The Complete Plays

The complete plays of Christopher Marlowe, in which the lure of dark forces drives the shifting balances between weak and strong, sacred and profane

Marlowe's seven plays dramatise the fatal lure of potent forces, whether religious, occult or erotic. In the victories of Tamburlaine, Faustus's encounters with the demonic, the irreverence of Barabas in The Jew of Malta, and the humiliation of Edward II in his fall from power and influence, Marlowe explores the shifting balance between power and helplessness, the sacred and its desecration.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.The Complete PlaysPreface
Chronology
Introduction
"The Baines Note"
Further Reading
A Note on the Texts

Dido, Queen of Carthage
Tamburlaine the Great, Part One
Tamburlaine the Great, Part Two
The Jew of Malta
Doctor Faustus
Edward the Second
The Massacre at Paris

Appendix: The Massacre at Paris, Scene 19
Notes
Glossary
List of Mythological, Historical and Geographical Names

Christopher Marlowe (1564-93) was educated at Cambridge and soon established his reputation as a playwright. Away from the stage, Marlowe was a man who courted danger as a homosexual, a spy, and an outspoken atheist. He was murdered at the age of 29 in a tavern in Deptford.

Robert Lindsey is Associate Aditor of the journal Medieval and Renaissance Drama in English.

Frank Romany teaches English at St John's College, Oxford.