Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was baptised at St George's Church in Canterbury on the 26th of February 1564. He was the second child born to John Marlowe, a local shoemaker, and Katherine Marlowe. The family had nine children in total, though his sister Mary died in 1568, making Christopher the oldest surviving son. By age 14, he secured a scholarship to attend The King's School in Canterbury. Two years later, he moved to Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University. There he studied Latin texts by Ovid while expecting to become an Anglican clergyman. Instead, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1584. The university hesitated to grant him a Master of Arts degree until 1587 due to rumors about his intentions. Authorities suspected he planned to travel to Rheims in northern France to join an English seminary for Roman Catholic priests. Such action would have violated Queen Elizabeth I's 1585 edict criminalizing ordination attempts abroad. The Privy Council intervened directly to ensure his degree was awarded on schedule. They commended his faithful dealing and good service to the Crown without specifying what that service entailed.
Historical records from June 1587 show the Privy Council ordering Cambridge to award Marlowe his Master of Arts degree. A letter accompanying this order stated it was not Her Majesty's pleasure that persons employed as Marlowe had been should be defamed by those ignorant of their affairs. This vague wording typically protected government agents but left the nature of his work unknown. Scholars speculate Marlowe served as a secret agent for Sir Francis Walsingham during the 1580s. College buttery accounts reveal Marlowe spent lavishly on food and drink during absences from university. These expenses exceeded what his known scholarship income could afford. Surviving college records also document unusually lengthy absences from the university between 1584 and 1585. Some historians suggest he may have been the tutor named Morley who taught Arbella Stuart in 1589. Arbella Stuart was niece to Mary Queen of Scots and cousin to James VI of Scotland. If true, this role might indicate espionage since she was a strong candidate for succession to Elizabeth's throne. Frederick S. Boas dismissed this identification based on legal records showing Marlowe resided in London between September and December 1589. During that period he was held in Newgate Prison for a fortnight following a fatal quarrel involving neighbors and poet Thomas Watson.
Following Marlowe's arrest in 1593, an informer named Richard Baines submitted a note containing eighteen items accusing him of scoffing at religious pretensions. The document claimed Christ was a bastard and his mother dishonest. It stated St John the Evangelist was bedfellow to Christ and leaned always in his bosom. Another passage suggested he used him as sinners of Sodom did. Baines attributed these views directly to Marlowe himself. Contemporary evidence suggests Marlowe professed atheism which implied being an enemy of God and state. Accusations of atheism were closely associated with disloyalty to the Protestant monarchy during the late 16th century. Some modern historians consider his professed atheism no more than a sham to further work as a government spy. Other scholars argue the reports produced after his death may be unreliable testimony. David Bevington and Eric C. Rasmussen describe Baines's evidence as unreliable testimony produced under legal circumstances resembling a witch-hunt. Despite this, other passages merely expressed skeptical tones suggesting men should not fear bugbears or hobgoblins. A document from that time claimed one Marlowe could show more sound reasons for atheism than any divine in England.
On Wednesday the 30th of May 1593 Christopher Marlowe was killed in a house owned by widow Eleanor Bull in Deptford. He spent all day there with three men: Ingram Frizer, Nicholas Skeres, and Robert Poley. All three had been employed by one or both Walsinghams. The coroner's report discovered only in 1925 stated Frizer and Marlowe argued over payment of the bill known as the Reckoning. They exchanged divers malicious words while Frizer sat at a table between the others and Marlowe lay behind him on a couch. Marlowe snatched Frizer's dagger and wounded him on the head during the struggle. In the ensuing fight Marlowe was stabbed above the right eye killing him instantly. The jury concluded Frizer acted in self-defense within a month he received a pardon. Marlowe was buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard of St Nicholas Deptford immediately after the inquest on the 1st of June 1593. Various accounts circulated over subsequent years claiming different motives including jealousy of Thomas Walsingham's relationship with Marlowe or orders from Privy Council members fearing revelation of subversive atheism.
Tamburlaine Part I became the first English play written in blank verse performed regularly on commercial stages in London in 1587. This work is generally considered the beginning of mature phase Elizabethan theatre alongside Thomas Kyd's Spanish Tragedy. Marlowe achieved critical reputation for his use of blank verse which became standard for the era. His plays are distinguished by their overreaching protagonists who display humanistic emotions yet cater to prurient tastes for extreme physical violence. Themes found within his literary works include realistic emotions difficult to reconcile with anti-intellectualism catering to audiences desiring bloodshed. Edward Alleyn served as lead actor whose imposing stage presence made roles like Tamburlaine Faustus and Barabas particularly successful. These haughty roles were probably written specifically for him. The Admiral's Men company used Marlowe's plays as foundation of repertoire throughout the 1590s. One poetry translation did not fare well when banned in 1599 and copies publicly burned under Archbishop Whitgift crackdown on offensive material.
Six dramas have been attributed to Christopher Marlowe either alone or in collaboration with other writers though writing sequence remains mostly unknown. Dido Queen of Carthage believed to be first Marlowe play performed while Tamburlaine was first to be performed commercially in London in 1587. Lust's Dominion attributed upon initial publication in 1657 but scholars almost unanimously reject attribution. He may also have written Arden of Faversham. Poems published posthumously included Amores first book Latin elegiac couplets by Ovid translated by Marlowe around 1580s. Copies publicly burned as offensive in 1599. The Passionate Shepherd To His Love became popular lyric of time circa 1587-1588. Hero And Leander completed by George Chapman in 1598 printed same year. Pharsalia Book One Lucan translated by Marlowe circa 1593 printed 1600. Modern scholars still look for evidence collaborations between Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Henry VI credited as collaboration in New Oxford Shakespeare series published 2016 though some doubt actual collaboration exists.
Within weeks of his death George Peele remembered him as Marley the Muses darling while Michael Drayton noted he had brave translunary things first poets possessed. Ben Jonson wrote of Marlowe's mighty line. Thomas Nashe warmly described poor deceased Kit Marlowe. Most famous tribute came from Shakespeare in As You Like It quoting line from Hero And Leander giving clown Touchstone words about reckoning in little room referencing Marlowe murder involving fight over bill. Shakespeare influenced heavily by Marlovian themes seen in Antony And Cleopatra Merchant Of Venice Richard II Macbeth Hamlet Love Labour Lost. A fringe theory suggests Marlowe faked death continuing to write under assumed name William Shakespeare but academic consensus rejects alternative candidates including Marlowe. Memorial window unveiled July 2002 at Poets Corner Westminster Abbey controversially added question mark generally accepted date of death. The Marlowe Theatre named for him in Canterbury Kent UK in 1949 continues honoring legacy today.
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Common questions
When was Christopher Marlowe born and where?
Christopher Marlowe was baptised at St George's Church in Canterbury on the 26th of February 1564. He was the second child born to John Marlowe, a local shoemaker, and Katherine Marlowe.
Why did the Privy Council intervene regarding Christopher Marlowe's Master of Arts degree?
The Privy Council intervened directly to ensure his degree was awarded on schedule because authorities suspected he planned to travel to Rheims in northern France to join an English seminary for Roman Catholic priests. Such action would have violated Queen Elizabeth I's 1585 edict criminalizing ordination attempts abroad.
How did Christopher Marlowe die and who were the men present during the incident?
On Wednesday the 30th of May 1593 Christopher Marlowe was killed in a house owned by widow Eleanor Bull in Deptford while spending all day there with three men named Ingram Frizer, Nicholas Skeres, and Robert Poley. The coroner's report stated that Frizer stabbed him above the right eye killing him instantly after they argued over payment of the bill known as the Reckoning.
What plays are attributed to Christopher Marlowe and when was Tamburlaine Part I performed?
Tamburlaine Part I became the first English play written in blank verse performed regularly on commercial stages in London in 1587. Six dramas have been attributed to Christopher Marlowe either alone or in collaboration with other writers though writing sequence remains mostly unknown.
Who is credited with translating Pharsalia Book One and when was it printed?
Pharsalia Book One Lucan was translated by Christopher Marlowe circa 1593 and printed in 1600. Modern scholars still look for evidence collaborations between Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare regarding works like Henry VI.