Cristopher Marlowe

·        Birth and Early Life: Christopher Marlowe was baptized on February 26, 1564, in Canterbury, Kent, England. He was the second child and eldest son of John Marlowe, a Canterbury shoemaker2.

·        Death: Marlowe died on May 30, 1593, in Deptford, near London12. His death was surrounded by mystery and various theories, including a barroom fight, blasphemy against the church, and espionage2.

Marlowe was the first to achieve critical reputation for his use of blank verse

Here’s a brief description of each of Christopher Marlowe’s notable works:

1.     Dido, Queen of Carthage: This is an Elizabethan play that tells the story of Dido, the queen of Carthage, and the Trojan refugee Aeneas. Aeneas has been lost in a storm on his way to found a new Troy in Italy. Jupiter calms the storm, allowing Aeneas to land safely on the North African coast. Aeneas meets with other surviving Trojans who have been receiving hospitality from Dido, Queen of Carthage. When Aeneas meets Dido, she agrees to supply his ships and he tells her about the fall of Troy12345.

2.     Tamburlaine the Great: This is a play in two parts that tells the story of the conqueror Timur (Tamburlaine) who rises from shepherd to warlord. The Persian emperor, Mycetes, dispatches troops to dispose of Tamburlaine, a Scythian shepherd and, at that point, a nomadic bandit. In the same scene, Mycetes’ brother Cosroe plots to overthrow Mycetes and assume the throne

3.     The Jew of Malta: This play tells the story of Barabas, a wealthy Jew in Malta, who seeks revenge after the state confiscates his wealth. Barabas vows revenge but first attempts to recover some of the treasures he has hidden in his mansion. His daughter, Abigail, pretends to convert to Christianity in order to enter the convent111213.

4.     The Massacre at Paris: This play is about the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, which took place in Paris in 1572, and the part played by the Duc de Guise in those events. The massacre, led by Guise and his close compatriots, calls for the blood of Huguenots, especially any Huguenots who have close ties to the Navarre line (including tutors and pastors)14151617.

5.     Edward II: This play tells the story of King Edward II of England, his deposition, and his murder. Edward II is held inside the palace, the marriage between himself and the Catholic princess proving to have been useless in stemming an uprising18192021.

6.     Doctor Faustus: This is perhaps Marlowe’s best-known work. It tells the story of Faustus, a scholar who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power22232425.

7.     The First Book of Lucan: This is a translation of the first book of the Pharsalia, an epic by the first-century poet Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (known as Lucan). The first book concerns the movements of Julius Caesar, who has returned to Italy from his conquests and waits in the north above the river Rubicon2627.

8.     Ovid’s Elegies: This is a translation of Ovid’s Amores, a collection of love elegies. The poems portray the evolution of an affair with a married woman28293031.

9.     Hero and Leander: This is a poem that tells the Greek myth of Hero and Leander, two lovers who are separated by the Hellespont323334.

10.  Miscellaneous Poems: These include “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”, a pastoral poem in which the speaker tries to seduce someone whom he refers to simply as his “love”. In order to seduce this person, he describes a rural life full of intense sensual pleasure3536.

Here are some of the most famous quotes from Christopher Marlowe’s works:

  1. “Make me immortal with a kiss.” - Doctor Faustus1
  2. "Pluck up your hearts, since fate still rests our friend."1
  3. “Hell is just a frame of mind.” - Dr. Faustus1
  4. “He that loves pleasure must for pleasure fall.” - Doctor Faustus1
  5. “Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed In one self place, for where we are is hell, And where hell is must we ever be.” - Dr. Faustus1
  6. "Why should you love him whom the world hates so? Because he love me more than all the world."1
  7. “Fools that will laugh on earth, most weep in hell.” - Doctor Faustus1
  8. "Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?"1
  9. "Money can’t buy love, but it improves your bargaining position."1
  10. “All live to die, and rise to fall.” - Edward II1
  11. “Come live with me and be my Love, And we will all the pleasures prove” - The Complete Plays and Poems1
  12. “Was this the face that launched a thousand ships/And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?” - The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus1
  13. "What nourishes me, destroys me"1