About the work
Edward II is a history tragedy by Christopher Marlowe, probably written around 1591–92 and performed by Pembroke's Men before Marlowe's death on 30 May 1593; it was entered in the Stationers' Register only on 6 July 1593, five weeks after his death, and printed in 1594. The play traces the downfall of King Edward II of England, whose unconditional devotion to his favourite Piers Gaveston turns the nobility against him.
Plot
Edward II showers his favourite Piers Gaveston with titles and wealth and ignores his barons' warnings; after Gaveston's murder he turns to the younger Spencer, finally driving his wife Isabella and the baron Mortimer into open rebellion. Edward is deposed, captured and eventually murdered on Mortimer's orders, before Mortimer's own rule is ended by Edward's son.
Cultural significance
Edward II is one of the earliest major English history plays and is considered a model for Shakespeare's Richard II; the play's open depiction of the king's devotion to Gaveston also makes it an early instance of same-sex desire portrayed on the English stage.