Edward II - Second Half

While I have to admit that I expected Edward to die, I must also state that I was completely unprepared for the nature of his death. Though the play does not go into details about the specific actions of his executioners, it is widely accepted that they sodomize him (in the modern sense) with the hot poker which they have prepared. Only a bed, a table, and the red hot spit are mentioned, but the men are told to "stamp" on the table, and it is mentioned that they do not want to bruise his body. Of course the play ends with Edward III restoring order and proving his ability to rule appropriately, as his father was unable to do. On this subject, I was able to find many similarities between the way Edward II was portrayed, and the way Shakespeare's King Lear was portrayed within that play. They are both portrayed as weak kings who were not capable of ruling the country. This can be added to the list of the numerous hints that exist within the play, that the King will die. The play does bear his name after all.