Who was Christopher "Kit" Marlowe?
Q: Who was Christopher "Kit" Marlowe?
A: Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (1564–30 May 1593) was a major dramatist, poet, and translator of English Renaissance drama.
Q: What did Swinburne write about Marlowe?
A: Swinburne wrote that Marlowe is a Father of English Tragedy and the creator of English blank verse and therefore also the teacher and guide of Shakespeare. He is the best Elizabethan tragedian.
Q: Where was Marlowe born?
A: Marlowe was born in Canterbury, England to a shoemaker.
Q: How did he become educated?
A: His intelligence won him scholarships to King's School in Canterbury at age 15, and two years later to the University of Cambridge. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1584 and a master's degree in 1587.
Q: What kind of plays did he write?
A: Marlowe's plays were both popular and controversial, dealing with disturbing subjects like devil worship (Doctor Faustus), homosexuality (Edward II), and anti-Semitism (The Jew of Malta). He is generally regarded as master of blank verse. In addition to seven plays, he wrote one long poem, Hero and Leander, and one famous shorter poem, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love."
Q: How did he die?
A: Marlowe died in a tavern brawl; stabbed in the head. There is some evidence that suggests his death may have been connected with his atheism or his work as an agent for Queen Elizabeth I which could have led some people to believe that he faked his death and continued writing under the name William Shakespeare - this theory is called the "Marlovian theory." In modern times it has been attempted to rename it as “Derogation of the king”.
