This excellent student edition is a good place to begin with Marlowe and this thrilling play. I think editor Martin Wiggins is quite right that Edward's downfall came not because he was homosexual, but because of the political mistakes he made in giving away favors, taxing the barons, and taking advantage of them. He may do much of this because he shows favor to his lovers, but those who bring about Edward's downfall tolerate his lovers until Edward's actions affect them. Great insight into a great play.

Written in 1594 with a slightly cryptic typeset where 'f' is 's' and 'f', 'VV' is 'W,' 'u' is 'v' and 'u,' etc., yet after a few pages the conversion of letters becomes almost automatic. Long play, large cast of characters, with important death scenes too briefly brushed away. Yet this is a rare play that is able to turn a villain into a hapless human being and a virtuous hero into a villain.

3 stars instead of the 4 the play probably deserves only because my edition had endnotes instead of footnotes, which was endlessly frustrating and flow-obstructing. Not the play's fault, but the experience (unfairly) tainted the play in my first reading of it. Edward II is less boisterous than any of the other Marlowe plays I've read, which given the subject - the deposition of King Edward II because of his low-class and homosexual love affair with Piers Gaveston - makes sense. Despite the bawdy puns, the play remains somber and intense throughout. As someone in my class mentioned: "the play is almost determined not to be liked." Very chilling (and potentially nausea inducing) ending.

Its always interesting to listen to Elizabethan plays which arent Shakespeare. It lets you see how much of the grandeur of his work is based one what, back then, was a sort of national style. Marlowe does good work here, and the readers in the Librivox version are great, but hes let down a little by the historical events hes chosen to portray, and the political slant he takes. Basically this is the period where Edward II is infatuated with Piers Gaveston, and splits his realm in half over it. I presume Im meant to be on Edwards side, as he loses everything for love. It is, however, hard favour him, because he goes about the whole business in such a dreadfully stupid way.If hed just kept Gaveston as an Extra Gentleman of the Wardrobe, it would have been considered a bit odd, but since hed already fathered an heir, it would have been easy enough for him to get away with. Some of the Stewarts get away with this sort of thing. His flaw is that he wants to make his lover the most powerful noble other than him in the Realm. Powerful forces of reaction rise up and destroy him. Then Marlowe chickens out on the real historical drama and has Edward III roll in and kill the conspirators.In real life, the queen and her lover, Mortimer, controlled the kingdom. Young Edward, knowing hed be killed if he got in their way, played a masterful game of pretending to be a young buffoon. He used tournaments and binges to mask the consolidation of a power bloc within the younger generation and those disaffected with the current regime. Then, with a band of his tournament friends, he captured and executed Mortimer, and forced his mother into a nunnery. I think Edwards early life is a great story, and Marlowe just skips it entirely.Recommended for Shakespeare fans, and those liking stories of tragic infatuation.This review originally appeared on book coasters

Like Shakespeare's Richard II, Edward is an ineffective ruler but not an evil one; Richard prized luxury and pleasure, Edward is blinded by his love for a male commoner. Contrary to what one might think, it's not his homosexuality which offends the nobles (they comment is a typical "weakness" of rulers and noble minds, remembering Alexander or Socrates) but his choice of a low class lover.Edward is unable to play his cards well and his wife and subjects rebel against him, murdering his beloved. Even if we know he brought about his own disgrace we can't help but pitying this helpless king who is brutally murdered and we cheer when his son avenges him rightfully.A story of power, desire and human failure, Edward II is poignant and beautiful and probably Marlowe's masterpiece.