Mike Chestnutt
Explore the presentation of Kingship and responsibility in Shakespeare’s Henry IV part 1 and Marlowe’s Edward II. Your study should refer to relevant contextual material and also include appropriate readings of the play by other critics

Kingship and responsibility are two extremely prevalent themes in the both of the plays, with every single character in Henry IV part 1 and Edward II providing the audience with an insight into both of these themes. Although each play represents these themes, the way in which they are portrayed is completely different. The two kings, Henry and Edward, juxtapose each other in the ways they deal with responsibility, with neither of them being an ideal king. The introduction to Marlowe’s Edward II raises key issues about how unsuitable Edward is to rule. It highlights how “psychological maturity eludes him; in politics and passion alike, as we have seen, he still has a boyish absolutism” (Edward II,1997) which are all accolades no ruler of men should have. Henry completely juxtaposes Edward; he represents everything that he is not for he is a far more suitable ruler, however he lacks the legitimacy to the sit on the throne which Edward has. A D Nuttall summarises how during the Elizabethan era Kingship and responsibility were approached in a completely different perspective to how us, as an audience perceive them now. He defends Henry’s actions by stating that it was “a time in history when chivalry was unknown, when men were perhaps harder and more brutally practical than any other time before or since” (Nuttall,p170). Overall, both plays were written at a time in history which was categorically different to modern day, making the themes of kinship and responsibility hard to accurately judge. What makes a great king in modern day may not have made a great king in the middle ages.
The plays were both written during