Dr Faustus was first published in 1604 with the name "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus", which grabs attention to the genre of tragedy
Christopher Marlowe was born in 1564 and died in 1593
Marlowe become a Free Thinker and part of a group of intellectuals (noblemen, courtiers & commoners) who formed an underground club called 'The School of Night'
'The School of Night' embraced new ideas (and rejected old ones) and were passionate in the pursuit of knowledge, often dangerously in conflict with Church Dogma - For example, pointing out inconsistencies in the Bible
The Free Thinkers were labelled as Atheist and targeted for suppression & death
In the spirit of the Free-Thinkers, Faustus is a sceptic and intellectual who goes too far to acquire forbidden knowledge, violates heaven's laws, and is damned for it
Christopher Marlowe wrote the tragedy 'Doctor Faustus' in 1592 and published 1604
Christopher Marlowe was reported to the Privy Council of being an atheist due to several blasphemies, sent by government spy RichardBaines in 1593:
"Christ was a bastard and his motherdishonest"
Christopher Marlowe's life was often speculated and some suggest he was involved with espionage due to connections with FrancisWalsingham and his works which led to suspicions about his religious & political allegiances
Christopher Marlowe was suspected of being Atheist due to his clandestine dissemination of anti-Catholic literature and his rumoured atheism made him a target for surveillance by government authorities
Christopher Marlowe was arrested for Atheism on the 20th May 1593
Christopher Marlowe's untimely death has led to speculation but many believe it was a political assassination orchestrated by 3 men in a pub:
A High-rankinggovernment agent
Two men linked with Espionage
On the 30thMay1593, Christopher Marlowe was stabbed in the right eye and tragically died
Christopher Marlowe was also rumoured to being a Homosexual, which can be seen in Dr Faustus with the sensual dynamic between Faustus & Mephastophilis
Christopher Marlowe was rumoured to be homosexual, going against religious & societal norms, this is mirrored in Dr Faustus as he rebels against religious & societal norms