Edward II:  Tableau I:  Pastoral 

1.  LOVE LETTER:   Edward II writes to Gaveston to ask him to return to England to share his kingdom and his love.   

2.  ISABELLA's TEARS:   Queen Isabella intercepts her husband's letter to his lover, Gaveston. 

3.  LOVE'S REPLAY:   Gaveston reads Edward's letter and decides to join him in England.  

4.  LOVE'S RETURN:   Edward welcomes Gaveston  back to England.   

 
5.  ARABESQUE:   Edward and Gaveston relax and listen to a troupe of travelling dancers.  

6.   CREATION:  Edward makes Gaveston an Earl, and gives him lands and other honors and titles.  

7.   HEART:  the passion of the two lovers gets red hot.

8.   LOVE'S DART:  the culmination of the love making of Edward and Gaveston.  

Go to Tableau II

Note:  All of the texts are from Marlowe's play "Edward II" except for 1. "Love Letter" which is a separate poem entitled "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" and 8. Love's Dart which is Marlowe's translation of Ovid's Elegia II.   In 8. Edward sings the music from "Love Letter" (number 1) and then he is joined by Gaveston, who sings the music from "Love's Reply" (number 3).  A similar melody on melody technique is also found in "Love's Return" (number 4).