Synopses & Reviews
This work focuses on Marlowe's works as an index of the major transformation of Elizabethan theatrical practices. In the opening chapter, Cole reviews the unusually intriguing historical record of Marlowe's life outside the theatre. The body of the book addresses Marlowe's individual plays as experiments in extending and redefining the traditional concepts and techniques of tragic drama, and suggests how his contemporaries and followers made use of his innovations. Intended as an introduction to the subject, this book provides an insightful approach to Marlowe's work and the study of Elizabethan thought and theatre.
Review
...Marlowe's reputation as an author and an innovative dramatist is assured, and Douglas Cole's book is an excellent assessment of it.Ricardian Register
Synopsis
Assesses the consequences of Marlowe's life in the theatre: how his plays transformed the literary traditions of his time and how they helped redefine the themes of tragedy.
About the Author
DOUGLAS COLE is Professor of English at Northwestern University.
Table of Contents
Series Foreword by Josh Beer, Christopher Innes, and Simon Williams
Prologue
Chronology
Matters of Life and Death
The World of the Theatre in the Reign of Elizabeth
Dido, Queen of Carthage: Tragedy in the Classical Tradition
Tamburlaine the Great: Tragical Discourse and Spectacle
Machiavellian Tragedy: The Massacre at Paris and The Jew of Malta
Edward II: Tragedy in the De Casibus Tradition
Doctor Faustus: Tragedy in the Allegorical Tradition
Marlowe's Legacy to Tragedy
Appendix A: Thomas Kyd's Accusations of Marlowe
Appendix B: Richard Baines' Note
Works Cited
Index