Enter QUEEN ISABELLA and the younger MORTIMER.
Y. Mor. Fair Isabel, now have we our desire;
The proud corrupters of the light-brain'd king
Have done their homage to the lofty gallows,
And he himself lies in captivity.
Be rul'd by me, and we will rule the realm:
In any case take heed of childish fear,
For now we hold an old wolf by the ears,
That, if he slip, will seize upon us both,
And gripe the sorer, being grip'd himself.
Christopher Marlowe brought something to the Elizabethan stage which it had lacked: nothing less than genius. First of all, for iambic pentameter so rhythmic and vigorous (Ben Jonson called it "Marlowe's mighty line"), it almost reads itself, which is one reason the occasional formatting slip and lack of notes in this Gutenberg edition are barely noticeable.
Shakespeare took much from Marlowe. From this play, the dramatic compression of historical events. But Shakespeare in his plays at least, never portrayed a man's passionate love for another man as boldly as Marlowe does here:
Enter GAVESTON. K. Edw. My Gaveston! Welcome to Tynmouth! welcome to thy friend!
Thy absence made me droop and pine away;
For, as the lovers of fair Danaë,
When she was lock'd up in a brazen tower,
Desir'd her more, and wax'd outrageous,
So did it fare with me: and now thy sight
Is sweeter far than was thy parting hence
Bitter and irksome to my sobbing heart.
Gav. Sweet lord and king, your speech preventeth mine;
Yet have I words left to express my joy:
The shepherd, nipt with biting winter's rage,
Frolics not more to see the painted spring
Than I do to behold your majesty.
The depiction of Edward's degradation and murder in the last act was years ahead of its time. The villain Lightborn is truly Jacobean. That this pitiable scene is otherwise surrounded by camp proves that Marlowe knew (instinctively?) when to 'sink' it. It was a pleasure to re-read this after many years.
No comments:
Post a Comment