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Dear Isabella
The character Queen Isabella creates manipulation in scene eight of Edward
the Second. After the Queen
hears her husband's concerns about the where-abouts of his minion, Gaveston,
she turns into a helpless woman. To
add to this split personality in line thirteen, we see that Edward does not
dismiss her until she reminds him that she is there.
This reminder signifies how much he does not care about his wife.
She is upset that her presence is not enough to keep his mind off of
his true lover. Edward chooses
not to address her because he thinks she is aware of the current situation.
Since he desires Gaveston and she wants Mortimer why should there be
any lasting bond around them. In
a normal loving relationship, partners communicate and at the least care about
one another while they are in the same space.
Isabella’s soliquey starting at line fifteen, she confesses her love
to Edward and addresses his separation. Is this soliquey, an act of
reassurance to the audience or is she trying to convince herself about her
devotion? From what I understand
about soliqueys, the speaker acts like a chorus in normal traditional plays.
When she assesses her love to the audience, this should be an act
expressing her feelings and letting them see her inner thoughts.
Heavens can
witness, I love none but you.
From my
embracements thus he breaks away;
O that mine
arms could close this isle about,
…That
when I had him we might never part.
She thinks she can change his
heart if she had one secluded moment with Edward. The word ‘isle’ infers
this. We see an image of her holding him (the little island).
When she is alone on the stage giving this testimony she realizes she
needs to take away or get rid of Gaveston.
The secluded island would only be under the power of her.
In line twenty-four, Isabella calls herself ‘miserable’ and says
she is ‘mourning’. This depressing
adjustment to her self-esteem triggers Lancaster to ask “How high would you
like me to jump?” Even though
these are not his exact words they define his intentions. He acts on the Queen’s dishearten situation and is ready to
‘rid the realm’ of the heart breaker.
Lancaster asks where Gaveston is and says he will die.
By showing she is helpless she manipulates his mind to act on her
depression. She is swift to say
where he is and tells him to ‘pursue him quickly’.
When Isabella says this it makes you think this has been her intention
all along. Why tell someone to
act ‘quick’ if you were not sure. She
has been thinking of this revenge for quite awhile which can be proven by her
use of words earlier.
The Queen’s status is always brought to the ear when she is present
in conversations. The
overwhelming fact that the Queen was able to unite Spain and France lingers
about her ability. This is
frustrating to Isabella because she thinks a task of uniting people should be
easier. In this idea one would think that a task like this would put
forth less effort. Her lack of
effort could be the reason for her losing out in Edward’s heart. Because
she cannot unite herself and the King she has failed in her relationship and
jumps at revenge.
She then asserts a plan to seize Gaveston.
She gives the seizers direction and advises how to capture him.
How can a woman who is the victim of this love triangle become so evil?
Maybe the whole love triangle could be the source of her anger. Is she getting rid of the mistress while leaving her
cheating husband to herself? Why
keep the cheating husband? I
think she will have the last laugh because he is left to suffer with her.
In line fifty-two she chooses to go with her King.
This decision gives her the alibi she needs to prove she did not hurt
Edward by exterminating his lover. In
her head that is true love.
At the closing of scene eight she delivers another siloquey. She thinks if Edward does not become hers she will vanish to
France and tell her brother that ‘Gaveston hath robbed me’ of Edward’s
love. At the end of her speech
she wishes Gaveston to be slain. She
prays in this scene for Edward’s love.
If you have ever been in love or wanted to, does praying bring your
lover? Queen Isabella abuses her
spiritual world by praying. If
supernatural beings delivered your lover then why go out and find mates? Ultimately her actions get rid of the problem (Gaveston),
but Edward’s heart will be unchanged by Gaveston’s extinction.
Queen Isabella throughout the rest of the play seems absolutely
innocent. Scene eight contradicts
her personality and her attitude. Her
devilish acts in this scene seem inappropriate and not character fitting. In the earlier and later scenes she does seem innocent and
her main goal is to stand by the King and not disrupt his life.
Scene eight also clearly foreshadows events to come and intensifies the
mood of the play.
Starting at line sixty in scene eight she says she could live with
Mortimer forever. I think
Mortimer is left as an alternative if her plan with Edward fails.
Obsolete arrangement with Mortimer is not asserted and cannot be told
because of the rising action towards Edward’s fate.
At the end of this play in line ninety-two she wishes for death so her
grief is ridden. I think she
kills herself because Edward ends up dead and she wishes to join him.
In another light I think she fools the audience by pretending she is
heart broken by her husband’s death. Her
loss is fake because she brought this upon poor Edward and she pretends
to mourn, securing her alibi.
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