Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593) The Passionate Shepherd to His Love LINKS Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593) http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/marlowe.htm From Luminarium, an online anthology of English literature from medieval times through the early seventeenth century, this site provides useful background information about Marlowe's life and works. BIOGRAPHY Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593) Born in Canterbury, Marlowe was educated at Cambridge, where he embarked on a career of writing and political activity, eventually giving up his original intention of entering the priesthood. He was arrested in 1593 on a charge of atheism, but before he could be brought to trial he was murdered in a brawl apparently involving a wealthy family that had reason to want him silenced. Marlowe's literary reputation rests primarily on his plays, powerful in their own right and the most significant precursors of Shakespeare's poetic dramas. The most important are Tamburlaine, Parts I and II (ca. 1587–1588; published 1590), The Jew of Malta (1589; published 1633), and The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus (1592; published 1604).