The Collected Poems of Christopher Marlowe

Front Cover
Oxford University Press, 2006 - Literary Criticism - 302 pages
This unique anthology offers a more comprehensive look at the poems of Christopher Marlowe, England's first great poet and playwright, than any other volume currently in print. Bringing together the complete body of Marlowe's poetry--including Ovid's Elegies, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," Lucan's First Book, Hero and Leander, and a Latin epitaph on the jurist Sir Roger Manwood--the book also incorporates related works by other writers. These ancillary selections include Sir John Davies's Epigrams, Renaissance response poems to "The Passionate Shepherd," and continuations of Hero and Leander by George Chapman and Henry Petowe. By presenting Marlowe's works in the collaborative literary context of Renaissance England, the editors reveal his considerable influence on the literature of that period and on future writings. Patrick Cheney, a leading authority on Marlowe's work, provides a clear, informed, and in-depth introduction that is firmly grounded in modern criticism and current scholarship, while classical and Renaissance scholar Brian J. Striar offers a helpful exploration of the practice of verse translation in Marlowe's work. Extensive annotations throughout give readers background on both the individual poems and on the cultural context in which they were produced. Ideal for courses in Renaissance poetry, The Collected Poems of Christopher Marlowe is an essential resource for students and other readers striving to understand Marlowe's role as a pioneering poet-playwright.

From inside the book

Contents

The Dedicatory Epistle to Mary Sidney Herbert
23
Reading List
29
Lucans First Book
169
Copyright

2 other sections not shown

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About the author (2006)

Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury, England on February 6, 1564. He received a B.A. in 1584 and an M.A. in 1587 from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. His original plans for a religious career were put aside when he decided to become a poet and playwright. His earliest work was translating Lucan and Ovid from Latin into English. He translated Vergil's Aeneid as a play. His plays included Tamburlaine the Great, Faustus, The Jew of Malta, and Dido, Queen of Carthage. His unfinished poem Hero and Leander was published in 1598. In 1589, he and a friend killed a man, but were acquitted on a plea of self-defense. His political views were unorthodox, and he was thought to be a government secret agent. He was arrested in May 1593 on a charge of atheism. He was killed in a brawl in a Deptford tavern on May 30, 1593.

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