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Christopher Marlowe ,The Renaissance Dramatist
Christopher Marlowe
Marlowe is an English poet and dramatist from the Renaissance era. He began his life working for his father as a shoemaker, then found his calling as a playwright and a poet. His work includes the plays Tamburlaine the Great in two parts 1587-88, The Jew of Malta about 1591, Edward II about 1592 and Dr Faustus about 1594, the poem Hero and Leander 1598, and a translation of parts of Ovid'sAmores. Marlowe transformed a new sense of power through his work. Witnesses have written about their relation to the plays of Christopher Marlowe. He brought the aforementioned plays to life.
He was born in Canterbury and got a degree from Cambridge University, where he is thought to have become a government agent. His life was turbulent, with a brief imprisonment in connection with a man's death in a brawl (of which he was cleared), and a charge of atheism (following statements by the dramatist Thomas Kyd under torture). He was murdered in a Deptford tavern, possibly over the amount of money he owed for the drinks, but it may have been a political killing.
The order of the plays is uncertain. When Marlowe went to London 1587 he had probably already written his first play, Dido, Queen of Carthage, but it wasn't published until 1594, when Thomas Nashe most likely revised it. The Lord Admiral's Men performed Tamburlaine the Great that not only established Marlowe's reputation but also changed the entire course of English drama of the period. The play offered a heroically dominating central character, spectacular stage action, and rhetorical verse of enormous power. The Jew of Malta was probably his next play and seems to have been written around 1591 although no printed text exists before 1633. In this work Marlowe retained both his 'superman' protagonist, driven by a lust for power, as well as spectacular stage effects, but introduced a strong element of farce.
Edward II was first printed 1594 but was probably first performed 1592. It marks a new departure, but one which shows the growth of Marlowe's dramatic skills. It is a play that has no main character; indeed, it is a study in weakness, exhibiting Marlowe's ability to show a character and his relationship to individuals with mental problems. Serious chronological and textual problems surround Dr Faustus, which was published 1604 but probably dates from about 1594. In this work Marlowe showed that he was a veteran of the theater, his experience in captivating the minds of audiences and a unique emotional power which proves his outstanding qualities as a dramatist. Faustus is the most powerfully imagined of Marlowe's characters, whose gayness appears to reflect some of Marlowe's own personality and the tendency of the age. His tragedy is still known throughout the world as a symbolic reference, influencing Goethe's Faust and appealing to 20th-century audiences. The Massacre at Paris was also probably written around 1594, but it only survives in a very bad text.
Marlowe is an English poet and dramatist from the Renaissance era. He began his life working for his father as a shoemaker, then found his calling as a playwright and a poet. His work includes the plays Tamburlaine the Great in two parts 1587-88, The Jew of Malta about 1591, Edward II about 1592 and Dr Faustus about 1594, the poem Hero and Leander 1598, and a translation of parts of Ovid'sAmores. Marlowe transformed a new sense of power through his work. Witnesses have written about their relation to the plays of Christopher Marlowe. He brought the aforementioned plays to life.
He was born in Canterbury and got a degree from Cambridge University, where he is thought to have become a government agent. His life was turbulent, with a brief imprisonment in connection with a man's death in a brawl (of which he was cleared), and a charge of atheism (following statements by the dramatist Thomas Kyd under torture). He was murdered in a Deptford tavern, possibly over the amount of money he owed for the drinks, but it may have been a political killing.
The order of the plays is uncertain. When Marlowe went to London 1587 he had probably already written his first play, Dido, Queen of Carthage, but it wasn't published until 1594, when Thomas Nashe most likely revised it. The Lord Admiral's Men performed Tamburlaine the Great that not only established Marlowe's reputation but also changed the entire course of English drama of the period. The play offered a heroically dominating central character, spectacular stage action, and rhetorical verse of enormous power. The Jew of Malta was probably his next play and seems to have been written around 1591 although no printed text exists before 1633. In this work Marlowe retained both his 'superman' protagonist, driven by a lust for power, as well as spectacular stage effects, but introduced a strong element of farce.
Edward II was first printed 1594 but was probably first performed 1592. It marks a new departure, but one which shows the growth of Marlowe's dramatic skills. It is a play that has no main character; indeed, it is a study in weakness, exhibiting Marlowe's ability to show a character and his relationship to individuals with mental problems. Serious chronological and textual problems surround Dr Faustus, which was published 1604 but probably dates from about 1594. In this work Marlowe showed that he was a veteran of the theater, his experience in captivating the minds of audiences and a unique emotional power which proves his outstanding qualities as a dramatist. Faustus is the most powerfully imagined of Marlowe's characters, whose gayness appears to reflect some of Marlowe's own personality and the tendency of the age. His tragedy is still known throughout the world as a symbolic reference, influencing Goethe's Faust and appealing to 20th-century audiences. The Massacre at Paris was also probably written around 1594, but it only survives in a very bad text.
SOURCE:hmoverflow.com