Christopher Marlowe: vita e opere

Christopher Marlowe: vita e opere (in inglese) del poeta e drammaturgo inglese vissuto nel XVI secolo e autore della famosa opera teatrale "Doctor Faustus" (2 pagine formato doc)

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CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE LIFE

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).

Life. Early years - Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury in 1564, the son of a prosperous shoemarker.
Education - He was an exceptional student and when he was fifteen he was awarded a scholarship to King’s School in Canterbury, one of the oldest schools in Britain. He continued his studies at Cambridge University, where he took his Bachelor of Arts in 1583.
Three years later he received his Master of Arts degree in spite of opposition by the University authorities, who suspected him of converting to Roman Catholicism during a secret journey to Rheims, Frances, the centre of Catholic sentiment. Marlowe at this time was problably working for the government in Her Majesty’s Secret Service, spying on Catholic conspirators, so the government authorities intervened on his behalf and the degree was granted.
University wits - He moved to London, where he met other graduates who were involved in the literary life of London. Together they formed a circle of young writers know as the “University Wits”.
Plays - From 1587 to 1593 he wrote and produced his four great plays: Tamburlaine Parts I and II, The Jew of Malta, Edward the Second and Doctor Faustus. He was the first English playwright to use blank verse and to write genuine tragedy. His works were highly successful and had a major influence on other playwrithers of the period including Shakespeare.
Tragic death - Marlowe’s death was mysterious; he was stabbed to death on May 30, 1593 in a tavern brawl. It is widely believed that he was deliberately assassinated for political reasons.

Christopher Marlowe: vita, opere e Doctor Faustus

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE WORKS

Works. The fact that his life was so short makes Marlowe’s contribution to drama even more remarkable. In many ways he gave to English theatre the foundation on which Shakespeare was to build.
Each of his plays revolves around a protagonist who is obsessed by a ruling passion:
•    Tamburlaine wishes to conquer the world;
•    Edward in blinded by his homosexual love;
•    Doctor Faustus aspires to unlimited knoledge;
•    The Jew of Malta is obsessed by his love for gold.
However, his works are far more sophisticated than the medieval morality plays which told simple tales of wickedness and well-deserved punishment. Marlowe created tragedies in which men, aware of the potentially catastrophic consequences, make difficult decisions.

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE: DOCTOR FAUSTUS

Dorctor Faustus - Marlowe’s best-loved work, is based on a collection of German stories called the Faustbuch, which he probably read in English translation. The tales in The Faustbuch narrate in prose the real-life story of the German scholar and travelling magician Georgius Faustus. Marlowe transforms these simple stories of good and evil into a complex drama which explores theme such as man’s aspiration to surpass all human limitation, and the consequences of ambition when it is not restricted by a sense of morality.
Marlowe established blank verse as the pricipal verse formo f Elizabethan drama. He avoided monotony by varying stresses and breaking up the lines with pauses, exclamations and shortened sentences, and using the syntax to reflect the state of mind of the character.