Ancient literalists can be easily identified with their works and their time. Christopher Marlowe's poem "the Passionate Shepherd to his love” is a classic piece that paints a picture of the English pastoral life applied to a love context. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) was an English translator, poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan era (Edgecombe, 42). Marlowe is said to have been so good a poet and dramatist that his exploits are only comparable to those of William Shakespeare. Initially a controversial character, Marlowe later wrote several plays and poems among them the poem titled "the Passionate Shepherd to his love” which uniquely identifies with the personality of Marlowe, the Elizabethan lifestyles, era and commonalities of ancient English pastoral life.
Christopher Marlowe was a man of questionable character going by historical records and some of his writings. He was a spy, had bad habits, dark writings, and participated in the renaissance era as well as possible espionage for the queen (Gardner, 42). Marlowe finished his early schooling and got awarded a scholarship to study at the Corpus Christi College Cambridge from 1580 to 1587 (Edgecombe, 42). Upon finishing his bachelor’s degree in Arts at the university, his instructors could not give him a scholarship for his masters because he was frequently absent from class contrary to the institution’s rules (Marlowe & Fredson, 56). There was also widespread speculation that Marlowe had been converted to Roman Catholicism (renaissance). He was later awarded his masters degree as he was deemed to be working on issues that would benefit the country according to a letter sent by the Privy Council to the university.
Marlowe was also accused of espionage. The Privy Council never specified the nature of Marlowe’s work to England. Since the letter sent to Cambridge University did not explain the nature of Marlowe’s work, there have been widespread claims that the Marlowe was working as a secret agent for Sir Francis Walsingham’s intelligence service (Edgecombe, 43). The letter had indicated that Marlowe was serving in the government in a private capacity. Marlowe also behaved badly. Records from Cambridge show that he absented himself from the university for lengthy periods that were against the rules of the institution. Accounts from the institutions’ dining room shows that he spent heavily on food and drinks. He spent in excess of the amounts he could have afforded on his scholarship income (Edgecombe, 43). Marlowe’s expensive lifestyle and absenteeism from class provide significant evidence that he secretly worked for the government and, therefore, suggestions that he carried out espionage against the queen could be very true.
Upon attaining his master’s degree, in 1587, Marlowe moved to London and started his writing career. He wrote for the theatre while he continued to serve the government (Marlowe & Fredson, 34). The play Dido, Queen of Carthage, published in 1594 is assumed to be his first play (poetryfoundation.org). He wrote his second play Tamburlaine the Great in 1587 and this was the first play to be staged severally in London’s theatres. The play was in blank verse. The play is considered to be the beginning of mature Elizabethan Theatre and it was the last play that Marlowe wrote before his untimely death in 1593.
Christopher Marlowe wrote several outstanding poems. Among them was one titled "the Passionate Shepherd to his love” which was published in 1599. The poem is a quatrain (4-line stanzas that have 8 syllables per line with 4 measures per line and 2 syllables on each measure). The poem is an invitation by the poet to the subject of his love to share and experience the joys of nature as would be enjoyed in the pastures. The ultimate goal of the poet is to return with the Nymph to the Edenic lifestyle. The poem "the Passionate Shepherd to his love” has a response titled “The Nymph’s reply to the Shepherd” which was written by Sir Walter Raleigh and published in 1600. The second poem answers some of the issues raised by Marlowe and further enhances the realization of that ancient, pastoral life that Marlowe desired.
Marlowe’s poem was a classic one that mirrored life of his society. According to Gardner, the poem can be said to be a pastoral lyric in which the poet expresses his emotions in an idyllic setting. The pastoral lyric is related to “pasture” and it is closely associated with shepherds who used to write music to sing to their flocks. Marlowe idealized the vision of rural English life and gave it personal emotions. The pastoral poems had been quite popular for about 1700 years and Marlowe was simply following in the footsteps of great poets. Research shows that, pastoral lyrics have their footing in the Bible as well as in Hesiod who was a great ancient poet (Marlowe & Fredson, 61). The first pastoral poem Shipley had been written in the 3rd century (300-301 BC) by Greek Poet, Theocritis. According to Marlowe and Fredson, pastoral poems are usually influenced by a certain practitioner or shepherd and it is possible that either Marlowe was a shepherd for a while or he interacted with one deeply (9).
The setting of the poem mirrors the images and ideas many people have of ancient countryside. Marlowe refers to the geography of the countryside “valleys, groves, hills and fields”. He brings about a vision of bountifulness on earth which has biblical backgrounds (Marlowe & Fredson, 58). Marlowe, having been a converted Roman Catholic used personal Biblical persuasions about Eden and bountifulness of the earth blended with the rich and serene English countryside as the motivations behind the poem. Having grown up and spent so much time in London, it is laughable that Marlowe who also seemingly loved an affluent life could choose to reside in the countryside as he states in the poem.
The themes of the poem are basically a call for the immediate gratification of sexual passions. The poet wants to be free with his beloved. He wishes to be with the one he loves in the English countryside of May. Since the countryside was extensively used for herding sheep for production of wool, being a shepherd was seen my many as a noble job (Marlowe & Fredson, 65). Marlowe always wanted to enjoy the delights of life and his call in the poem was motivated by a desire to free himself from traditions of the ancient English lifestyle which had too many restrictions. All he wanted was to get away from the rules.
Conclusion
Ancient literalists can be easily identified with their works and their time and Christopher Marlowe is one such poet. Marlowe is a poet comparable with William Shakespeare and all for very good reasons. In his early life, Marlowe was a spy, had bad habits, dark writings, and participated in the renaissance era as well as possible espionage for the queen. Historical records especially from his former university, Cambridge University prove that he was severally absent from school, lived lavishly, and held a secret job with the government. In spite of these shortcomings, Marlowe was a talented writer. His poem "the Passionate Shepherd to his love” mirrors the noble profession of ancient shepherds and shepherd lifestyle, the English countryside, the ancient means of expressing love among other issues that bear on lifestyle and personality.
Works Cited
Gardner, Janet. Practice of Creative Writing 2nd Ed + Literature: a Portable Anthology 3rd Ed. NY: Bedford/ St martins, 2013. Print.
Marlowe, Christopher, and Fredson Bowers. The complete works of Christopher Marlowe;. London: Cambridge University Press, 1973. Print.
"Christopher Marlowe." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/christopher-marlowe>.
Edgecombe, Rodney Stenning. "Marlowe, Heine, and "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"." ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews 17.2 (2004): 42-43. Print.
