Christopher Marlowe
An anonymous portrait in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, often believed to show Christopher Marlowe. Corpus Christi College (full name The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary, often shortened to simply Corpus) is a College of the University
Born	baptised 26 February 1564 Canterbury, England
Died	30 May 1593 (aged 29) Deptford, England
Occupation	Playwright, poet
Nationality	English
Writing period	circa 1586 – 1593
Literary movement	English renaissance theatre
Influenced William Shakespeare
Signature

Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (baptised 26 February 1564 – 30 May 1593) was an English dramatist, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or Drama. A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English This is a list of modern literary movements: that is movements after the Renaissance. English Renaissance theatre is English drama written between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642. William Shakespeare ( baptised Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following The Kingdom of England was a State (927-1707 located in Western Europe dating from the ninth or tenth century to the early eighteenth century when it was legally A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or Drama. A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation Romance and reality The Victorian era and the early twentieth century idealised the Elizabethan era The foremost Elizabethan tragedian before William Shakespeare, he is known for his magnificent blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his own untimely death. English Renaissance theatre is English drama written between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642. William Shakespeare ( baptised Blank verse is a type of Poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no Rhyme. The Protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story.

Early life

Marlowe was christened at St George's Church Canterbury

Christopher Marlowe was christened at St George's Church, Canterbury, on 26 February 1564. Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed He was born to a shoemaker in Canterbury named John Marlowe and his wife Katherine. Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. ^[1] Marlowe attended The King's School, Canterbury (where a house is now named after him) and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge on a scholarship and received his bachelor of arts degree in 1584. The King's School is an English Independent school situated in Canterbury, Kent. Corpus Christi College (full name The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary, often shortened to simply Corpus) is a College of the University In 1587 the university hesitated to award him his master's degree because of a rumour that he had converted to Roman Catholicism and intended to go to the English college at Rheims to prepare for the priesthood. However, his degree was awarded on schedule when the Privy Council intervened on his behalf, commending him for his "faithful dealing" and "good service" to the queen. Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ^[2] The nature of Marlowe's service was not specified by the Council, but their letter to the Cambridge authorities has provoked much speculation, notably the theory that Marlowe was operating as a secret agent working for Sir Francis Walsingham's intelligence service. Sir Francis Walsingham (c 1532 – 6 April 1590) is usually remembered as the " Spymaster " of Queen Elizabeth I of England ^[3] No direct evidence supports this theory, although Marlowe obviously did serve the government in some capacity.

Literary career

Dido, Queen of Carthage is Marlowe's first drama, co-written with Thomas Kyd. Dido Queen of Carthage is a short play written by the English playwright Christopher Marlowe, with possible contributions by Thomas Nashe. Thomas Kyd ( 3 November 1558 – 16 July 1594) was an English Dramatist, the author of The Spanish Tragedy

Marlowe's first play performed onstage in London stage was Tamburlaine (1587) about the conqueror Timur, who rises from shepherd to warrior. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Tamburlaine the Great is the name of a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. Timur also written Emir Timur or Amir Temur ( Chagatai: تیمور - Tēmōr " Iron " (1336 – 19 February 1405 among It is among the first English plays in blank verse, and, with Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy, generally is considered the beginning of the mature phase of the Elizabethan theatre. Blank verse is a type of Poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no Rhyme. The Spanish Tragedie or Hieronimo is mad againe is an Elizabethan Tragedy written by Thomas Kyd between 1582 &ndash 92 English Renaissance theatre is English drama written between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642. Tamburlaine was a success, and was followed with Tamburlaine Part II. The sequence of his plays is unknown; all deal with controversial themes.

The Jew of Malta, about a Maltese Jew's barbarous revenge against the city authorities, has a prologue delivered by a character representing Machiavelli. The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. The protagonist, Barabas is sympathetic, while the Christians are unsympathetic; in his continual plotting and script writing, Barabas often is likened to Marlowe, himself.

Edward the Second is an English history play about the deposition of the homosexual King Edward II by his barons and the Queen of France. Edward II is a Renaissance or Early Modern period play written by Christopher Marlowe. For the play see Edward II (play. For the film see Edward II (film.

The Massacre at Paris is short (believed a memorial construction by actors) portraying the events of the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572, which English Protestants invoked as the blackest example of Catholic treachery. The Massacre at Paris is an Elizabethan play by the English dramatist Christopher Marlowe. The St Bartholomew's Day massacre ( Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy in French) was a wave of Roman Catholic Mob violence against the Huguenots It features the silent "English Agent" (rumoured to be Marlowe and his connection to the secret service). Along with The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, The Massacre at Paris is believed his most dangerous play, as it is about regnant monarchs and politicians (then a treasonable action), and, indeed, addressing Elizabeth I in its last scene.

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, based on the German Faustbuch, was the first dramatised version of the Faust legend of a scholar's dealing with the devil. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe, based on the Faust story in which a man sells his soul to the devil Historia von D Johann Fausten, the first " Faust book" is a Chapbook of stories concerning the life of Johann Georg Faust, written Faust or Faustus ( Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky" is the protagonist of a classic German Legend in which he makes Whilst versions of "The Devil's Pact" can be traced back to the 4th century, Marlowe deviates significantly by having his hero unable to "burn his books" or have his contract repudiated by a merciful god at the end of the play. Marlowe's protagonist is instead torn apart by demons and dragged off screaming to hell. Dr Faustus is a textual problem for scholars as it was highly edited (and possibly censored) and rewritten after Marlowe's death. Two versions of the play exist: the 1604 quarto, also known as the A text, and the 1616 quarto or B text. Many scholars believe that the A text is more representative of Marlowe's original because it contains irregular character names and idiosyncratic spelling: the hallmarks of a text that used the author's handwritten manuscript, or "foul papers," as a major source. Foul papers is a term that refers to an author's working drafts most often applied in the study of the plays of Shakespeare and other dramatists of English Renaissance

Marlowe's plays were enormously successful, thanks in part, no doubt, to the imposing stage presence of Edward Alleyn. Edward Alleyn (ˈælɪn ( 1 September 1566 &ndash 25 November 1626) was an English Actor who was a major figure of the He was unusually tall for the time, and the haughty roles of Tamburlaine, Faustus, and Barabas were probably written especially for him. Marlowe's plays were the foundation of the repertoire of Alleyn's company, the Admiral's Men, throughout the 1590s. The Admiral's Men (also called the Admiral's company, more strictly the Earl of Nottingham's Men; after 1603, Prince Henry's Men; after

Marlowe also wrote poetry, including a, possibly, unfinished minor epic, Hero and Leander (published with a continuation by George Chapman in 1598), the popular lyric The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, and translations of Ovid's Amores and the first book of Lucan's Pharsalia. Hero and Leander is a mythological Poem by Christopher Marlowe. George Chapman (c 1559 &ndash May 12 1634) was an English Dramatist, Translator, and Poet. The Passionate Shepherd to His Love is a poem written by the English poet Christopher Marlowe in the 1590s Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including Amores is Ovid 's first completed book published in 16 BC. Amores was written in the elegiac distich. Marcus Annaeus Lucanus ( November 3, 39 AD – April 30, 65 AD better known in English as Lucan, was a Roman Pharsalia was also an ancient district in Greece in which Pharsalus was located

The two parts of Tamburlaine were published in 1590; all Marlowe's other works were published posthumously. Tamburlaine the Great is the name of a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. In 1599, his translation of Ovid was banned and copies publicly burned as part of Archbishop Whitgift's crackdown on offensive material. Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including John Whitgift (c 1530 &ndash February 29, 1604) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death

The Marlowe legend

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

As with other writers of the period, little is known about Marlowe. Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. Most of the evidence is legal records and other official documents that tell us little about him. This has not stopped writers of both fiction and non-fiction from speculating about his activities and character. Marlowe has often been described as a spy, a brawler, a heretic, and a homosexual, as well as a "magician", "duelist", "tobacco-user", "counterfeiter", and "rakehell". A rake is defined as a man habituated to immoral conduct Rakes are frequently Stock characters in novels The evidence for most of these claims is slight. The bare facts of Marlowe's life have been embellished by many writers into colourful, and often fanciful, narratives of the Elizabethan underworld.

Spying

Marlowe is often alleged to have been a government spy.

Possible evidence of spying

As noted above, in 1587 the Privy Council ordered Cambridge University to award Marlowe his MA, denying rumours that he intended to go to the English Catholic college in Rheims, saying instead that he had been engaged in unspecified "affaires" on "matters touching the benefit of his country". A privy council is a body that advises the Head of state of a nation on how to exercise their executive authority, typically but not always in the context of a This from a document dated June 29th, 1587, from the Public Records Office - Acts of Privy Council.

It has sometimes been theorized that Marlowe was the "Morley" who was tutor to Arbella Stuart in 1589, described by Arbella's guardian, the Countess of Shrewsbury, as having hoped for an annuity of some £40 from Arbella, his being "so much damnified (i. Arbella Stuart (or " Arabella " and/or " Stewart " ( 1575 - 27 September 1615) was an English Renaissance e. having lost this much) by leaving the University". ^[4] This possibility was first raised in a TLS letter by E. St John Brooks in 1937; in a letter to Notes and Queries, John Baker has added that only Marlowe could be Arbella's tutor due to the absence of any other known "Morley" from the period with an MA and not otherwise occupied. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Notes and Queries (originally subtitled "a medium of inter-communication for literary men artists antiquaries, Genealogists etc") ^[5] Some biographers think that the "Morley" in question may have been a brother of the musician Thomas Morley. Thomas Morley (1557 or 1558 &ndash October 1602 was an English Composer, theorist, editor and organist of the Renaissance, and the ^[6] If Marlowe was Arbella's tutor, it might indicate that he was a spy, since Arbella, niece of Mary Queen of Scots and cousin of James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, was at the time a strong candidate for the succession of Elizabeth's throne. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James ^[7]

In 1592, Marlowe was arrested in the Dutch town of Flushing for attempting to counterfeit coins. Vlissingen ( or Flushing in English is a Municipality and a City in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren He was sent to be dealt with by the Lord Treasurer (Burghley) but no charge or imprisonment seems to have resulted. Lord Burghley redirects here For other holders of the title see Baron Burghley William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 1520 &ndash ^[8]

Arrest and death

In early May 1593 several bills were posted about London threatening Protestant refugees from France and the Netherlands who had settled in the city. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands One of these, the "Dutch church libel",^[9] written in blank verse, contained allusions to several of Marlowe's plays and was signed "Tamburlaine. Blank verse is a type of Poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no Rhyme. Tamburlaine the Great is the name of a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. " On 11 May the Privy Council ordered the arrest of those responsible for the libels. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. The next day, Marlowe's colleague Thomas Kyd was arrested. Thomas Kyd ( 3 November 1558 – 16 July 1594) was an English Dramatist, the author of The Spanish Tragedy Kyd's lodgings were searched and a fragment of a heretical tract was found. Kyd asserted, possibly under torture, that it had belonged to Marlowe. Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally Two years earlier they had both been working for an aristocratic patron, probably Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange,^[10] and Kyd suggested that at this time, when they were sharing a workroom, the document had found its way among his papers. Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby (c 1559 &ndash April 16, 1594) was the son of Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby and Lady Margaret Clifford Marlowe's arrest was ordered on 18 May. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Marlowe was not in London, but was staying with Thomas Walsingham, the cousin of the late Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's principal secretary in the 1580s and a man deeply involved in state espionage. Sir Francis Walsingham (c 1532 – 6 April 1590) is usually remembered as the " Spymaster " of Queen Elizabeth I of England Secretary of State is a commonly used title for a Government Official. ^[11] However, he duly appeared before the Privy Council on 20 May and was instructed to "give his daily attendance on their Lordships, until he shall be licensed to the contrary. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held " On 30 May, Marlowe was murdered. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following

Various versions of Marlowe's death were current at the time. Francis Meres says Marlowe was "stabbed to death by a bawdy serving-man, a rival of his in his lewd love" as punishment for his "epicurism and atheism". Francis Meres (1565 &ndash January 29, 1647) was an English churchman and Author. ^[12] In 1917, in the Dictionary of National Biography, Sir Sidney Lee wrote that Marlowe was killed in a drunken fight, and this is still often stated as fact today. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Dictionary of National Biography ( DNB) is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history published from 1885 Sir Sidney Lee ( December 5, 1859 – March 3, 1926) was an English biographer and critic

The facts only came to light in 1925 when the scholar Leslie Hotson discovered the coroner's report on Marlowe's death in the Public Record Office. Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A coroner is an official responsible for investigating deaths particularly some of those happening under unusual circumstances and determining the cause of death The Public Record Office (PRO of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives (the others are the Historical Manuscripts ^[13] Marlowe had spent all day in a house (not a tavern, as is widely claimed, even in some biographies) in Deptford, owned by the widow Eleanor Bull, along with three men, Ingram Frizer, Nicholas Skeres and Robert Poley^[14]. Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London. Ingram Frizer (d August 1627 was an English figure of the late 16th century and early 17th century who is perhaps best known for killing Playwright Christopher All three had been employed by the Walsinghams. Skeres and Poley had helped snare the conspirators in the Babington plot. The Babington Plot was the event which most directly led to the execution of Mary I of Scotland (Mary Queen of Scots Frizer was a servant of Thomas Walsingham. Witnesses testified that Frizer and Marlowe had earlier argued over the bill, exchanging "divers malicious words. " Later, while Frizer was sitting at a table between the other two and Marlowe was lying behind him on a couch, Marlowe snatched Frizer's dagger and began attacking him. In the ensuing struggle, according to the coroner's report, Marlowe was accidentally stabbed above the right eye, killing him instantly. The jury concluded that Frizer acted in self-defence, and within a month he was pardoned. Marlowe was buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard of St. Nicholas, Deptford, on 1 June 1593. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected

Marlowe's death is alleged by some to be an assassination for the following reasons:

1. The three men who were in the room with him when he died were all connected both to the state secret service and to the London underworld. ^[15] Frizer and Skeres also had a long record as loan sharks and con-men, as shown by court records. Bull's house also had "links to the government's spy network. "^[16]
2. Their story that they were on a day's pleasure outing to Deptford is considered implausible. Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London. In fact, they spent the whole day closeted together, deep in discussion. Also, Robert Poley was carrying confidential despatches to the Queen, who was at her palace of Nonsuch in Surrey, but instead of delivering them, he spent the day with Marlowe and the other two. ^[17]
3. It seems too much of a coincidence that Marlowe's death occurred only a few days after his arrest for heresy. Heresy, as a blanket term describes a practice or belief that is labeled as unorthodox
4. The manner of Marlowe's arrest suggests causes more tangled than a simple charge of heresy would generally indicate. He was released in spite of prima facie evidence, and even though the charges implicitly connected Sir Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Northumberland with the heresy. Prima facie is a Latin expression meaning "on its first appearance" or "by first instance" Sir Walter Raleigh or Ralegh (c 1552 – 29 October 1618 was a famed English writer Poet, Soldier, Courtier and Explorer Northumberland is a county in the North East of England. The non-metropolitan county of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west Thus, it seems probable that the investigation was meant primarily as a warning to the politicians in the "School of Night," and/or that it was connected with a power struggle within the Privy Council itself. The School of Night is a modern name for a Cabal of men centered on Sir Walter Raleigh that was once referred to in 1592 as the "School of Atheism ^[18]
5. The various incidents that hint at a relationship with the Privy Council (see above), and by the fact that his patron was Thomas Walsingham, Sir Francis' second cousin, who was actively involved in intelligence work. Sir Francis Walsingham (c 1532 – 6 April 1590) is usually remembered as the " Spymaster " of Queen Elizabeth I of England

For these reasons and others, some believe there was more to Marlowe's death than emerged at the inquest. It is also possible that he was not murdered at all, and that his death was faked. However, on the basis of our current knowledge, it is not possible to draw any firm conclusions about what happened or why. There are different theories of some degree of probability. The Marlovian theory of Shakespeare authorship holds that Christopher Marlowe did not die on 30th May 1593 as the historical records show Since there are only written documents on which to base any conclusions, and since it is probable that the most crucial information about his death was never committed to writing at all, it is unlikely that the full circumstances of Marlowe's death will ever be known.

Atheism

Marlowe had a reputation for atheism; it should be noted, however, that such a imputation would have had markedly different implications during Marlowe's period than in modern times. Atheism Contemporary evidence for this is comes from Marlowe's accuser in Flushing, an informer called Richard Baines. Vlissingen ( or Flushing in English is a Municipality and a City in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren The governor of Flushing had reported that both men had accused one "of malice one to another" of instigating the counterfeiting, and of intention to go over to Catholicism; such an action was considered atheistic by the Protestants, who constituted the dominant religious faction in England at that time. As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Following Marlowe's arrest on a charge of atheism in 1593, Baines submitted to the authorities a "note containing the opinion of one Christopher Marly concerning his damnable judgment of religion, and scorn of God's word". ^[19] Baines attributes to Marlowe a total of eighteen items which "scoff at the pretensions of the Old and New Testament"^[20] such as, "Christ was a bastard and his mother dishonest [unchaste]", "the woman of Samaria and her sister were whores and that Christ knew them dishonestly" and, "St John the Evangelist was bedfellow to Christ and leaned always in his bosom" (cf. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " Saint John the Evangelist (d ca 110 יוחנן " The LORD is merciful" Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew John 13:23-25) and "that he used him as the sinners of Sodom". He also claims that Marlowe had Catholic sympathies. Other passages are merely sceptical in tone: "he persuades men to atheism, willing them not to be afraid of bugbears and hobgoblins". Hereafter follows the final paragraph of Baines' document in full:

These thinges, with many other shall by good & honest witnes be aproved to be his opinions and Comon Speeches, and that this Marlow doth not only hould them himself, but almost into every Company he Cometh he perswades men to Atheism willing them not to be afeard of bugbeares and hobgoblins, and vtterly scorning both god and his ministers as I Richard Baines will Justify & approue both by mine oth and the testimony of many honest men, and almost al men with whome he hath Conversed any time will testify the same, and as I think all men in Cristianity ought to indevor that the mouth of so dangerous a member may be stopped, he saith likewise that he hath quoted a number of Contrarieties oute of the Scripture which he hath giuen to some great men who in Convenient time shalbe named. When these thinges shalbe Called in question the witnes shalbe produced. ^[21]

Similar statements were made by Thomas Kyd after his imprisonment and possible torture (see below);^[22][23] both Kyd and Baines connect Marlowe with the mathematician Thomas Harriot and Walter Raleigh's circle. Thomas Kyd ( 3 November 1558 – 16 July 1594) was an English Dramatist, the author of The Spanish Tragedy A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of Mathematics. Thomas Harriot ( c 1560 – 2 July 1621) was an English astronomer, Mathematician, Ethnographer, and Translator Sir Walter Raleigh or Ralegh (c 1552 – 29 October 1618 was a famed English writer Poet, Soldier, Courtier and Explorer Another document claims that Marlowe had read an "atheist lecture" before Raleigh; a man called Richard Chomley was charged with atheism and treason shortly after Marlowe's death, and noted in his testimony that "one Marlowe is able to show more sound reasons from atheism than any divine in England is able to give to prove divinity and that Marlowe told him that he hath read the atheist lecture to Sir Walter Raleigh and others"^[20].

Some critics believe that Marlowe sought to disseminate these views in his work and that he identified with his rebellious and iconoclastic protagonists. ^[24] However, plays had to be approved by the Master of the Revels before they could be performed, and the censorship of publications was under the control of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Master of the Revels was a position within the British royal household heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels" that originally Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Presumably these authorities did not consider any of Marlowe's works to be unacceptable (apart from the Amores).

Sexuality

Marlowe is sometimes described today as homosexual. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Some believe that the question of whether an Elizabethan was "gay" or "homosexual" in a modern sense is anachronistic; for the Elizabethans, what is often today termed homosexual or bisexual was more likely to be recognised as simply a sexual act, rather than an exclusive sexual orientation and identity. In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. An anachronism (from the Greek "ana" " ανά " "against anti-" and "chronos" " χρόνος " (see History of homosexuality)

Some scholars have argued that the evidence is inconclusive and that the reports of Marlowe's homosexuality may simply be exaggerated rumours produced after his death. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. David Bevington and Eric Rasmussen describe Baines's evidence as "unreliable testimony" and make the comment: "These and other testimonials need to be discounted for their exaggeration and for their having been produced under legal circumstances we would regard as a witch-hunt". David Bevington is Professor Emeritus in the Humanities and in English Language & Literature, Comparative Literature ^[25] Kyd's evidence was given after torture, and thus its veracity has been disputed. ^[26] One critic, J. B. Steanes, remarked that he considers there to be "no evidence for Marlowe's homosexuality at all", but that on the other hand "it seems absurd to dismiss all of these Elizabethan rumours and accusations as 'the Marlowe myth'"^[20]

Other scholars have argued that Marlowe's writing contains homosexual themes:

• In Dido, Queen of Carthage, he opens with a scene of Jupiter "dandling Ganymede upon his knee" and says "what is't, sweet wag, I should deny thy youth?, whose face reflects such pleasure to mine eyes. Dido Queen of Carthage is a short play written by the English playwright Christopher Marlowe, with possible contributions by Thomas Nashe. Ganymede most often refers to Ganymede (mythology, a Trojan prince in Greek mythology taken by Zeus to Mount Olympus Ganymede (moon, " Venus complains during the play that Jupiter is playing "with that female wanton boy. "
• In Hero and Leander, Marlowe writes of the male youth Leander, "in his looks were all that men desire" and that when the youth swims to visit Hero at Sestos, the sea god Neptune becomes sexually excited, "imagining that Ganymede, displeas'd. Hero and Leander is a mythological Poem by Christopher Marlowe. Sestos was an ancient town of the Thracian Chersonese, the modern Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey. Neptune ( English|AmE] ] is the eighth and farthest Planet from the Sun in the Solar System. . . the lusty god embrac'd him, call'd him love. . . and steal a kiss. . . upon his breast, his thighs, and every limb", while the boy naive and unaware of Greek love practices said that, "You are deceiv'd, I am no woman, I. . . Thereat smil'd Neptune. "

Diligent classicists often mimicked the homosexual themes they found in Greek and Roman texts (as Edmund Spenser did in The Shepheard's Calendar), but Marlowe accords these themes more prominence than almost any other writer besides Richard Barnfield. Edmund Spenser (c 1552 &ndash 13 January, 1599) was an important English Poet and Poet Laureate best known for The Richard Barnfield (1574-1620 English Poet, was born at Norbury, Staffordshire, and baptized on June 13, 1574, the son In conjunction with the rumours preserved in the historical record, the prominence of homosexual themes in Marlowe's work has led some to suspect, especially in the twentieth century, that Marlowe may have had an interest in same-sex love (although not necessarily in homosexual activity).

For debates of a somewhat similar nature, see Sexuality of William Shakespeare. The sexuality of William Shakespeare has been debated numerous times over the years

Marlowe's reputation among contemporary writers

Whatever the particular focus of modern critics, biographers and novelists, for his contemporaries in the literary world, Marlowe was above all an admired and influential artist. Within weeks of his death, George Peele remembered him as "Marley, the Muses' darling"; Michael Drayton noted that he "Had in him those brave translunary things/That the first poets had", and Ben Jonson wrote of "Marlowe's mighty line". George Peele (born in London and baptized 25 July 1556 &ndash buried 9 November 1596) was an English Dramatist Michael Drayton (1563 &ndash December 23, 1631) was an English Poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era. Benjamin Jonson ( c 11 June 1572 &ndash 6 August 1637) was an English Renaissance Dramatist Thomas Nashe wrote warmly of his friend, "poor deceased Kit Marlowe". So too did the publisher Edward Blount, in the dedication of Hero and Leander to Sir Thomas Walsingham.

Among the few contemporary dramatists to say anything negative about Marlowe was the anonymous author of the Cambridge University play The Return From Parnassus (1598) who wrote, "Pity it is that wit so ill should dwell,/Wit lent from heaven, but vices sent from hell. The three Parnassus plays were produced at St John's, Cambridge, as part of the college's Christmas entertainments at the latter end of the 16th century "

The most famous tribute to Marlowe was paid by Shakespeare in As You Like It, where he not only quotes a line from Hero and Leander (Dead Shepherd, now I find thy saw of might, "Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?") but also gives to the clown Touchstone the words "When a man's verses cannot be understood, nor a man's good wit seconded with the forward child, understanding, it strikes a man more dead than a great reckoning in a little room. William Shakespeare ( baptised As You Like It is a Pastoral Comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published Hero and Leander is a Greek myth, relating the story of Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite who dwelt in a tower in Sestos, at the edge of the Touchstone is the name of the court Fool or Jester character in Shakespeare 's play As You Like It. " This appears to be a reference to Marlowe's murder (which involved a fight over the "reckoning" – the bill).

Shakespeare was indeed very influenced by Marlowe in his early work as can be seen in the re-using of Marlowe themes in Anthony and Cleopatra, The Merchant of Venice, Richard II, and Macbeth (Dido, Jew of Malta, Edward II and Dr Faustus respectively). Antony and Cleopatra is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623 The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598 King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595 Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare 's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written some time between Indeed in Hamlet, after meeting with the travelling actors, Hamlet starts discussing Dido, Queen of Carthage and quoting from it. Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 Dido Queen of Carthage is a short play written by the English playwright Christopher Marlowe, with possible contributions by Thomas Nashe. As this was Marlowe's only play not to have been played in the public theatre we can see that Shakespeare was quite the Marlovian scholar. Indeed in Love's Labour's Lost, echoing Marlowe's The Massacre at Paris, Shakespeare brings on a character called Marcade (French for Mercury – the messenger of the Gods – a nickname Marlowe bestowed upon himself) who arrives to "interrupt'st" the "merriment" with news of the King's death. Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare 's early comedies believed to have been written in the mid-1590s and first published in 1598 The Massacre at Paris is an Elizabethan play by the English dramatist Christopher Marlowe. This is a fitting tribute for one who delighted in destruction in his plays.

Marlowe as Shakespeare

Main articles: Shakespearean authorship question and Marlovian theory

Given the murky inconsistencies concerning the account of Marlowe's death, an ongoing conspiracy theory has arisen centred on the notion that Marlowe may have faked his death and then continued to write under the assumed name of William Shakespeare. The Shakespeare authorship question is the debate dating back to the early 18th century about whether the works attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon The Marlovian theory of Shakespeare authorship holds that Christopher Marlowe did not die on 30th May 1593 as the historical records show A conspiracy theory attributes the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually Political, Social or Historical events or the concealment William Shakespeare ( baptised Authors who have propounded this theory include:

• Wilbur Gleason Zeigler It Was Marlowe (1895)
• Calvin Hoffman, The Man Who Was Shakespeare, Mitre Press (1955)^[27]
• Calvin Hoffman, The Murder of the Man Who Was Shakespeare, Grosset & Dunlap (1960)
• Louis Ule, Christopher Marlowe (1564-1607): A Biography
• A D Wraight, The Story that the Sonnets Tell (1994)
• Roderick L Eagle, The Mystery of Marlowe's Death, N&Q (1952)
• William Honey, The Shakespeare Epitaph Deciphered, Mitre Press (1969)

Works

The dates of composition are approximate. Calvin Hoffman born Leo Hochman (died 1987 was an American theater press agent and writer who popularized the notion that playwright Christopher Marlowe was the actual author Calvin Hoffman born Leo Hochman (died 1987 was an American theater press agent and writer who popularized the notion that playwright Christopher Marlowe was the actual author

Plays

• Dido, Queen of Carthage (c. Dido Queen of Carthage is a short play written by the English playwright Christopher Marlowe, with possible contributions by Thomas Nashe. 1586) (possibly co-written with Thomas Nashe)
• Tamburlaine, part 1 (c. Tamburlaine the Great is the name of a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. 1587)
• Tamburlaine, part 2 (c. Tamburlaine the Great is the name of a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. 1587-1588)
• The Jew of Malta (c. The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. 1589)
• Doctor Faustus (c. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe, based on the Faust story in which a man sells his soul to the devil 1589, or, c. 1593)
• Edward II (c. Edward II is a Renaissance or Early Modern period play written by Christopher Marlowe. 1592)
• The Massacre at Paris (c. The Massacre at Paris is an Elizabethan play by the English dramatist Christopher Marlowe. 1593)

The play Lust's Dominion was attributed to Marlowe upon its initial publication in 1657, though scholars and critics have almost unanimously rejected the attribution. Lust's Dominion or The Lascivious Queen is an English Renaissance stage play a Tragedy written perhaps around 1600 and first published in 1657

Poetry

• Translation of Lucan's Pharsalia (date unknown)
• Translation of Ovid's Elegies (c. Marcus Annaeus Lucanus ( November 3, 39 AD – April 30, 65 AD better known in English as Lucan, was a Roman Pharsalia was also an ancient district in Greece in which Pharsalus was located Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including 1580s?)
• The Passionate Shepherd to His Love (pre-1593; because it is constantly referred to in his own plays we can presume an early date of mid-1580s)
• Hero and Leander (c. The Passionate Shepherd to His Love is a poem written by the English poet Christopher Marlowe in the 1590s Hero and Leander is a Greek myth, relating the story of Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite who dwelt in a tower in Sestos, at the edge of the 1593, unfinished; completed by George Chapman, 1598)

Marlowe in fiction

• The upcoming play 'Upstart Crows' written by Mike Punter centres around the life of Marlowe, Edward Alleyn, Jack Alleyn and other characters that centre around their lives. George Chapman (c 1559 &ndash May 12 1634) was an English Dramatist, Translator, and Poet. Edward Alleyn (ˈælɪn ( 1 September 1566 &ndash 25 November 1626) was an English Actor who was a major figure of the Its first performance was at the Edward Alleyn theatre in Dulwich College in November 2007, and it goes on from there to be performed in the 2008 Edinburgh fringe festival. Dulwich College is an independent selective fee-paying public school for boys in Dulwich, a suburb of south-east London United Kingdom
• Another play called The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots, written by Nat Cassidy, examines the life and death of Marlowe, juxtaposed with the life of the Roman emperor Caligula, via the conceit that Marlowe is working on a play about Caligula at the time of his (Marlowe's) death. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31 AD 12 &ndash January 24 AD 41 more commonly known by his nickname Caligula (kəˈlɪɡjʊlə was a Roman Emperor It focuses on Marlowe's atheism, and emphasizes the influence Marlowe had on Shakespeare as a contemporary, but rejects the idea that Marlowe in any way wrote Shakespeare's plays. It premiered in New York City at the Gallery Players in June 2008. ^{[28] [29]}
• Marlowe was the title character of a 1981 stage musical that had a brief Broadway run. Marlowe is a musical with a book by Leo Rost lyrics by Rost and Jimmy Horowitz and music by Horowitz It was rather unsuccessful.
• Marlowe features heavily in the Harry Turtledove alternative history novel Ruled Britannia (2002), about an England ruled by Catholics. Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14 1949) is an American historian and novelist who has written Historical fiction, Fantasy, and Ruled Britannia is an alternate history novel by Harry Turtledove, first published in hardcover and paperback by Tor Books in 2002 See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland He is depicted as a contemporary and friend of Shakespeare. William Shakespeare ( baptised
• Marlowe is played by Rupert Everett in the film Shakespeare in Love (1998), in which he helps Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet. Rupert James Hector Everett (born May 29, 1959) is a two-time Golden Globe -nominated English film Actor and ex- Singer Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 Romantic comedy / Drama Film. The film was directed by John Madden and co-written by playwright Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the His last line is a cheery "Well, I'm off to Deptford!" After Marlowe's murder, screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard have Shakespeare say, "I would change all my plays to come for one of his that will never come".
• Marlowe had survived his assassination in the tangentially alternative history novel Armor of Light by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett, rescued by Sir Philip Sidney, who in reality died before then, and plays a major role in the story. Melissa Scott (born 1960, Little Rock Arkansas) is a Science fiction and Fantasy author noted for her science fiction novels featuring Lisa A Barnett (1958-2006 was a Lambda Literary Award winning Science fiction writer and an editor with Heinneman publishing company Sir Philip Sidney ( November 30, 1554 &ndash October 17, 1586) became one of the Elizabethan Age's most prominent figures
• In Neil Gaiman's comic The Sandman, Marlowe makes a brief appearance in a pub. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and The Sandman is a Comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published in the United States by the DC Comics imprint Vertigo He and Shakespeare are discussing the content of "Faustus" while Morpheus and an immortal human have their own conversation. Faust or Faustus ( Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky" is the protagonist of a classic German Legend in which he makes Marlowe is represented as a great playwright with the young and inexperienced Shakespeare in awe of his friend. Marlowe is also referenced in a later Shakespeare-centric Sandman comic, in which Morpheus tells Shakespeare of his friend's assassination.
• Marlowe is a central character in Lisa Goldstein's fantasy novel Strange Devices of the Sun and Moon
• Connie Willis's "Winter's tale" features Marlowe as a major character. Lisa Goldstein (b November 21, 1953 in Los Angeles) is a Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award nominated Fantasy Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born 31 December 1945) is an American Science fiction writer
• Louise Welsh's Tamburlaine Must Die is a novel based on a fictitious theory about the last two weeks of Marlowe's life. Louise Welsh is an Author of short stories and Novels in Glasgow, Scotland. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story
• Leslie Silbert's The Intelligencer, a novel, intertwines Marlowe as a possible spy in his time and events in the present, Washington Square Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7434-3292-4
• Anthony Burgess, A Dead Man in Deptford is an account of Marlowe and his death; according to Burgess, it is fictionalized but does not depart from any known historical facts. A Dead Man in Deptford (1993 was written late in Anthony Burgess 's life and is the last of his novels to be published during his lifetime
• The School of Night (ISBN 0-312-28778-X), by Alan Wall, features a protagonist/narrator who constructs a theory identifying a not-really-dead Marlowe as the author of Shakespeare's works, with the Stratfordian merely a cat's-paw enlisted to pass them off as his own for money and/or because Marlowe's espionage on the continent discovered that Shakespeare was a crypto-Catholic. The School of Night is a modern name for a Cabal of men centered on Sir Walter Raleigh that was once referred to in 1592 as the "School of Atheism
• Marlowe is the central character in One Dagger for Two by Philip Lindsay, which includes some speculation about his death. Philip Lindsay (1906&ndash1958 was an English writer who mostly wrote Historical novels He was the son of Norman Lindsay, an Australian artist
• Marlowe is one of the guest characters, having allegedly survived his murder sixteen years previously, in Andy Lane's The Empire of Glass, a Doctor Who Missing Adventure featuring the First Doctor and set in Venice. Andrew Lane (born 1963 who also writes as Andy Lane, is a British author and journalist The Empire of Glass is a Virgin Missing Adventures original novel written by Andy Lane based on the long-running British science fiction Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The First Doctor is the name given to the initial incarnation of the Fictional character known as the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the
• Marlowe appears in four chapters of The Player's Boy, a children's book by Antonia Forest. Antonia Forest ( May 26 1915 - November 28 2003) was the Pseudonym of a British children's author who was christened He gives the fictional character Nicholas Marlow a ride to London in May 1593; Nicholas witnesses Marlowe's death in the house in Deptford, and later becomes a boy actor in the same company as William Shakespeare.
• Marlowe is the central character in The Christopher Marlowe Mysteries written by Ged Parsons for BBC Radio 4 (1993). Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) This was a series of comedy adventures revolving around Marlowe's work as a spy. The four stories were: The Curious Case of the Curs'd Quayside, The Turbulent Tale of the Troubl'd Tragedy, The Perplex'd Plot of the Perilous Plague and The Murky Mystery of Murder at St Mark's. The series is repeated on digital radio station BBC 7.
• Marlowe is referenced in Tom Holt's Faust Among Equals (ISBN 1-85723-265-8) to great comic effect. Tom Holt (born Thomas Charles Louis Holt September 13 1961 in London) is a British novelist
• Marlowe is one of several main characters in Rosemary Laurey's vampire series. He explains at one point that if his friend, Thomas Kyd had not turned him, he would have died.
• Marlowe is a major protagonist in Elizabeth Bear's Promethean Age books, specifically Whiskey & Water and Ink & Steel, and the short story This Tragic Glass. Elizabeth Bear (Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky (born 22 September, 1971 in Hartford Connecticut) is an American author primarily of Speculative
• Christopher "Kit" Marlowe is alive and well (so to speak) as a vampire and is the main hero of Rosemary Laurey's paranormal romance "Kiss Me Forever". His character is also included in several of the sequel novels. Marlowe's heroine, modern Dixie LaPage, coincidentally, is well versed in his work before she meets him.
• Christian Camargo played the role of Kit Marlowe in the 2001 production of David Grimm's Kit Marlowe at the New York Public Theater. The production was a dark portrayal of Marlowe's life as a spy, playwright and lover.

See also

• The School of Night

Notes

Additional reading

• Brooke, C. F. Tucker. The Life of Marlowe and "The Tragedy of Dido, Queen of Carthage. " London: Methuen, 1930. (pp. 107, 114, 99, 98)
• Marlow, Christopher. Complete Works. Vol. 3: Edward II. Ed. R. Rowland. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994. (pp. xxii-xxiii)
• Louis Ule Christopher Marlowe (1564-1607): A Biography, Carlton Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8062-5028-3
• David Bevington and Eric Rasmussen, Doctor Faustus and Other Plays, OUP, 1998; ISBN 0-19-283445-2
• J. A. Downie and J. T. Parnell, eds. , Constructing Christopher Marlowe, Cambridge 2000. ISBN 0-521-57255-X
• Constance Kuriyama,Christopher Marlowe: A Renaissance Life. Cornell University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-8014-3978-7
• Charles Nicholl, The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe, Vintage, 2002 (revised edition) ISBN 0-09-943747-3
• Alan Shepard, "Marlowe's Soldiers: Rhetorics of Masculinity in the Age of the Armada", Ashgate, 2002. ISBN 0-7546-0229-X
• M. J. Trow, Who Killed Kit Marlowe?, Sutton, 2002; ISBN 0-7509-2963-4
• Anthony Burgess, A Dead Man in Deptford, Carroll & Graf, 2003. Anthony Burgess (February 25 1917 — November 22 1993 was an English Novelist, Critic, Composer, Librettist, Poet (novel about Marlowe based on the version of events in The Reckoning) ISBN 0-7867-1152-3
• David Riggs, "The World of Christopher Marlowe", Henry Holt and Co. , 2005 ISBN 0-8050-8036-8
• Louise Walsh "Tamburlaine Must Die", novella based around the build up to Marlowe's death.
• John Passfield, Water Lane: The Pilgrimage of Christopher Marlowe (novel) Authorhouse, 2005 ISBN 1-4208-1558-X
• John Passfield, The Making of Water Lane (journal) Authorhouse, 2005 ISBN 1-4208-2020-6
• Park Honan, Christopher Marlowe Poet and Spy Oxford University Press, 2005 ISBN 0-19-818695-9
• John Parker, The Aesthetics of Antichrist: From Christian Drama to Christopher Marlowe. Cornell University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8014-4519-4

External links

• The Marlowe Society
• Marlowe Lives!
• The works of Marlowe at Perseus Project
• Works by Christopher Marlowe at Project Gutenberg
• Matthew G. Scarsbrook's Marlowe Research Page contains a balanced biography, timeline, descriptions of Marlowe's known associates, and transcripts of all the key Marlowe-related documents
• Peter Farey's Marlowe Page includes a factual biography and reproduces the documents concerning Marlowe as well as his complete works (but also contains material related to the Shakespearean authorship question)
• Peter Bull presents a case for Marlowe as the true author of Shakespeare's Sonnets. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works The Shakespeare authorship question is the debate dating back to the early 18th century about whether the works attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon
• The Rose Theatre where Marlowe made his name
• Works by Christopher Marlowe in e-book
• A Deception in Deptford A compelling and through exposition of (circumstantial) evidence for the Marlowe-as-Shakespeare theory. Evidence is presented, which suggests:

1. That Marlowe was very probably still alive two years after his supposed death in May 1593,
2. That his survival would have made possible a collaboration explaining the exceptional influence Marlowe is said to have had upon the works of Shakespeare,
3. That Marlowe probably played a major part in such a collaboration.