Mysterious Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe 1564-1593

Christopher Marlowe, father of the blank verse, brother of English tragedy, son of a shoemaker, and overall, a pretty strange fella. Baptised on the 26th February 1564 he was two months the elder of peer William Shakespeare. Awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree on behalf of the Privy Council due to his 'good service' and 'faithful dealings' to the Queen.

When it came to religion, Marlowe was a but of a left-winged kind of guy. Although he apparently dismissed allegations that he was an atheist, he admitted he did not believe in God. After Marlowe's friend Thomas Kyd gave up a few depositions (under torture none the less), the Privy Council began to 'keep an eye' on Marlowe, and investigated some serious charges made against Marlowe before his career in stage-writing abruptly came to an end. In fact, after Marlowe's death, Puritan Thomas Beard (The Theatre of God's Judgements) used Marlow's death as 'one of his warning examples of the vengeance of God'.

Despite being considered an extravagant gentleman, tobacco smoker and a homosexual, Marlowe was much more popular in his time than fellow play write, Shakespeare. His considered 'four great plays' include Dr Faustus, Tamburlaine the Great, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta, an the historic epic, Edward the Second.

In Dr Faustus, his religious views came across strongly. Christian values persist the idea of forgiveness, yet at the final climax of the play, though the protagonist repents, his forgiveness is dismiss and he is ripped apart by the devil himself. It is said though, that the splendor within the story reflected that of the hierarchy of the 16th century, though the horror- perhaps not.

Marlowe's death in any case is an intriguing and strange subject. After being stabbed to death on the 30th May 1593. his death went undocumented, giving no real explanation for his death. Some say it was an assassination by the Privy Council, some say it was a drunken brawl between punters at a pub. However recent reports suggest that his actions before death may have attributed to his untimely death. Evidence shows he spent time with other suspected spy's. During late afternoon, he found himself in a squabble with Frizer who attacked Marlowe in 'self-defence' and stabbed Marlowe around his eye. Frizer was later pardoned, and Marlowe lies in an unmarked grave.

So what can we say about Marlowe? An outrageous and outlandish fellow who paved the way for the blank verse, yet was a private and secretive chap who found himself at a grim, bloody and unfortunate end to his mercilessly undocumented life. What can be said for him however, is that he lead the way for another important man in the history of literature. Marlowe set him in the right direction and influenced his work to a degree of genius, William Shakespeare.