Tamburlaine the Great by Christopher Marlowe.Audio Books

Цитата:

Christopher Marlowe

After Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe is the most famous English dramatist of the Elizabethan era. Prior to his infamous, violent death he was the foremost tragedian working in London and, had he not met an untimely end, he may well have become regarded as Shakespeare’s equal. In fact, there persists a theory that Marlowe was Shakespeare and that his death was an elaborate fake.
Marlowe was born in Canterbury in 1564. While born into a modest family he attended the prestigious King's School in Canterbury where he won a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
At Cambridge the young Marlowe began writing dramas. His first known work Dido Queen of Cathage was probably written with fellow student and dramatist Thomas Nashe.
After gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1584, Marlowe studied for his master’s degree at Cambridge but the degree was not conferred due to rumours that Marlowe had converted to Catholicism. The Privy Council of the government, however, intervened and ordered the degree conferred as reward for his services to the Crown. What those services were was not indicated, leading to speculation that Marlowe had worked as a spy for the government while studying abroad. While there is no written evidence to support this, he was friends with the Walsingham family, the patriarch of which ran Queen Elizabeth’s extensive spy network.
Marlowe’s biography is patchy after his leaving Cambridge. In 1587, his first play Tamburlaine was known to have been produced in London. The play was a success and Marlowe wrote a sequel Tamburlaine Part II.
It is not known if Marlowe actually lived in London at this time. There is some evidence that he worked as a tutor to the daughter of the executed Mary Queen of Scots, Arbella Stuart, in Derbyshire -- a position no doubt facilitated to allow Queen Elizabeth’s spy agency to keep tabs on the potential future Queen.
What is known is that between 1587 and 1593, Marlowe produced a number of plays and helped found on of the most famous stage companies in London. Marlowe's plays were extraordinarily successful for the Admiral's Men, and the principal actor of the day Edward Alleyn. After the success of Tamburlaine with Alleyn in the lead role, Marlowe wrote most of his plays with Alleyn in mind as lead actor.
The Jew of Malta, his next play, was another success. They were followed by his two most famous plays Edward II, which details the tragic fall of the homosexual English king, and The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus retells the 4th century German myth of the magician who sells his soul to Lucifer in return for 24 years of life during which he has the ability to do anything he desires.
In 1592, Marlowe turns up in the Dutch town of Flushing where he was arrested for counterfeiting coins. The investigation also led to allegations of homosexuality and atheism. Sent back to England, he was quietly released with no charges.
Marlowe’s last known play The Massacre of Paris relates the infamous events of the St Bartholomew Day’s Massacre. It use of contemporary characters such as Queen Elizabeth and open attacks on religious ideas, were two things deemed politically dangerous and subversive at the time. Add to that the controversy surrounding Marlowe’s not-so-private life and the playwright was becoming and increasingly notorious celebrity. The play also, interestingly, features a character called the Secret Agent played on stage by Marlowe himself.
Marlowe was in trouble again in 1593. Accused of threats against Protestant refugees in London, and of being involved in the Sir Walter Raleigh conspiracy, Marlowe was arrested although quickly released. Three days later, in a house known to be connected to Walsingham’s spy network, Marlowe was stabbed to death. An Inquest stated that another man had stabbed the drunken Marlowe in self defence and all charges were quickly dropped. Marlow was buried in an unmarked grave. Almost immediately conspiracy theories began to circulate implying the troublesome playwright had been assassinated.
There is no evidence that Shakespeare knew Marlowe, although it seems likely the two foremost playwrights of the day probably did meet. Certainly, the two men were the same age and Shakespeare’s first plays were known to have been performed on the London stage in 1592. Many of Shakespeare’s plays allude to Marlowe and are influenced by Marlowe’s themes such as Anthony and Cleopatra (Dido), The Merchant of Venice (The Jew of Malta), and Macbeth (Dr Faustus). And in that most famous of plays, Hamlet even discusses Dido: The Queen of Carthage with the traveling actors.

Tamburlaine the Great

The play is loosely based on the life of Asian emperor, Timur “the lame.” Written in 1587, Kit Marlow’s play was a huge success on the London stage and marked a change in the language, presentation and style of English theatre. The play was hugely influential and redefined Elizabethan drama, taking the art form from the stiff and highly-stylized Tudor theatre into the modern era. Mixing complex themes, beautiful language and more naturalistic staging, Tamburlaine marked the 23-year old Marlowe as the foremost dramatist of his age.
The play follows the rise of the Scythian bandit Tamburlaine, who after winning the heart of the daughter of the king of Egypt, intrigues to exploit rivalries between the rulers of Persia and then betrays his allies and takes control of the Empire. He then embarks on a long war of conquest to bring Syria, Turkey and North Africa under his control and fulfill his never ending ambitions of power.
In the second part of the play, Tamburlaine now ruler of a vast empire attempts to secure his succession. But one of his sons rejects his father’s warlike ways and is killed by the angry Tamburlaine. The emperor then wages war on an Islamic nation. While claiming to be now more powerful than god he burns a copy of the Koran. But he is suddenly taken ill and dies, his ambitions and succession unfulfilled.
While it is not his most famous play, Tamburlaine does address the dominant philosophical debates of the day – the clash between religious ideology and human ambition and potential. Tamburlaine takes on god in many ways, and although he is struck down in apparent divine retribution, the conflict between religion and anti-theist humanism is explored.

Поделитесь записью в соцсетях с помощью кнопок: