An inspiring legacy

We take our name from the 16th century poet and playwright, Christopher Marlowe.

Today, his life is considered somewhat of a mystery. Murdered at the age of twenty-nine, Marlowe’s character seems to have mirrored the nature of his writing, which was bold and romantic. Contemporary sources describe him as a rogue - as happy in the company of royalty and aristocrats as he was with drunkards and tobacco-users. He travelled widely,  prompting accusations of espionage from paranoid protestants, wary of the continent's affiliation with the Catholic church; besides his religious beliefs, his sexuality was also called into question. 

In the centuries after he died, rumours continued to swirl about Marlowe; the most outlandish gossip was that he faked his own death, to escape his reputation, and to subsequently write under a new name, William Shakespeare. 

The work for which he is best remembered - Edward II - in many ways, encapsulates his virtues. He made the unusual decision to portray the King, not as the meek effeminate that history had favoured, but as a proud, if flawed lover, wronged for following his heart; it is peppered with references to foreign lands, highlighting the author’s interest in them; and, most poignantly of all, it questions the power struggle between classes, and the veracity of the claim that men are made great through birth, not actions.

The play is widely considered a masterpiece, and though it has subsequently been eclipsed by Shakespeare’s work, its importance has endured. A young Aldous Huxley, needing a title for his then manuscript, lifted from the opening monologue of Edward II,  the expression ‘Antic Hay’, which, in the language of the time, meant  ‘a crazy dance’. 

In much the same way, we take our inspiration from Marlowe. Used on our website, is the same sentence from Edward II which inspired Huxley, since, Marlowe’s legacy itself seems like a crazy dance. We hope that our magazine, The Marlowe Review, can speak, with its own voice, to the same ambition, zest for adventure, and fascination in people and their cultures.