Second speech of third scene (Act 1 Scene 3): Old Queen of Navarre [who has just unwittingly accepted a gift of poisoned gloves]:
Thanks, my good friend.
Hold, take thou this reward.
Gives a purse
And so we are set up for the first of many many horrible deaths. (Have you noticed that the title character of every Marlowe play except this one dies ( Read more... )

Normally I like to give a flavour of what I am reading by excerpting the second paragraph of the third chapter, or for a play the second speech of the third scene. However the third scene of Edward II consists of only a single speech. I am therefore giving you Gaveston's opening speech to get in the mood: “Enter GAVESTON, reading a letter ( Read more... )

Second speech of third scene (Act 2 Scene 1): ABIGAIL: Now have I happily espied a time
To search the plank my father did appoint;
And here, behold, unseen, where I have found
The gold, the pearls, and jewels, which he hid.
I just loved this. Barabbas, the Jew of the title, is screwed out of his substantial property by the Christian rulers of Malta ( Read more... )

Second speech of third scene (Act 1 Scene 3): [Faustus invokes Mephistopheles]
FAUSTUS: Sint mihi Dei Acherontis propitii! Valeat numen triplex Jehovae! Ignei, aerii, aquatani spiritus, salvete! Orientis princeps Belzebub, inferni ardentis monarcha, et Demogorgon, propitiamus vos, ut appareat et surgat Mephistophilis. Quid tu moraris? per Jehovam, ( Read more... )

Second speech of third scene of Tamburlaine, Part One (Act 2 Scene 1): MENAPHON [describing Tamburlaine]: Of stature tall, and straightly fashioned ( Read more... )

While on holiday, I read the complete plays of Christopher Marlowe, my first encounter directly with his work. It was very interesting; I know Shakespeare to a certain extent (I read/listened to the entire canon a few years ago, starting here), and was struck by both the similarities and the differences between them. Marlowe died, of course, just ( Read more... )