Christopher Marlowe, (1564 –1593)

King of Navarre:
O paradox! Black is the badge of hell,
The hue of dungeons and the scowl of night; 
And beauty's crest becomes the heavens well.
Some critics believe that Marlowe included his religious views in his works. However, plays had to be 
approved by the Master of the Revels before they could be performed, and the censorship of publications 
was under the control of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Presumably these authorities did not consider any 
of Marlowe's works to be unacceptable. 
Sexuality 
Like William Shakespeare, Marlowe is sometimes described as homosexual. Some scholars argue that 
reports of Marlowe's homosexuality may simply be rumours produced after his death. Richard Baines 
reported Marlowe as saying: "All they that love not Tobacco and Boys are fools". David Bevington and Eric 
Rasmussen describe this as unreliable: "These and other testimonials […] having been produced under legal 
circumstances we would regard as a witch-hunt". J.B. Steanes considers there to be "no evidence for 
Marlowe's homosexuality at all." Other scholars, point to homosexual themes in Marlowe's writing.