Ambiguity in Edward II

Abstract

This paper examines the ambiguity of characterization in Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II, probably written in 1591. Marlowe’s characters belong to the History of England in the fourteenth century and are portrayed as vividly interesting, contradicting, unpredictable human beings who sometimes surprise us, even astonish us with their sudden change of attitude and mind. The appraisal that follows is meant to demonstrate how these features are both a result of the appropriation of History and of its dramaturgical transformation.