The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is staging Edward II, a play about a medieval English king who chose queer love over his kingdom. Edward II, who reigned from 1307 to 1327, was the first English king to be deposed. He gave excessive power to his favorite, Piers Gaveston. Historians now believe their relationship was likely romantic, despite past attempts to paint it as a bromance.
One chronicle described Edward’s love for Gaveston as “beyond measure,” while another hinted at “the vice of sodomy.” The play’s author, Christopher Marlowe, is rumored to have been queer himself. He was often called a heretic, a spy, and a “sodomite.” Marlowe’s Edward II is filled with queer themes.
This RSC production is running until April 5th at the Swan Theatre and portrays the relationship authentically. Director Daniel Raggett critiques the reductive, often sexualized depictions of their love, noting the political undertones of queer erasure. Despite some backlash, including homophobic slurs, the play explores love, violence, and queerness. As actor Daniel Evans says, Edward II is not just about a queer king, but about the complexity of human emotions. You can see Edward II in London before it ends in April.
