He then says there is a canker spreading through the tree, however this is a symbol of Gaveston. Mortimer describes a tall tree with kingly eagles, which symbolizes the kingdom and the nobles and the king. Lancaster and Mortimer explain what their devices (emblems) are, which ostensibly seem like scenes from nature but are actually highly symbolic of their view of the situation in the kingdom. Much as a bald man might be nicknamed "Curly" or a tall man "Shorty," this man “born of light” is easily the most despicably malevolent character in the play. It has a connection to Lucifer, yes, but as an ironically symbolic name, the connotation is much more potent. The intricacies of his name are infused with typical Renaissance wordplay. The assassin hired to actually murder Edward is a fictional invention by Marlowe and his name is purely symbolic. Thus, the chair becomes a very blatant symbol of the king replacing his wife with Gaveston, both sexually and politically. What is going on is, though, is that Gaveston is sitting in a chair reserved exclusively for the Queen. To modern readers, it may seem strangely superfluous since there are stage directions to indicate the specifics of the act. Near the beginning of Act I, Scene 4, a very big deal is made about Edward allowing Gaveston to take a seat.
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