Christopher Marlowe author page

Christopher Marlowe biography

Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593) was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. He was baptised on 26 February 1564 in Canterbury, the son of John Marlowe, a shoemaker, and his wife Catherine. He attended The King’s School, Canterbury, and later studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1584. He completed his Master of Arts in 1587 after government intervention allowed the award despite his frequent absences.

Marlowe’s first play, Dido, Queen of Carthage, was performed around 1586–87. His best-known works include Tamburlaine the Great (1587), The Jew of Malta (c. 1589), Doctor Faustus (c. 1592) and Edward II (c. 1592). His plays are noted for their use of blank verse and their complex protagonists driven by ambition, desire and power. His poetry includes the pastoral lyric The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, published posthumously in 1599.

Marlowe’s life was cut short when he was killed in Deptford, London, on 30 May 1593, during a violent quarrel. Despite his brief career, his work had a significant influence on English drama and on contemporaries including William Shakespeare.