Websites
Marlowe's life and death are surrounded by mystery and controversy. It's easy to buy into the literary rumor mill, but Encyclopedia Britannica will set you straight on the facts.
Always a safe bet for scoop on Renaissance writers, Luminarium just so happens to have the goods on our man Marlowe.
Check out some of these Elizabethan theater companies to see if any Marlowe plays, like Doctor Faustus, are coming to a stage near you.
For more about how Marlowe didn't actually die in 1593 but went on to write under the pseudonym William Shakespeare, check out the website of the International Marlowe-Shakespeare Society.
Video
We imagine all sheep in the passionate shepherd's world acted something like this.
The biggest choir ever sings the poem in all its glorious harmonies. You'll get chills. Shmoop did.
Audio
Okay maybe it's from 1984 and not 1590, but this audio version of the poem is still worth a listen. And at least he's got the right accent.
Images
Is this the face that launched a thousand ships? No, but this is a portrait of Christopher Marlowe in case you want to take a look at the man behind the magic.
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This painting by William Holman Hunt post-dates Marlowe by a couple centuries, but we think the shepherd blowing off his flock to flirt with a country lass is basically what Marlowe had in mind when he was writing.
Articles and Interviews
For all you conspiracy theorists out there, here's an interview with Michael Rubbo, a leading proponent of the Marlowe-as-Shakespeare theory and the brains behind the 2001 documentary exploring the same question.
Books
… Gonna eat a lot of peaches. If you dig the pastoral vibes in "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love", this book by Paul Alpers goes into more details about the genre than you could ever possibly dream of.
Everybody loves a mystery, especially one that ends in murder. Check out this book for more on Marlowe's untimely demise.
David Riggs is one of the big names in the world of people who study Christopher Marlowe's life. Check out his book, The World of Christopher Marlowe, if you want to learn more about the author's life and career.
Movies and TV
For a well received but admittedly very free adaptation of Marlowe's famous play Doctor Faustus, check out this film directed by Jan Svankmajer. And then check out Shmoop's learning guide on the play.