Christopher Marlowe; the Elizabethan James Bond? 13/09/2011



Today's lesson gave the class an introduction to some of the religious ideas that we will be studying in Dr Faustus. We were also introduced to the play's writer, Christopher Marlowe, a man with both an interesting life and of course rather gruesome death. It is this topic that I would like to focus my blog on for today.



Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)



One of the greatest theories surrounding Christopher Marlowe's life is that he was a spy. After consulting the *ever reliable* source that is Wikipedia, I must admit that I do find this theory very plausable.

Marlowe studyed at Corpus-Christi College Cambridge, he was successfully awarded his Bachelor's degree in 1584 but the trouble surrounding him being awarded his masters in 1587 is perhaps the first piece of evidence to suggest that Marlowe was in fact a spy. The Privy Council, the elite set of advisors that formed Queen Elizabeth's government, intervened when the University of Cambridge declared that it found issue with awarding Christopher Marlowe his masters as it was rumoured that he would be voyaging to Rheims university to train to be a Catholic priest. This level of intervention, whilst could be explained through Marlowe's strong political connections is most likely explained through the espionage theory, espcially given that the Privy Council ordered the award on the basis that Marlowe had been engaged in "matters touching the benefit of his country". Furthermore the fact that Marlowe did not 'keep term' at Cambridge (a rule which still exists today) is further evidence of his potential involvement as a spy.

The weight to which I would give other proposed evidence of Marlowe being a spy e.g. the theory that he was Arabella Stuart's tutor, is probably lesser. This is because to me there are other plausible if not more plausible explanations to these theories.


What really interests me though is Marlowe's death. The recorded account of his death, that he was stabbed in the eye after a bar fight is undoubtedly very gruesome (I actually exclaimed "eugh" when I read it). Whilst this might be the case, the cornoner's report neglects to mention that the three men in the room with Marlowe at the time of his death had been employed by members of the Walsingham family (Francis Walsingham was on the privy council and was known for his envolvement in espionage). Given that Marlowe had apparently been spreading more 'aethestic views' just before his death (for which he had been arrested 10 days earlier) quite frankly I think that the Privy Council saw him and as a liability and needed to be 'taken out'- Marlowe's death was a modern day 'hit job'.

How does all of this really link to Dr Faustus? Given that I haven't read the play yet, I honestly can't say. To be honest this conspiracy theory just caught my interest. No doubt I'll look back on this post in June with a clear vision of how the symbolism in the play relates to Marlowe's own life and vies. Well, at least I hope so...