The Making of Marlowe: Poet, Playwright, Provocateur

Born in 1564—the same year as William Shakespeare—Marlowe came of age during the height of the English Renaissance. The son of a shoemaker, he received an elite education thanks to scholarships that took him from the King’s School, Canterbury to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

By the late 1580s, he was writing for London’s commercial playhouses, completing tragedies such as Tamburlaine and Doctor Faustus that stunned audiences with their power and intensity. His ‘mighty line’ helped to transform the sound of English drama.

Marlowe’s life was as dramatic as his works. He may have served as a spy for Elizabeth I’s government while at Cambridge. He was arrested several times in England and abroad, accused of violent behaviour and illicit activities, suspected of heresy and atheism, and ultimately killed at the age of just twenty-nine in suspicious circumstances.

Despite his short and turbulent life, Marlowe left behind an extraordinary legacy of poetry, translations, and plays that changed the course of English literature.

Visit the exhibition to discover artefacts, historical documents and interactive displays that bring to the life the story of Canterbury’s notorious poet, playwright, and provocateur!

Saturday 25 July to Sunday 22 Nov 2026 (Closed Mondays)

Special Exhibitions Room, The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge

Admission Free | Please donate

Created in partnership: Canterbury Museums & Galleries | The Oxford Marlowe Project at the University of Kent