Christopher Marlow known as father of English Tragedy (1564–1593):
· He popularized heroic themes, like as Tamburlaine, and embodied the individualism and independence of the Renaissance.
· He gave his character vitality and realism.
· “The characters in Marlow’s hands were living, breathing realities rather than puppets that were manipulated.”
· His contributions to tragedy were more forceful, passionate, and vehement.
· He elevated drama to a level of poetic majesty and perfection.
· The most well-known academic writer has penned:
1. Tamburlaine.
2. The Jew of Malta.
3. Dr. Faustus.
4. Edwars-II
· University wits made significant contributions to drama.
· Heroic themes were given a heroic treatment, such as gratitude, variety, splendid descriptions, and long attractive speeches.
· Comedies lacked humour, but later developed coarse and immature humour.
· They frequently collaborated, as Marlowe did with Fletcher.
· They wrote and acted in the plays.
· Some (Lyly and Peele) made drama poetic.
· They opted to write for the public stage, discussing native traditions. Among their contributions, they made significant changes to mystery and morality plays, as listed below.
· University wits inspired the creation of comedy. Nicholas Udall wrote the first comedy, “Ralph Roister Doister”.
· They redefined tragedy.
· Their storylines were loose, but they prioritized plot.
· They pioneered the art of characterization. Characters got more realistic in their hands.
· They were interested in the heroic theme.
· They improved linguistic structure and added poetic power.
· The decade of the 1590s, shortly before Shakespeare began his career, witnessed a major shift in popular drama.
· Writing high-quality and diverse plays elevated the local interlude from a mere diversion to a potentially greater drama. Thus, according to Allardyce Nicoll, “they laid a sure basis for English theatre.”