Christopher Marlowe in fiction

Fictional depictions of Christopher Marlowe, 16th-century English dramatist.

Anonymous 16th century portrait, suggested to be Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593),[1] English playwright and poet,[2] has appeared in works of fiction since the nineteenth century. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare,[3] and has been suggested as an alternative author of Shakespeare's works, an idea not accepted in mainstream scholarship.[4] Marlowe, alleged to have been a government spy and frequently claimed to have been homosexual, was killed in 1593.[3]

## Overview

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Marlowe first appeared as a literary figure in 1825 in the first part of Ludwig Tieck's novella Dichterleben [de]. In it, Tieck addresses, among other things, the conflict between Romanticism, represented by Shakespeare, and Sturm und Drang, represented by Marlowe.[5] The opposite view was held by Richard Henry Horne, in whose 1837 drama The Death of Marlowe Marlowe first appeared as a fictional character in English literature. Horne's Marlowe is Romanticism personified.[6] Although numerous authors have since had Marlowe appear in a wide variety of literary genres, this has been done with astonishing unimaginativeness. He is usually the homosexual outsider who rebels against the establishment and fits perfectly into the Elizabethan theatre world, which is described as a gathering place for alternative lifestyles.[7]

## Books

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Marlowe kills Francis Frazer, illustration from It was Marlowe

* Wilbur G. Zeigler's novel It was Marlowe (1895) was the first book to argue that Marlowe's death was faked — apparently in support of Zeigler's claim that Marlowe was the actual author of Hamlet, which was written after Marlowe's recorded death.[8]
* Philip Lindsay's One Dagger For Two (1932), a fictionalized biography.[9]
* Herbert Lom's Enter a Spy: The Double Life of Christopher Marlowe (1978), a historical novel. In this story Marlowe has an affair with Frances Walsingham.[10]
* In "Men of good fortune", an issue of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman from 1990, Marlowe and Shakespeare discuss Doctor Faustus. Shakespeare openly laments that Marlowe is the greater poet, which attracts Dream's attention.[11] Marlowe also appears in the spin-off The Dreaming: Waking Hours (2020), where he is one of several Shakespeare authorship candidates in a dream.[12]
* Anthony Burgess's A Dead Man in Deptford (1993) was the last of Burgess's novels to be published in his lifetime. Marlowe is portrayed as a homosexual secret agent.[13]
* Marlowe is a main character Harry Turtledove's Ruled Britannia (2002), an alternate history depicting an England where the Spanish Armada was successful in 1588 and imposed the rule of King Philip II of Spain. In this depiction, Marlowe is still alive in 1598 and is, with Shakespeare, active among conspirators seeking to overthrow Spanish rule and restore the imprisoned Queen Elizabeth.[14]
* Louise Welsh's 2004 novel Tamburlaine Must Die about Marlowe's last days is an "alternative fictional account as to what really went on".[15] It is written as a journal-entry by Marlowe.[16]
* In History Play (2005) by Rodney Bolt, Marlowe fakes his death and flees England.[17]
* Marlowe plays a major role in Elizabeth Bear's The Promethean Age novels (2006–2013). In this story Marlowe and Shakespeare had a secret, deeply emotional homosexual love affair and many of Shakespeare's Sonnets were written to express his love for Marlowe. Marlowe was not assassinated in 1593 but was taken into Faerie where he became the lover of the witch Morgan le Fay.[18] He also appears in Bear's short story "This Tragic Glass" (2004).
* M. J. Trow's The Kit Marlowe Series (2011–2024), depicts Marlowe as a detective and spy for Sir Francis Walsingham. Trow has also written non-fiction about Marlowe.[19][20]
* In Ros Barber's verse novel The Marlowe Papers (2012), Marlowe looks back on his past and faked death and his writing of the plays attributed to William Shakespeare. It won the Desmond Elliott Prize for 2013.[21]
* Marlowe appears in Shadow of Night (2012) by Deborah Harkness, the second book in the All Souls trilogy. Marlowe, a daemon, is one of many historical figures in this story.[22]
* Geoffrey Aggeler's Horses of the Night (2016) provides a fictional account of Marlowe's writing career, spying activities, and death.[23]
* Michelle Butler Hallett's This Marlowe (2016) explores the political context of 1593 England and relationship between Thomas Kyd and Christopher Marlowe, and gives an account of Kyd's arrest and interrogation and Marlowe's death.[24]
* The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (2017) by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland features Marlowe in a minor role, having faked his death as a means of becoming a more effective spy.[25]
* Marlowe is the main character in A Tip for the Hangman (2021) by Allison Epstein. He investigates the Babington Plot while struggling as a student at Cambridge.[26][27]
* The Marlen of Prague: Christopher Marlowe and the City of Gold (2022), is historical fantasy by Angeli Primlani. Marlowe is one of the Queen's mages who casts a spell against the Spanish Armada and changes the fabric of reality.[28]
* In By Any Other Name (2024) by Jodi Picoult, Marlowe is a friend of poet Emilia Lanier. The novel is inspired by the Emilia Lanier theory of Shakespeare authorship.[29]

## Theater, film and television

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Tom Hughes portrayed Marlowe in 2020

* In the drama-series Will Shakespeare (1978) Marlowe is portrayed by Ian McShane.[30]
* Leo Rost's Marlowe (1981) is an American rock musical that was staged on Broadway.[31]
* Peter Whelan's play The School of Night (1992), about Marlowe's links to the freethinking The School of Night and the young Shakespeare, was performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.[32]
* Rupert Everett portrays Marlowe in the film Shakespeare in Love (1998).[33][34]
* In the film Anonymous (2011) he is played by Trystan Gravelle.[35]
* John Hurt plays Marlowe, who still lives as a vampire in the 21st century, in Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive (2013). The film was nominated for a Palme d'Or in 2013.[36][37]
* Marlowe is a character played by Jim Howick in the 2015 comedy Bill.[38]
* Marlowe (played by Jamie Campbell-Bower) is a main character in the 2017 TNT series Will.[39]
* Marlowe (played by Tim Downie) is a main character in Ben Elton's Shakespeare-sitcom Upstart Crow (2016). In this series, Shakespeare writes Marlowe's plays for him, providing cover for Marlowe's spy-activities. Downie's Marlowe has similarities to Lord Flashheart from Elton's Blackadder.[40]
* Tom Hughes played Marlowe on the 2020 season of the fantasy-series A Discovery of Witches, adapted from Deborah Harkness' novels.[41]

## Radio

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* Christopher Marlowe, a re-enactment of Marlowe's life and death starring Stan Geverts as Marlowe, was broadcast on the Municipal Broadcasting System on October 11, 1950.[42]
* The Christopher Marlowe Mysteries, written by Ged Parsons and starring Dominic Jephcott as Marlowe, was a four-episode BBC Radio 4 series, first broadcast in 2007.[43][44]
* Michael Butt's radio play Unauthorized History: The Killing was first broadcast as part of the Afternoon Drama series on BBC Radio 4 on 17 August 2010.[45][46]
* A three-part dramatization of Charles Nicholl's book The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe, adapted by Mike Walker and directed by Sasha Yevtushenko with the author as presenter and Chris Lew Kum Hoi as Marlowe, was broadcast in May 2022 on BBC Radio 4.[47]

## References

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1. ^ "Oxford Is Adding a Co-Credit to Some of William Shakespeare's Plays". Time.
2. ^ McNary, Dave (30 May 2018). "Christopher Marlowe Movie in the Works From 'Star Wars' Producer Gary Kurtz". Retrieved 13 December 2018.
3. ^ a b Pollack-Pelzner, Daniel (19 February 2017). "The Radical Argument of the New Oxford Shakespeare". The New Yorker.
4. ^ Kathman, David (2003), "The Question of Authorship", in Wells, Stanley; Orlin, Lena C., Shakespeare: an Oxford Guide, Oxford University Press, pp. 620–32, ISBN 978-0-19-924522-2
5. ^ Eichler, Albert (1922). "Zur Quellengeschichte und Technik von L. Tiecks Shakespeare-Novellen". Englische Studien. 56: 254–280.254-280&rft.date=1922&rft.aulast=Eichler&rft.aufirst=Albert&rft_id=https://archive.org/details/englischestudien5657leipuoft/page/n269/mode/2up&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Christopher+Marlowe+in+fiction" class="Z3988">
6. ^ Dabbs, Thomas W. (1991). Reforming marlowe : the nineteenth-century canonization of the renaissance dramatist. Lewisburg: Bucknell Univ Press. ISBN 1-61148-066-3. OCLC 948400882.
7. ^ Tucker, Kenneth (1995). "Dead Men in Deptford: Recent Lives and Deaths of Christopher Marlowe". Research Opportunities in Renaissance Drama. 34: 111–124.111-124&rft.date=1995&rft.aulast=Tucker&rft.aufirst=Kenneth&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Christopher+Marlowe+in+fiction" class="Z3988">
8. ^ Nicholl, Charles (2006). "The case for Marlowe", in Wells, Stanley and Edmondson, Paul (eds.) Shakespeare Beyond Doubt. Cambridge University Press, pp.30–32
9. ^ Kabatchnik, Amnon (14 August 2017). Blood on the Stage, 1600 to 1800: Milestone Plays of Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538106167. Retrieved 30 July 2018 - via Google Books.
10. ^ Harraway, Clare (22 November 2017). Re-citing Marlowe: Approaches to the Drama: Approaches to the Drama. Routledge. ISBN 9781351790550. Retrieved 30 July 2018 - via Google Books.
11. ^ Bristol, Michael D. (12 August 2005). Big-Time Shakespeare. Routledge. ISBN 9781134928590. Retrieved 30 July 2018 - via Google Books.
12. ^ Polo, Susana (2020-08-05). "The newest Sandman comic is chasing the true identity of Shakespeare in the best way". Polygon. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
13. ^ "Fiction Book Review: A Dead Man in Deptford by Anthony Burgess, Author Carroll & Graf Publishers $21 (0p) ISBN 978-0-7867-0192-6". Retrieved 30 July 2018.
14. ^ "Fiction Book Review: RULED BRITANNIA by Harry Turtledove, Author . NAL $24.95 (458p) ISBN 978-0-451-20717-3". Retrieved 30 July 2018.
15. ^ Wall, Alan (2 July 2004). "Review: Tamburlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
16. ^ Taylor, Charles (2005-02-13). "'Tamburlaine Must Die': Play Boy". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
17. ^ "The World of Christopher MarloweHistory". Independent.co.uk. 2004-08-05. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
18. ^ "Fiction Book Review: Ink and Steel: A Novel of the Promethean Age by Elizabeth Bear, Author . Roc $14 (427p) ISBN 978-0-451-46209-1". Retrieved 30 July 2018.
19. ^ "Fiction Book Review: Eleventh Hour: A Kit Marlowe Mystery by M.J. Trow. Crème de la Crime, $28.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-78029-093-5". Retrieved 30 July 2018.
20. ^ Hill, Amelia (1 July 2001). "New twist to Marlowe's murder riddle". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
21. ^ "Verse novel wins debut book award". BBC News. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
22. ^ Adler, Margot (10 July 2012). "'Witches' Sequel Casts A Complex Spell". NPR. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
23. ^ Livingstone, David (2019). In Our Own Image: Fictional Representations of William Shakespeare. Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci. p. 230\. ISBN 978-80-244-5683-6.
24. ^ "This Marlowe". Toronto Star. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
25. ^ "Paul Di Filippo reviews Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland". 14 June 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
26. ^ Weinman, Sarah (February 26, 2021). "Murder, Mayhem and Menace: New Crime Fiction". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
27. ^ "Fiction Book Review: A Tip for the Hangman". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
28. ^ Sawyer, Andy (2023). "BSFA Review - The Marlen of Prague by Angeli Primlani". British Science Fiction Association. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
29. ^ Craig, Amanda (9 October 2024). "By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult review – Shakespeare was a woman". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
30. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Will Shakespeare (1978)". www.screenonline.org.uk. British Film Institute. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
31. ^ Rich, Frank (1981-10-13). "THEATER: 'MARLOWE,' A ROCK MUSICAL". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
32. ^ Coveney, Michael (10 July 2014). "Peter Whelan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
33. ^ Maher, Kevin (9 June 2018). "Oscar and me: Rupert Everett on bringing Wilde to the screen in The Happy Prince". Retrieved 19 October 2018 - via www.thetimes.co.uk.
34. ^ "Five great film roles for Rupert Everett". 11 June 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
35. ^ Nicholl, Charles (25 January 2013). "Exiting the Stage". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
36. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (24 May 2013). "Cannes 2013: Only Lovers Left Alive – first look review". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
37. ^ Kroll, Justin (23 July 2018). "Caleb Landry Jones Joins Jim Jarmusch's Zombie Movie 'The Dead Don't Die'". Retrieved 30 July 2018.
38. ^ Kermode, Mark (20 September 2015). "Bill review – knockabout Horrible Histories fun with the Bard". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
39. ^ Otterson, Joe (5 September 2017). "'Will' Canceled at TNT After One Season". Retrieved 30 July 2018.
40. ^ Dugdale, John (28 October 2016). "How close were Marlowe and Shakespeare?". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
41. ^ "Tom Hughes joins the cast of Sky's A Discovery of Witches". Radio Times. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
42. ^ "The NYPR Archive Collections: "The Human Adventure - Christopher Marlowe"". WNYC. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
43. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Christopher Marlowe Mysteries". BBC. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
44. ^ Kabatchnik, Amnon (14 August 2017). Blood on the Stage, 1600 to 1800: Milestone Plays of Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538106167. Retrieved 30 July 2018 - via Google Books.
45. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Drama, Michael Butt - Unauthorised History: The Killing". BBC. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
46. ^ Kabatchnik, Amnon (14 August 2017). Blood on the Stage, 1600 to 1800: Milestone Plays of Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538106167. Retrieved 30 July 2018 - via Google Books.
47. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Drama, Mike Walker - The Reckoning: The Death of Christopher Marlowe". BBC. Retrieved 16 May 2022.

* v
* t
* e

Christopher Marlowe

Plays|

* Dido, Queen of Carthage
* Tamburlaine the Great, Parts One and Two
* The Jew of Malta
* Doctor Faustus
* Edward II
* The Massacre at Paris

Poems|

* The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
* Hero and Leander

People|

* Thomas Nashe
* Philip Henslowe
* Thomas Heywood
* Ingram Frizer
* Eleanor Bull
* Nicholas Skeres
* Robert Poley
* George Chapman
* Edward Alleyn
* Thomas Kyd

In fiction|

* Marlowe
* The School of Night
* Tamburlaine Must Die
* A Dead Man in Deptford
* It Was Marlowe
* Shakespeare in Love
* Kit Marlowe
* The Marlowe Papers

Adaptations|

* Doctor Faustus
* Edward II
* The Life of Edward II of England
* The Massacre at Paris
* Lessons in Love and Violence

Miscellaneous|

* English Renaissance theatre
* Blank verse
* Admiral's Men
* Shakespeare authorship question
* Marlovian theory
* Lust's Dominion (attributed play, rejected)
* The School of Night

Related|

* Marlowe Memorial
* Marlowe portrait

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