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Graduation Research

The document provides biographical information about Christopher Marlowe, an influential English playwright of the 16th century. It discusses his life, works, controversial death, and impact on developing blank verse and tragedy in English literature. The document also analyzes some of Marlowe's most famous plays and his contribution to establishing the tragic hero as a literary figure.

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27 views9 pages

Graduation Research

The document provides biographical information about Christopher Marlowe, an influential English playwright of the 16th century. It discusses his life, works, controversial death, and impact on developing blank verse and tragedy in English literature. The document also analyzes some of Marlowe's most famous plays and his contribution to establishing the tragic hero as a literary figure.

Uploaded by

zahraasalam932
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research

Mustansiriyah University College of Arts


Department of English Language & Literature

Compiled by
Zahraa Salam Abdulwahed

Supervised by

Baghdad 1445 ah. | 2024 ad.


The Image of The Jew
In The Jew of Malta
By
Christopher Marlowe
‫( ِبْس ِم الَّلـِه الَّرْح َم ٰـ ِن الَّرِح يِم )‬

‫)يرفع هللا الذين آمنوا منكم والذين أوتوا العلم درجات وهللا بما تعملون خبير(‬

‫سورة النساء – اآلية ‪162‬‬

‫صدق هللا العلي العظيم‬


For my parents with love, respect, and gratitude.
Table of Contents
Part One

1.1-Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) was an English playwright, poet, and
translator who is considered one of the greatest playwrights of the Elizabethan
era. He was one of William Shakespeare's most important contemporaries and is
best known for his works such as "Tamburlaine," "Doctor Faustus," and "The
Jew of Malta." Marlowe's theatrical writings were known for their innovative
use of verse and their exploration of themes such as ambition, power, and the
human condition.

Marlowe's life was also marked by controversy, as he was rumored to be


involved in espionage activities and was known for his radical religious and
political views. His mysterious death in 1593 at the age of 29 has also sparked
much speculation and conspiracy theories regarding the circumstances
surrounding it. Despite his short life, Marlowe made significant contributions to
English literature and is remembered as a pioneering literary figure of the late
16th century.

Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury, England in February 1564,


the same year as William Shakespeare. He was the son of a shoemaker and
attended the King's School in Canterbury before earning a scholarship to study
at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

While at Cambridge, Marlowe distinguished himself as a scholar and


poet, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1584 and his Master of Arts degree
in 1587. During his time at Cambridge, Marlowe became known for his
unconventional views and rebellious behavior.

After leaving Cambridge, Marlowe moved to London, where he began a


career as a playwright and poet. He quickly gained a reputation as a talented and
provocative writer, known for his bold and controversial works. Marlowe's
plays, which included "Tamburlaine" and "The Jew of Malta," were some of the
first English plays to be written in blank verse, a style that would later be
adopted by Shakespeare.

Despite his success as a playwright, Marlowe's life was marked by


controversy and scandal. He was rumored to be involved in espionage and
political intrigue, and was known for his wild lifestyle and violent temper. In
1593, Marlowe was arrested and charged with heresy and atheism, but before he
could stand trial, he was killed in a tavern brawl in Deptford, England. His
death remains shrouded in mystery, with some theories suggesting that he was
assassinated as part of a political conspiracy.

Although his career was cut short, Christopher Marlowe's impact on English
literature is undeniable. His works helped to revolutionize the English stage and
paved the way for the great playwrights of the Elizabethan era, including
William Shakespeare.( http://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-
Marlowe)

1.3-The Death of Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe's death occurred on May 30, 1593, in Deptford,


London, under mysterious circumstances. Marlowe was just 29 years old at the
time of his death. The exact details of what happened that day remain unclear,
and there are several theories and speculations surrounding the events leading
up to his demise.

One account suggests that Marlowe was involved in a dispute with three
other men at a tavern in Deptford. During the altercation, Marlowe was fatally
stabbed in the eye by one of the men, Ingram Frizer. Some sources claim that
the argument may have been over a bill or a disagreement about the practice of
atheism. Frizer claimed self-defense, and Marlowe's death was eventually ruled
a case of manslaughter.

Other theories propose more sinister explanations for Marlowe's death.


Some historians and scholars have speculated that Marlowe may have been
targeted by political or religious enemies due to his controversial views and
affiliations. There are theories that Marlowe was involved in espionage or had
connections to the government that put him in danger.

The circumstances surrounding Christopher Marlowe's death continue to


be debated and investigated by scholars, historians, and enthusiasts of
Elizabethan literature. Despite the conflicting accounts and lack of concrete
evidence, Marlowe's untimely demise remains a topic of fascination and
intrigue in the study of his life and works.( The Death of Christopher Marlowe,
by Leslie Hotson, Russell & Russell, New York, 1967,p9,p10,p66)

1.4-The Works of Christopher Marlowe

1. "Dido, Queen of Carthage" (c.1586).


2. "Tamburlaine, Parts I and II" (c.1587-1588).
3. "The Jew of Malta" (c.1589).
4. "Doctor Faustus" (c.1588-1593).
5. "Edward II" (c.1592).
6. "The Massacre at Paris" (c.1593).
7. "Hero and Leander" (c.1598).
("Christopher Marlowe", Moonstruck Drama Bookstore, http:// www.imagi-
nation.com/moonstruck/clsc24.html)

1.5-Marlowe As the Hero of Tragic Writing

Undoubtedly Marlowe contributed a lot to the Elizabethan drama. John


Charles Swinburne says that "the father of the English tragedy and the creator of
the English blank verse was therefore, also the teacher and the guide of William
Shakespeare". When Marlowe started writing his plays, the Elizabethan drama
was in deplorable condition. Before Marlowe there was neither genuine blank
verse nor a genuine tragedy in our language. After the arrival of Marlowe the
way was prepared, the paths were made straight without any hurdles for
Shakespeare. After the reformation, the mystery plays and morality plays have
lost their influence on the audience: things become bad to worse as the people
did not even like those plays. This is because these plays have the connection
and association with the old church.

So, in response to the demand of the public, interludes came into


existence with its fun and frolics and the masques and pageants with their
costume displays gorgeous colors. Therefore, comedy has captured the mind of
the English people. But each and everything was in a chaotic and formless state
before the advent of the University Wits and the greatest among them was none
other than Christopher Marlowe.

The first great thing done by Marlowe was to break away from the
medieval conception of tragedy, as in medieval drama, tragedy was a thing of
the princes only. It dealt with the rise and fall of the kings and princes.
But it is left to Marlowe to create the tragic hero. Marlowe used some of
the characteristics in drama which are famously known as the Marlovian
tragical elements. These are the elements which he used to formulate the
English drama. Specially tragedy was improved upon and perfected by a genius
known as William Shakespeare.

Marlowe's heroes are men and men only. These men are fired with
indomitable passion and inordinate ambition. For example, his Tamburlaine is
in full-flooded pursuit of military and political power, his doctor Faustus has
sold his soul to the devil to attain some of the ultimate powers through
knowledge and his Jew of Malta was absolutely discards all sense of human
values with his blind and inordinate aspiration towards wealth as an ultimate
end. But what Christopher Marlowe really depicted and dramatized with
thoroughness was that all his mighty heroes with all their sky-kicking
aspirations find that the flush of heir temporary success leads to ultimate failure
bringing about their tragic and terrible end. Here lies the greatness of Marlowe.

In fact a great tragedy reveals the emotional conflict or moral agony of


the mighty hero. In this respect and din the realm of England's dramatic
literature the Tragedy of Doctor Faustus can be considered as the first ever great
spiritual tragedy of the soul. In this very drama the deep moral agony and the
painful spiritual conflict has been excellently laid bare before us by Christopher
Marlowe. This inner conflict reveals the true significance of character as the
main-stay of a great tragedy.

1. Like the ancient tragedy heroes, Christopher Marlowe's heroes are not
helpless puppets in the hands of blind fate. The tragic flaw was in their
character and the tragic action also issued out of their characters. This
was really Marlowe's greatest contribution to the English tragedy during
the Elizabethan era.( Arnold, Edward. Elizabethan Theatre. London:
Edward Arnold Publishers. 1966)

Part Two

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