Confessing to something very important before I begin, I have to say I was the worst English major on record while in school. I barely ever read my assignments. However, I did read Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, and remember being, if not impressed, than amused at least. But yes, I tossed him aside in favor of Shakespeare like the ass that I am, too busy rewriting the ending of Twelfth Night to pay attention to man who led the way for old Billy. Apparently I am not the only one to ignore him. Which is sad, as now I am in the midst of rediscovering him and suggest you all do the same. My motives in this are more shallow then you might think. But, gossip of gossips, turns out there are rumours about Mr. Marlowe, there are misconceptions. Darling Kit, as he was referred to by friends, may *gasp* have been heretical (hot) he may have been a spy for Walsingham (HOT) and he may have been a tasty bit of homosandwich (hot hot HOT). Was he slandered by his rivals or simply too careless and brilliant and debauched to watch his words? Does it matter?
His crimes? Well, he didn't enter the clergy when he was supposed to. Apparently lived with a man (common enough at the time actually). Hung around with actors (sinner). Wrote blank verse plays about a man selling his soul to the devil and the king of england known for wasting his time on an idiot, male, lover and dying with a red hot poker up his ass. Homoerotic lyrics in his poems. Heretical statements reputedly made about Jesus and John of Nazareth. He was a spy, spied on the Catholics for the government in fact, then supposedly gets involved in a plot to overthrow the queen and then is killed in a barroom brawl. Only, the fact is, it wasn't a brawl at all, and some theorize a quiet assassination by Walsingham's men when Marlowe forgot to hold his tongue.
And he reportedly said "All men that love not tobacco and boys are fools". Oh oh oh. Beautiful drunken slutty actor boys writing all those pretty words. A friend of Shakespeare's too, another actory type under suspicion. For those interested, and especially historical slash writers who get tired of the same old "master/mistress" Shakespearean slashiness, look into some Marlowe.
I mean honestly, the man wrote a play with a red hot poker up the ass scene. That is pretty fucking amazing.
:)
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