Hallie on Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe (Hallie Nowak)

Born in Canterbury in 1564, Christopher Marlowe was raised by John and Catherine Marlowe. Marlowe and Shakespeare were born two months apart, and Marlowe was largely inspirational and influential for Shakespeare. Marlowe is known for being a playwright, specifically categorized as the most prominent tragedian of the Elizabethan era. Setting a precedent for dramatic poets to come, Marlowe led even Shakespeare in drama and poetry, specifically in his use of the blank-verse line and language. His magnum opus is the play The Tragicall History of Doctor Faustus. Marlowe received his education from The King’s School, Canterbury, and later received his Bachelors of the Arts from the University of Cambridge. However, the university was hesitant in awarding Marlowe his Master of the Arts degree due to rumors that Marlowe was to prepare for ordination as a Roman Catholic priest from the English college at Rheims. The Privy Council subsequently intervened with this, arguing that Marlowe was faithful in good service to Queen Elizabeth I. Marlowe had notorious creative partnerships with poet Thomas Watson and dramatist Thomas Kyd. The three men became entangled in various acts of unlawful defiance and were arrested for murder, heresy, and blasphemy on different accounts. A warrant was later placed on Marlowe in 1593 for blasphemous writing and what could be considered expressions of atheism, which was highly controversial for Elizabethan-era high-society. Marlowe died shortly after the warrant for his arrest was released, and the means of his death are still shrouded in mystery in regards to whether or not it was directly related to the charges he faced or not.  Marlowe’s literary career, while largely impactful, only lasted six years; his life, only 29 years.