“Where is the court but here?” Undetermined Elite Space and Marlowe'sEdward II

Abstract

This article draws upon recent research that has prioritised 'space' as an exclusive concern in the study of Renaissance literature and culture, but offers a particular emphasis on elite space in the period, thus exploring the definitional problems surrounding the court as a social and spatial concept, both in Marlowe's Edward II and the early modern period. The Renaissance court was a problematic space, often escaping exact description in literary and non-literary production. Contemporary descriptions include the idea of the court as the place where the monarch resides, the place of justice and as a fixed physical setting. These may be seen as 'court models' that were available for appropriation by various groups, though Edward II appears to highlight the uncertainty of various attempts at categorisation.