Monday 7 November 2022

Assignment Paper No. - 105

Hello Readers ! This blog is Written as a Part Of assignment writing of Semester - 1. This blog is Inspired by Dr. Dilip Sir Barad - Department Of English - MKBU. In this blog I am going to discuss a topic - " Christopher Marlowe's Contribution to English Drama ''.


  • Name :- Hetal Samirbhai Pathak

  • Batch :- M.A Sem - 1 ( 2022 - 2024 )

  • Enrollment No. :- 4069206420220022

  • Roll No. :- 10

  • Subject Code :- 22395

  • Paper No. :- 105 

  • Paper Name :- History of English literature From

  • 1350 to 1900

  • E- Mail address :- hetalpathak28@gmail.com

  • Submitted to :- Smt. S.B.Gardi Department of English -

  • Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji,

 Bhavnagar University

  • Date of Submission :- 7th November , 2022




  • ' Christopher Marlowe 's Contribution to English Drama' :- 


Content  of  my  Assignment :- 


  1. Introduction of  Elizabethan age 

  2. Christopher Marlowe 

  3. His Famous Works

  4. Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare 

  5. Contribution to English Drama

  6. Conclusion


Introduction  of    Elizabethan  age :- 

In the age of Elizabethan all doubt seems to vanish from English history. After the reigns

of Edward and Mary , with defeat and humiliation abroad and persecutions and rebellion at

home, the accession of a Popular sovereign was like the sunrise after a long night , and in John

Milton 's words , we suddenly see England , 


  " A  Noble  and  Pussiant nation, rousing herself like a strong man after sheep, and shaking her

invincible locks. " 


With the queen's character, a strange mingling of frivolity and strength which reminds one of

that iron image with Feet of clay , we have nothing whatever to do. It is the national life that

Concerns the literary student, since even a beginner must notice any  great development of the

National literature. It is enough for our purpose, therefore , to point out two Facts :- 

 

  1. First,  Elizabethan with all her vanity and inconsistency  steadily loved England and

  2. England's greatness. She inspired all her People with Personal devotion. 

    

  1. Second, Under her administration the English National life Progressed by gigantic leaps

  2. rather than by slow historical Process. 

  

We can Understand that During An age of Elizabethan English literature reached the very

highest Point of its development. The age of Elizabethan was all time of intellectual liberty ,

of growing intelligence and Comfort among all Classes of unbounded Patriotism and of Peace

at home and abroad. 


  • Christopher Marlowe ( 1564 - 1593 ) :- 

Marlowe is one of the most suggestive figures of the English Renaissance , and the greatest

of Shakespeare's predecessors. Christopher Marlowe was an important literary figure during

the age of Elizabethan. 


 Life :  Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury , only a few months before William

Shakespeare. His life Period was from 1564 to 1593. He was the son of a Poor shoemaker ,

but through the kindness of a Ptron was educated at the town grammar School and then at

Cambridge. When he came to London in the Year 1584 his soul was surging with the ideals

of the Renaissance , which later found expression in his Famous Play -

' Doctor Faustus. ' The Play is about the Scholar longing for unlimited knowledge and for

Power to grasp the Universe. 


Unfortunately,  Marlowe also had  the unbridled  Passion which marked  the early,

or pagan Renaissance, as Taine calls it and the Conceit of a Young man just entering the

realms of Knowledge. He became an actor and lived in a low - tavern atmosphere of excess and

Wretchedness. 



In the Year - 1587 when but only twenty three years old , he Produced ' Tamburlaine ' which

brought him against recognition. Thereafter , notwithstanding his wretched life he holds steadily

to a high literary Purpose. Though all his Plays abound in violence, no doubt reflecting many of

the violent scenes in which he lived and developing  his " mighty line " and depicts great scenes

in magnificent bursts of Poetry Such as the stage had never heard before. 


In Five Years , While Shakespeare was serving his apprenticeship, Christopher Marlowe

Produced all his great work. Then he was stabbed in a drunken brawl  and  died wretchedly , as

he had lived. The Epilogue of his Play - ' Doctor Faustus ' might be written across his

tombstone. 


    " Cut  is the branch that might have grown full Straight, And burner is Apollo's laurel bough

That Sometime grew within this learned man. '' 


 

  • Christopher Marlowe 's Works:- 


In addition to the Poem - ' Hero and Leander ' to which he has  referred Marlowe is famous

for Four dramas , known as the ' Marlowes Que' or One - man type of tragedy. Each resolving

about one Central Personality who is Consumed by the lust of Power. 


  • His  Four  Famous  Plays :- 


  1. ' Tamburlaine ' 

  2. ' Doctor Faustus ' 

  3. ' The Jew of Malta ' 

  4. ' Edward - ll


  Let's have a look at these Four very Famous Plays of Christopher Marlowe.


 The First of all plays  is - ' Tamburlaine ' the story of Timur and Tartar. Timur begins as a

Shepherd chief , who first rebels and then triumphs over the Persian king.  Intoxicated by his

Success , Timur rushes like a tempest over the Whole East. Seated on his Chariot drawn by

captive kings , with a caged emperor before him , he boasts of his power which overrides all

things. Then , afflicted with disease he rages against the gods and would overthrow them as the

overthrown earthly rulers. 


' Tamburlaine ' is an epic rather than a drama. But one can understand its instant Success with

a People only half civilised, fond of military glory and the instant adoption of its ' mighty line '

as the instrument of all dramatic expression.


After ' Tamburlaine '  'Doctor Faustus'  - the second Play is one of the best of Marlowe 's works.

The story is that of a Scholar who longs for infinite knowledge and who turns from Theology ,

Philosophy , Medicine and Law the Four Sciences of the time to the study of magic much as a

child might turn from jewels to tinsel and Colored Paper. In Order to learn magic he sells

himself to the devil on Condition that he shall have twenty - four Years of Absolute knowledge

and Power. The Play is the story of those twenty Four years.


Like 'Tamburlaine '  it is also lacking in dramatic Construction, but has an unusual number

of Passages of rare Poetic beauty. Milton 's Statan suggests strongly that the author of

' Paradise Lost' had access to ' Faustus' and used it, as he may also have used ' Tamburlaine ' for

the magnificent Panorama displayed by Satan in Paradise Regained. For instance, more than

Fifty years before Milton 's hero Says ; 


 " Which way I turn is hell , myself is hell . " 


Christopher Marlowe had written that ; 


  " How come then that thou art out of hell ? 

 Why this is hell , nor am I out of it. " 


The third play is - ' The Jew of Malta ' a study of the lust for wealth , which centres about

Barbas - a terrible old Money lender Strongly suggestive of Shylock in - ' The Merchant of

Venice. ' The First if the Play is well Connected Showing a decided advance , but the last Part is

an accumulation of melodramatic  horrors. Barbas is checked in his murderous career by Failing

into a boiling Caldron which he had Presented for another and dies blaspheming. His only

regret being that he has not done more evil in his entire life.


 Christopher Marlowe 's last pay is ' Edward -  ||. It is about a tragic Study of a king 's weakness

and misery. In Point of style and dramatic Construction it is by far the best of Marlowe 's plays

and a Worthy Predecessor of William Shakespeare 's historical drama.


' Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare :- ' 

Christopher Marlowe is the only dramatist of the time who is ever compared with Shakespeare.

When we remember that he died at twenty - nine , Probably before Shakespeare had produced

a single great Play. We all must wonder what  he might have done had he outlived his wretched

youth and before a man. Here and there his work is remarkable for its Splendid imagination, for

the Stateliness  of its verses, and for its rare bits of Poetic beauty.


But In dramatic instinct, In wide knowledge of human life in humour in delineation of women's

character , in the delicate Fancy which Presents an Ariel as Perfectly as a - ' Macbeth ' in a word

in all that makes a dramatic genius , Shakespeare stands alone. Marlowe simply prepared the

way for the master who was to Follow.


' Christopher Marlowe 's Contribution to English Drama :- ' 


Christopher Marlowe raided English drama it to a certain height. His verse is notable for its

burning energy , it's Splendour of doction, its sensous richness , its variety of Peace and its

relosiveness to the demands of varying emotions. His Contribution to English play may be said

to have been :- 


  1. He glorified the matter of the drama by his sweeping imagination as reflected in the Stories.

  2. He vitalized the manner and matter of the English drama as it reflected in its blank verse. 

  3. He clarified and gave Coherence to the drama , as reflected in his blank verse.

 

Christopher Marlowe was the Central Figure in 'University wits. He is the true founder of the

Popular English drama. His Contribution to the English tragedy is very vital. With Marlowe the

English Drama got the highest Point of its glory. He raised the subject matter of drama to a

higher level. He gave life and reality to his characters. He made the blank verse Smoother and

gave unity to English drama. Thus, In many ways he showed a  path to Shakespeare. We can

Clearly Understand that Christopher Marlowe Prepared the ground for coming English drama.

In the Spheres of comedy and tragedy they made notable Contribution and Prepared the way

for Shakespeare. He is Specially noted for his establishment in drama. Christopher Marlowe 's

achievements were diverse and Splendid.


Marlowe 's work has three remarked Characteristics. 

  1. Its Pictorial quality

  2. Its Ecastatic quality

  3. Its vitalizing quality


Christopher Marlowe had been rightly called the ' Father of English drama. ' Of Course , he had

no bent for comedy and the comic Parts found in some of his Plays are inferior ‌,  Probably

written by other hands. It was upon the tragedy that Marlowe gave the impress of his genius

and left it ready made for his great Successor , William Shakespeare.


Marlowe saw very clearly that the romantic drama,  as distinguished from the classical one

with its Unities and other Features , was best suited to the needs of the Nation and no other

form could best represent its abundant exuberant life. He therefore sat down between the

Classical and native dramas that are decided in Favour of the latter.


Conclusion :- 

In Conclusion , I would like to say that Christopher Marlowe was a pioneer and Pathfinder.

He was the Columbus of a new literary world in England. His subject matters were

demonstrative of this age. He wrote in Iambic pentameter which became very much Popular

before the end of his age. Christopher Marlowe 's Contribution to English Drama is one of the

best contributions that he had made during the Elizabethan era.



 [Word Counts :- 1741]

 [Images :- 1]


Thank You…



 


 

 


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