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Soliloquy
Act 5, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Dramatic and Lofty:
The style of Edward II is dramatic and rhetorically lofty. The play's dialogue is written primarily in blank verse—or, in other words, unrhymed iambic pentameter. This verse form gives the language a rhythmic, formal quality, allowing for heightened emotional expression and dramatic impact. In addition, Marlowe’s writing in the play is characterized by its elaborate rhetorical devices and classical allusions. The primary characters of this play are drawn from the highest classes of English society and their elaborate speeches reflect their elevated status. When the defeated King Edward II is asked to relinquish his crown, for example, his speech reflects the rhetorical sophistication that characterizes the style of the play:
No, ’tis for Mortimer, not Edward’s head,
For he’s a lamb encompassèd by wolves
Which in a moment will abridge his life.
But if proud Mortimer do wear this crown,
Heavens turn it to a blaze of quenchless fire,
Or, like the snaky wreath of Tisiphon,
Engirt the temples of his hateful head!
So shall not England’s vine be perishèd
Here, Edward uses a number of literary devices in quick succession, demonstrating his strong command of language and thorough education. He uses metaphor, imagining himself as a lamb surrounded by cruel wolves, and he also invokes rich imagery, imagining the crown turning into a “quenchless fire” should it ever be placed on Edward’s head. So too does he draw from classical mythology, referencing Tisiphon, one of the furies of Greek mythology, who avenges crimes such as murder. His speech ends with two lines of rhymed verse that highlight the de-throned King’s rhetorical flair.
Here, and elsewhere throughout the play, dialogue is passionate, intense, and filled with emotion, driving the dramatic tension and capturing the conflicts and dilemmas faced by the characters. This is the "mighty line" and grand style that Marlowe is best known for, and it characterizes all of his surviving plays.
Related Themes:
