"The King"

I have to admit that I was taken aback by John's comment about how exactly Edward II was killed. I suppose I am reading a different version of the play as I saw no such footnote and had envisioned Edward II being stabbed through the heart by the poker. I must say though, that the explanation John had of the murder gives the entire situation an entirely new feeling. The thing that I found most interesting about the stage direction, however, is Marlowe's use of the word "King" to describe Edward II. At this point in the play, Edward II has abdicated his throne by surrendering his crown, and his son has already been coronated as the new King of England. At the time of his death Edward II is the only one still referring to himself as the "King". I find it interesting, therefore, that the last time Edward II does anything in the play, he is referred to as the King. Although naturally this is not a word choice that would have influenced the audience in any way, I think that it is an interesting thing to look at when one is examining the ideas that Marlowe, and presumably his contemporaries, harbored in regards to the monarchy. To me the wording in this footnote suggests that Marlowe saw Edward II as the rightful King, no matter how ineffectual he may have been. I think that it speaks to the idea that Marlowe believed in a set of rules that governed the monarchy and the government, rules that he believed were broken through the actions of Mortimer and the Queen.