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 Christopher Marlowe, Man of Mystery

Christopher Marlowe, Man of Mystery
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.01

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    superhuman, military, surrounding, emperor, best-known, tragedy, lifetime, leading, death, comedy, religion, plots, legend, truth, intrigue, enemy
     content words:    Christopher Marlowe, Sir Thomas Moore, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, Corpus Christi College, Corpus Christi, Queen Elizabeth, Edward Allen

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Christopher Marlowe, Man of Mystery
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     Christopher Marlowe was a writer. If you search for information about Marlowe, you will find it under a topic such as "literature of the Renaissance" among names like Sir Thomas Moore, Edmund Spenser, and William Shakespeare. Not at all the sort of person you would expect to have a lifetime of secrets and mystery, Christopher Marlowe did live a life of mystery. In fact, the mysteries surrounding Christopher Marlowe continued even after his death!
 
2     Little is known about Christopher Marlowe's life except for what is recorded in official documents. These records tell us that he was born in 1564 and died in 1593, a very short life span. They tell us that he attended King's School beginning at the age of 14 and that he went on to Corpus Christi College at the age of 16.
 
3     While in college, he studied subjects like religion, music, Latin grammar, poetry, and history. He also wrote his first play while still at college.
 
4     Marlowe was also recruited for one of his first jobs while still at Corpus Christi. Just as young men are recruited for military service while they are in school today, Marlowe was recruited to serve Queen Elizabeth. It is believed that he went into the Queen's secret service.
 
5     This was a time of danger and intrigue in England. The feud between the Protestants and the Catholics was in full force. Political assassinations were not uncommon, and, in fact, there had been a number of plots against the life of Queen Elizabeth. Many bright young men of the time may have been recruited for secret service work.

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