Christopher Marlowe

Cards (17)

  • The writer of Dr Faustus was Christopher Marlowe
  • Dr Faustus was first published in 1604
  • 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 Richard Baines in 1593:
    • "Christ was a bastard and his mother dishonest"
  • Christopher Marlowe's life was often speculated and some suggest he was involved with espionage due to connections with Francis Walsingham 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-ranking government agent
    • Two men linked with Espionage
  • On the 30th May 1593, 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