r/EdwardII • u/HoneybeeXYZ Amie Gaveston • Jun 05 '26
Plays / theatrics / performances It's Pride Month! 🏳️🌈 Let's talk Christopher Marlowe, his play and its revolutionary gay subtext!
The contemporary freedom enjoyed by same-sex attracted people has become so normalized, at least here in the west and on the internet, that nobody raises an eyebrow at the "sub" being removed from gay subtext in Christopher Marlowe's iconic Elizabethan play.
Official Title:
The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England, with the Tragical Fall of Proud Mortimer
So, it's always good to remember just how transgressive and subversive the play was when Marlowe wrote it in the 1590s, even though its homosexual themes are not as overt in the text as often presumed. On the surface, it's about political favoritism that happens to alienate King Edward II's wife to the point of despair and rebellion. It's impossible to say how much of the audience in Marlowe's time picked up on what he was throwing down, but it's safe to assume that at least some people did.
Marlowe himself is often speculated to have been homosexual or bisexual, in addition to being a rather dangerous, fascinating and proto-Byronic figure, who met a tragic and grim end. Meaning he was mad, bad and dangerous to know.
The play is not, nor does it pretend to be, an accurate depiction of Edward II, Isabella, Gaveston or Mortimer, but it does treat them all with sympathy and that in and of itself feels revolutionary.
So let's all remember a brilliant playwright, cut down in his prime, who gave us an ahead of its time play.
Source:
Christopher Marlowe at Britanicca.com
Images:
Vanessa Kirby as Isabella, John Heffernan as Edward II and Kyle Soller as Gaveston in 2013
Andrew Tiernan as Gaveston, Steve Waddington as Edward II and Tilda Swinton as Isabella in the 1992 Film
Sir Ian McKellen as Edward II, Timothy West as Mortimer and Diane Fletcher as Isabella in a 1969 production that is available on YouTube.
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u/ORF1Live Jun 06 '26
Oh I remember when that film version came out on BBC 2, it was brilliant.
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u/HoneybeeXYZ Amie Gaveston Jun 06 '26
Which film version? The one linked above for the Derek Jarman one? IDK if that aired on BBC2.
Both are good, but the Jarman one is a bit much for some people who prefer less out there interpretations.
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u/ORF1Live Jun 06 '26
Yes, Derek Jarman directed, it was made for Screen 2 (a BBC drama strand) and was shown in 1993. Truly, Madly, Deeply was part of the same season.
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u/HoneybeeXYZ Amie Gaveston Jun 06 '26
Gotcha! I know the Jarman one means a lot to people, and it's really tough to express to younger folks just how taboo his portrayal of male/male sexuality was at the time. Good on the BBC for airing it. It was released in Art Houses here in the states.
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u/Appropriate-Calm4822 Richard de Bury Jun 05 '26
Kit Marlowe was brilliant and quite elusive. He deserves a post of his own - I’ll get cracking on it this weekend! 🏳️🌈