of civil war. Mortimer, as always, prefers action to words. With that said, Isabella's words actually do have significance in terms of the play as a whole. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debit
Act 4, Scene 5 Quotes
Successful battles gives the God of kings
To them that fight in right and fear his wrath.
Since then successfully we have prevailed,
Thanks be heaven's great architect and you…
Sith the fates
Have made [Edward II] so infortunate,
Deal you, my lords, in this, my loving lords,
As to your wisdoms fittest seems in all.
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Following the rebels' victory at Bristol, Isabella delivers the above speech to her allies, attributing their success to the justice of their cause. Regardless of whether Isabella and Mortimer are at this point acting primarily out of a sense of civic duty, the remark is significant, because it implies that good fortune follows from moral behavior. This is something that Edward himself had suggested in his earlier, successful confrontation with the rebels, but it is not a view that the play in its entirety supports. There are few (if any) entirely "pure" characters in Edward II, but there are also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit e
Act 4, Scene 6 Quotes
But what is he, whom rule and empery
Have not in life or death made miserable?
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After Edward's defeat at Bristol, he goes into hiding in a monastery, where he rebuffs the Abbot's attempts to console him with a speech about the power and wealth he once enjoyed as king. His tone then changes, however, and he suggests that kingship is inseparable from suffering. In part, this reflects the concept of Fortune's Wheel, which depicts downfall as the inevitable consequence of worldly success. Relatedly, Edward's remark about misery in "death" perhaps reflects the Christian worldview that riches and prestige are at best transitory, and at worst an impediment to leading the devout life that would earn Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At
Spencer, I see our souls are fleeted hence;
We are deprived the sunshine of our life.
Make for a new life, man; throw up thy eyes,
And heart and hand to heaven's immortal throne,
Pay nature's debt with cheerful countenance.
Reduce we all our lessons unto this:
To die, sweet Spencer, therefore live we all;
Spencer, all live to die, and rise to fall.
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When Mortimer's forces discover the King in hiding at the monastery, they remove Edward to Kenilworth and prepare to lead Spencer Junior and Baldock away for execution. In this passage, Baldock urges Spencer to resign himself to death, as he himself has accepted. Baldock's stoicism stems in part from the loss of Edward himself, whom he here compares to sunshine: the metaphor underscores the centrality of Edward to Baldock and Spencer's lives, but also "corrupts" a symbol of the King's political role (as the center of the nation) for personal use. The fact that the passage is nevertheless poignant is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque e
Act 5, Scene 1 Quotes
But what are kings, when regiment is gone,
But perfect shadows in a sunshine day?
My nobles rule; I bear the name of King.
I wear the crown, but am controlled by them
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When Edward is imprisoned at Kenilworth, he initially responds to Leicester's attempts at consolation by saying that it is hard for him, as a former king, to bear his current situation. As Edward continues to speak, however, he begins to question his former attitudes toward kingship. For most of the play, Edward has insisted on the exceptionality of his position as king, arguing that it gives him (for example) the right to completely ignore the wishes of the nobility. Now, however, Edward suggests that a king stripped of the outward signs of royalty is no different than any other person. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusan
Well may I rend his name that rends my heart!
This poor revenge hath something eased my mind.
So may his limbs be torn, as is this paper!
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When Berkeley arrives at Kenilworth, he brings a letter from Mortimer Junior dismissing the Earl of Leicester and entrusting Edward to Berkeley himself. The note enrages Edward, who suspects (correctly) that Mortimer has dismissed Leicester for being too sympathetic to the deposed king. Edward therefore tears up the letter, wishing as he does so that he could tear similarly tear Mortimer's body apart. The moment thus ties together themes of violence and language, while hinting that the latter may prove stronger in the end. Although Edward's "attack" on Mortimer's name seems futile, it bears a striking resemblance to Mortimer's ultimate Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum volupta
Act 5, Scene 2 Quotes
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.
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When Mortimer Junior decides to dismiss Berkeley as Edward II's jailer, he instead places the deposed king in the care of Gourney and Maltravers. Maltravers is a nobleman, but Gourney is not, which is why Mortimer addresses the latter specifically in this passage, promising him social advancement in return for faithful service. More importantly, though, Mortimer explicitly brings up the image of Fortune's Wheel for the first time in the play, and in a way that reveals how arrogant he has become. Fortune's Wheel is typically a symbol of the futility of ambition, since it depicts downfall as inevitable and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. E
Act 5, Scene 3 Quotes
O, miserable is that commonweal, where lords
Keep courts and kings are locked in prison!
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After aiding Mortimer Junior and the rest of the rebels in deposing Edward II, Kent has second thoughts and tries to help his brother escape from prison. Kent is arrested during the attempt, and his response helps clarify why his allegiance shifted back to Edward. Although family loyalty does play a role in Kent's decision, this passage suggests that the same sense of patriotic duty that first inspired him to rebel has now inspired him to turn on Mortimer. More specifically, the passage suggests that the natural social hierarchy has been turned upside down as a result of Mortimer's rule, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaec
Act 5, Scene 5 Quotes
And there in mire and puddle have I stood
This ten days' space; and lest that I should sleep,
One plays continually upon a drum.
They give me bread and water being a king,
So that for want of sleep and sustenance
My mind's distempered and my body's numbed,
And whether I have limbs or no, I know not.
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Although Edward (correctly) guesses that Lightborne has come to assassinate him, his experience of imprisonment is so awful that he seems to welcome the chance to talk about it with someone. The physical conditions in which Edward is being kept are quite obviously terrible, but it is their effect on Edward's psyche that is most striking. In the above passage, for instance, Edward describes his mental state as confused and to some extent fragmented, since he has lost sensation in and/or awareness of parts of his body. Edward cites hunger and sleep deprivation as the immediate causes of this state, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus
Act 5, Scene 6 Quotes
King Edward III: Traitor, in me my loving father speaks
And plainly saith, 'twas thou that murd'redst him.
Mortimer Junior: But hath your grace no other proof than this?
King Edward III: Yes, if this be the hand of Mortimer.
[He presents the letter]
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When Edward III charges Mortimer Junior with murdering Edward II, Mortimer initially denies the charge and asks who "dares" to accuse him. Edward III responds by saying that his father, Edward II, is speaking through him to accuse Mortimer, and then produces the letter that Mortimer wrote ordering the former King's death. In this way, the exchange is a double vindication of the power of language over violence: Edward II figuratively speaks from beyond the grave to accuse Mortimer, and it is Mortimer's own words that prove his guilt. The passage also marks the reestablishment of "proper" social order after Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error.
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?
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When Edward III discovers and publically reveals the role that Mortimer Junior played in Edward II's murder, Mortimer quickly resigns himself to his impending execution. Where Mortimer had previously (and arrogantly) assumed that he could control his fate by sheer force of will, he now accepts that "Fortune" lies outside of human control and inevitably cuts down anyone who aspires to power. There is relatively little sense, however, that fortune is punishing ambition: instead, Mortimer's words echo earlier speeches (e.g. Baldock's) that depict this rising and falling as a basic fact of existence, comparable to life and death. This to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Pro
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