Edward II

Written by Christopher Marlowe

This production is part of our series of classic scripts filmed in great halls, houses and castles, as well as new works filmed at single notable locations.

One of the first English history plays, Marlowe’s script collapses Edward’s twenty-year reign into a matter of days, showing a man made vulnerable as he follows his own heart rather than submitting to his royal responsibilities. Edward alienates his wife Queen Isabella and his court nobles by indulging his favourite, Gaveston, who is killed in the ensuing power struggle. When Edward takes another favourite, Isabella conspires with her ambitious lover, Mortimer, to depose the isolated King.

Location: Berkeley Castle

The site of Edward’s death in 1327, Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire is still occupied by the descendants of the same family who owned it at the time. In fact, the history of the family and the castle holds many stories: the Barons of the West gathered there before the meeting with King John at Runnymede where the Magna Carta was signed, the very first American Thanksgiving was held by Berkeley men, and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written for a Berkeley family wedding.