Sex, Lineage, and the Natural Order Theme Analysis

For its time, Edward II is remarkably open about the kind of relationship that exists between the king and his favorite, Gaveston. As Marlowe depicts them, the two men are almost certainly lovers. While the concept of homosexuality as it is understood today may not have existed until the 19th century, homosexual behavior and relationships obviously did exist, and in the times when the play was set and was written were extremely taboo. It is therefore not surprising that Edward’s relationship with Gaveston is a point of contention in the play. What is surprising, however, is that the play’s characters are more concerned with Gaveston’s status as a commoner than his sexual behavior. In fact, Edward II does not ultimately seem to condemn homosexuality at all, but instead uses the two men’s relationship to make a broader point about the role of sexuality in a society based on class, rank, and birthright.

Initially, the objections of the nobility to Gaveston seem quite clearly rooted in sexual prejudice in light of his presumed romantic relationship with the king. Mortimer Senior, for instance, remarks that it is “strange” that Edward is “bewitched” by Gaveston. Edward’s sexual preferences, however, are ultimately of less concern to the nobility than his willingness to follow the advice of Gaveston, a commoner, rather than their own. It is this, at least as much as Gaveston’s gender, that Mortimer Junior suggests has disrupted the rightful order of things, sparking discontent among the common people and robbing the nobility of their legitimate position at court. “Thy court is naked,” Mortimer Junior says, “ being bereft of those / That makes a king seem glorious to the world— / I mean the peers whom thou shouldst dearly love.” In other words, Mortimer Junior asserts that the authority of the court depends on its members being of high social rank. That being the case, Mortimer argues, Edward should love those of his own class, which further implies that he should not love the commoners.

To the extent that Edward’s relationship with Gaveston is a problem, then, it is a problem not so much because it is homosexual, but because it ignores the categories according to which society is organized. In Edward II’s world (and Marlowe’s), ties of blood were far more important than ties of romance, because an individual’s rank hinged entirely on whom he was biologically related to. By prioritizing a sexual relationship over the inherited claims of the nobility, Edward is in effect undermining the entire system by which power was allocated, making it possible for a “peasant” like Gaveston to enjoy more political power than the nobility. Isabella’s eventual affair with Mortimer Junior creates a similar problem, because Mortimer—though a noble—is not in the direct line of succession for the throne. By choosing to pursue a relationship with him, however, Isabella opens up both herself and her newly crowned son to Mortimer’s manipulation. This culminates in a scene where Mortimer orders Kent’s executions over Edward III’s protests before dragging the King bodily from the room. This flagrant disrespect for the wishes of a king—even a young king—is clearly problematic in a monarchical society.  

From start to finish, then, Edward II depicts sexuality as a force that potentially threatens the entire social order. This is particularly clear in the repeated use of the word “unnatural”—a term often applied to sexual transgressions—to describe a variety of broken social ties. Kent, for instance, claims that only an “unnatural king” would “slaughter noblemen / And cherish flatterers,” while Edward III says he has difficulty believing his mother “unnatural” enough to conspire in her husband’s murder.

The ascension of Edward III to the throne at the end of the play seems to mark a return to the social norm, since the new king explicitly invokes his father (that is, his bloodline) when imprisoning his mother and executing her lover. Presumably, he will also defer to the nobility when appropriate, thus preserving social order on a broader scale as well. However, readers may find it difficult not to sympathize with Edward II’s love for Gaveston, or even with the frustration that drives Isabella to her affair with Mortimer. In other words, while Marlowe depicts these relationships as a threat to the status quo, he does not entirely condemn them, leaving open the possibility that he does not entirely support the return to normalcy in the play’s final lines.