Marlovian theory

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The Marlovian theory of Shakespearean authorship holds that the plays, and other parts of the canon, conventionally ascribed to William Shakespeare were in fact written by the playwright Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe is recorded to have died in 1593, but Marlovians believe that he faked his own death and continued to write plays using Shakespeare as a frontman.

Contents 1 History of Marlovian theory 2 Historical evidence 3 Stylistic evidence 4 Secret messages 5 Notes

[edit] History of Marlovian theory

A case for Marlowe was made as early as 1895, and theories were put forward throughout the early twentieth century, for example by Archie Webster.^[1] However, the creator of the most detailed theory of Marlowe's authorship was Calvin Hoffman, an American journalist whose book on the subject, The Murder of the Man who was Shakespeare, was published in 1955. In 2001 the documentary Much Ado About Something^[2] by Michael Rubbo explored in detail the possibility of Marlowe's authorship.

[edit] Historical evidence

Marlovian theory argues that Marlowe's patron, Thomas Walsingham, a cousin of the late Sir Francis Walsingham who had directed England's spy network, faked Marlowe's death to protect him from charges of atheism and heresy as investigated by the Privy Council. Marlowe was then smuggled out of the country and wrote Shakespeare's plays and other work.^[3]

According to history, Marlowe was killed in 1593 by a group of men including Ingram Frizer, a servant of Thomas Walsingham. Facing the death penalty for heresy, he arranged the entire affair by use of his theatrical arts and the spying network of his patron.^[4] Marlowe was imprisoned on May 20, 1593 for interrogation and later released, then on May 30 apparently murdered in a bar brawl. Witnesses say he attacked Ingram in a dispute over the bill. Ingram then killed him in the struggle in self defense, stabbing him in the right eye. Before that time the men had spent much time in deep discussion. The then-famous Marlowe was then buried in an unmarked grave.

Documentary evidence for Marlowe's faked death and survival post-1593 has been supported by diplomatic references to a man named "Christopher Marlor" arrested in Valladolid, Spain, in 1599 and 1602; also, in 1604, a Christopher Marlowe under the alias of "John Mathew" was briefly detained in the Gatehouse prison, but soon freed and his bills were paid for by spymaster Robert Cecil. Some Marlowe theorists consider this evidence that Marlowe faked his death.^[5][6] The orthodox position is that Marlowe (which is indistinguishable from variants like Marley and Marlor) was a common name.

Supporters of the Marlowe theory find it compelling that Shakespeare's public career as an author seems to have begun very shortly after Marlowe's supposed death. Shakespeare's first published work, Venus and Adonis, was licensed for publication on April 4, 1593 (the date at which it was issued to the public is not recorded). The first edition carried a dedication to the Earl of Southampton, signed by "William Shakespeare." The first record of Shakespeare as an actor comes from December 1594.

[edit] Stylistic evidence

Supporters of Marlovian theory also point to stylometric tests (based on computer studies) linking the works of Marlowe and Shakespeare to a common author and vocabulary, first undertaken by Mendenhall^[7] and more exhaustively, by Ule and Baker,^[8] which seem to prove how "both" authors used the same vocabulary, reached for it at the same "rate" or "pace", and selected words that averaged 4.2 letters each.^[4]

Orthodox scholars respond that these similarities are not compelling evidence given Marlowe's fame and popularity during Shakespeare's youth, and maintain that Marlowe's work is stylistically and intellectually quite different from Shakespeare's. Marlowe's half-dozen plays show little trace of Shakespeare's ability to create complex characters, his skill with prose or non-iambic verse, or his gift for comedy. Marlovians respond that these plays may well be experiments in a new writing style by a daring writer. Given Marlowe's controversial style and subject matter, differences might be expected from a writer who was seeking to stay away from the scrutiny of authorities. Stratfordians respond that such sudden and radical changes in style have not been observed in other writers of the period.

[edit] Secret messages

It has been argued that embedded references to Marlowe may be found in Shakespeare's Sonnets that claim his authorship.^[9]

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Webster, Archie. 'Was Marlowe the Man?' The National Review 82 (1923): 81-86; repr. in Peter Farey's Marlowe Page (1997-2005). Accessed 13 April, 2006.
2. ^ Much Ado About Something. Accessed 13 April 2006.
3. ^ Farey, Peter. 'The Reckoning Revisited' (2000-2). Peter Farey's Marlowe Page (1997-2005). Accessed 13 April, 2006.
4. ^ ^{a b} Baker, John 'The Case for the [sic] Christopher Marlowe's Authorship of the Works attributed to William Shakespeare'. John Baker's New and Improved Marlowe/Shakespeare Thought Emporium (2002). Accessed 13 April, 2006.
5. ^ Baker, John. 'Primary Documents Relating to Christopher Marlowe'. John Baker's New and Improved Marlowe/Shakespeare Thought Emporium (2002). Accessed 13 April, 2006.
6. ^ 'Marlowe Alive in 1599, 1602 and 1603???!!!'. John Baker's New and Improved Marlowe/Shakespeare Thought Emporium (2002). Accessed 13 April, 2006.
7. ^ Baker, John, 'Dr Mendenhall Proves Marlowe was the Author Shakespeare?'[sic]. John Baker's New and Improved Marlowe/Shakespeare Thought Emporium (2002). Accessed 13 April, 2006.
8. ^ see Louis Ule's biography, Christopher Marlowe, 1564-1607 (1995)
9. ^ Bull, Peter. 'Shakespeare's Sonnets Written by Kit Marlowe'. Peter's Gemetria Site (2004). Accessed April 13, 2006.