91福利社

Historian Jerry Brotton presents a 10-part exploration into the life and work of the Elizabethan playwright Christopher 鈥楰it鈥� Marlowe. Notorious for his violent death in a brawl in Deptford on the banks of the Thames, there鈥檚 perennial interest in Marlowe鈥檚 writing, his sexuality, his relationship with Shakespeare, the suspicion that he was a spy and the big 鈥渨hat-if鈥� he had lived longer and produced even greater work.

Step-by-step, Jerry Brotton traces Kit Marlowe鈥檚 life and career, takes us through his key plays including Tamburlaine, Dr Faustus and Edward II, examines why they resonate with us now and talks to those today who are still fascinated by Kit鈥檚 legacy and influence.

Today, Jerry Brotton visits Canterbury, the town of Kit Marlowe鈥檚 birth. He grew up in poverty, surrounded by infant mortality, a violent shoemaker father, and witness to a world of profound religious division between Protestants and Catholics. It was a time of growing economic inequality, isolation from Europe and a xenophobic fear of immigrants - currents which would later find their way into Marlowe鈥檚 plays.

With Rory Loughnane; Charlotte Cornell; Sheila Sweetenberg and Stephen Greenblatt.

Written and presented by Professor Jerry Brotton
Produced by Melissa FitzGerald
Christopher Marlowe read by Justice Ritchie
Other voices read by Tonderai Munyevu
Sound design by Tony Churnside

A Zinc Audio Production