Edward II by Christopher MarloweMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This struck me as structurally similar to Doctor Faustus – the subject of the play indulges in heterodox pleasures and is ultimately doomed by overplaying his hand. Substitute dalliances with devils to attain forbidden power and knowledge for dalliances with favourites of low birth and the same sex. Edward II like Doctor Faustus wants to live deliciously, and Marlowe clearly sympathises with that libertine spirit even while ensuring it is violently crushed at the end. Tragedy demands the reassertion of traditional religious, sexual and social norms. The sinners are punished and the audience should leave the theatre feeling righteous, except Marlowe never quite purges his (and our) admiration for the radicalism of his tragic heroes. The poet is of the Devil’s party, and Marlowe certainly knew it.
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