About
Christopher Marlowe, baptized on 26 February 1564 in Canterbury, was a major English dramatist and poet of the Elizabethan era. Son of a shoemaker, he studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he earned his M.A. in 1587 thanks to the intervention of the Privy Council, which mentioned services to the country, suggesting espionage activities. His plays, such as Tamburlaine the Great, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta, and Edward II, revolutionized English theater with their use of blank verse. He also wrote the narrative poem Hero and Leander and translated Latin authors. Accused of atheism, he was killed in a brawl in Deptford in 1593, at the age of 29.
* 1564-02-06 — † 1593-05-28
Major works
- Tamburlaine the Great (1587)play
- The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1592)play
- The Jew of Malta (1590)play
- Edward II (1592)play
- Hero and Leander (1598)narrative poem
Key milestones
- 1587Received his M.A. from Cambridge after the Privy Council intervened, citing services to the country.
- 1593Accused of atheism and blasphemy, a warrant for his arrest was issued on 18 May.
- 1593Killed by Ingram Frizer in a brawl at a Deptford lodging house on 30 May.
Themes
Ambition and powerReligion and blasphemyThe human conditionDeath and damnationLove and beauty
Sources: oxforddnb.com · britannica.com · venn.lib.cam.ac.uk
