Reacting to the Past: Marlowe and Shakespeare: Home

Playwrights understood the power of the English language, both to inspire and offend. 

(image by Playingwithplays.com)

Present-day British actor Benedict Cumberbatch demonstrates the unchanging power of Shakespeare's words centuries after their writing. 

Shakespeare remains a pop-culture icon. Recently, author Ian Doescher translated the entirety of the original Star Wars trilogy into Elizabethan English. (Image by Huffington Post)

While the original stage that hosted Shakespeare's plays burnt down long ago, a functioning replica of the Globe Theater was constructed and still hosts shows every day. (Image by Wikimedia Commons)

Learn more about Marlowe and Shakespeare 

(image by huffingtonpost.com)

Marlowe and Shakespeare weren't just talented playwrights; they were also skilled poets. Both writers favored the sonnet, a type of poem written in iambic pentameter. The sonnet might seem complex at first glance, but with a little practice, anyone can learn the pattern it follows and write poetry of their own! (image by Wikimedia Commons)

One of Marlowe's best-known works is his theatrical adaptation of Dr. Faust's (or Faustus's) tale. In the play, the doctor sells his soul to a devil for earthly power. Read it here for free! (Image by Wikimedia Commons)