User:Nmnbldbyr/Edward II (play)

Homoerotism
The spatial difference between Ireland and England is the significance of how much Edward’s state wanted Gaveston gone, but at the same time, if Gaveston travels such distance to see the King, it puts a big spotlight on their desire to see one another and their intimacy.

Queer Brotherhood
Queer Brotherhood specifically refers to the sexual brotherhood intertwined with the political aspects of Ireland and England. In Edward II, Ireland is a place that accepts sexual brotherhood, and it is the only place, outside of England, that exposes male bonds and extreme homoerotic scenes. The relationship between Gaveston and Edward is interconnected with the political aspects of Ireland and England. Edward referring to Gaveston as a ‘Brother’ shows the intimacy between the two rather than just calling him a ‘Friend’.

Homophobia
Homophobia is represented by the banishment of Gaveston by deceased king Edward I for being a bad influence on King Edward II. Mortimer describes Gaveston as someone who corrupts, dishonors, and shames the court of the King, thus showing the homophobia of the state. Mortimer's homophobia is possibly rooted from his loyalty to deceased king Edward I, who he sees as a father figure of the kingdom. Mortimer constantly threatens to kill Gaveston because of his fear of homosexuality. Mortimer has an weird obsession with his sword, which is associated with a fear of castration as a punishment for sodomy and homosexuality. Throughout the play, Mortimer insults Gaveston as a form of homophobic violence (he does kill Gaveston and Edward II after all), it's also possible that his extreme violence is rooted from his repressed homosexuality and his fear of feminization. In other words, Mortimer is desperately trying to get rid of people, Gaveston, Edward, and Spencers, who trigger his homoerotic impulses. The method which Edward II is assassinated, a hot poker through his anus, is a symbolic death of homophobia of both the state and Mortimer. How Edward II is tortured and killed in the sewer of his castle is symbolic to sodomy and homophobia.

The barons on the other hand have a fear of sodomy being a threat to heterosexuality.