At the opening of the scene, Marlowe presents Edward II in a very pathetic condition. This is evident in Leicester’s words when tries to console the king:
“Be patient, good my lord, cease to lament
Imagine Killingworth castle were your court...”
Here he treats the king almost as an innocent child. The king, however, rises above the ordinary level when he expresses his understanding of the tragic situation of a king remaining in imprisonment in his own kingdom and still remaining the titular head of the kingdom. This kind of situation forces him to understand the tragedy of power or the irony of kingship:
“I wear the crown, but am controlled by them
By Mortimer, and my unconstant queen...”
Though it is rather