Marlowe’s Ghost: The Blacklisting of the Man who was Shakespeare
by Daryl Pinksen
Copyright © 2008
IUniverse
ISBN: 0595475140
284 Pages
Paperback $20.95
Being an English major in college, I became well versed in the life and works of Shakespeare. Not once did a professor ever mention the theory that maybe Shakespeare wasn’t really the man behind the great plays he’s still celebrated for today. Being a conspiracy theory junkie today, I jumped at the chance to read and review Daryl Pinksen’s Marlowe’s Ghost. Like I said, I had no idea who Christopher Marlowe was before I read Pinksen’s book, or did I know about the theory that he was Shakespeare.
Marlowe’s Ghost was also the grand-prize winner of the Writer’s Digest 17th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards competition. “The title competed against 2,600 total entries last year in nine different categories,” says Melissa Hill, Associate Editor for Writer’s Digest magazine, “The competition judges selected his book as the grand prize winner based on its solid writing, user-friendly design, and the fascinating, careful case he (Pinksen) builds for his premise.” Competition judge and author Anthony Flacco notes, “Whether or not one accepts Pinksen’s position that Christopher Marlowe was actually William Shakespeare, his arguments are precise, thorough and compelling.” In a 2010 issue of Writer’s Digest Pinksen himself called this “the greatest story that no one has ever heard of.” And since I’d never heard of it, I had to read it for myself!
Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare were born the same year, led similar lives, and received similar educations but in different parts of the country. “Between 1585 and 1593, Christopher Marlowe single-handedly transformed the face of English drama. Before him, Scholars say, neither true English blank verse nor genuine English tragedy existed,” states Pinksen. But who is credited as the father of such verse today? Shakespeare. Pinksen states that Marlowe demonstrated the ability to write “Shakespearean” plays and had he remained alive after 1593, his plays would have equaled (or possibly even surpassed) those of Shakespeare himself. So, what happened to Marlowe, you might ask?
Though he was briefly a celebrated English playwright and lay the foundation for Shakespearean drama, Marlowe’s political views got him into trouble. In 1593, he was accused of atheism and heresy. A member of the English intelligence network, he was murdered and his body dumped in a mass grave used at the time for victims of the plague. His grave went unmarked and his name went unknown for 400 years as Shakespeare became a household name in relation to poetry and drama. But did Marlowe really die or did he go into exile? Theories suggest that Marlowe was actually Shakespeare, or that Shakespeare wrote as if he were actually Marlowe’s apprentice. Pinksen points out that the “persecution of a writer who dared to question authority may have led to the greatest literary cover-up of all time.”
I’m not usually a fan of nonfiction, particularly books on English drama and playwrights. I expected Pinksen’s book to be a dry volume of regurgitated theories and footnotes, but it is quite the opposite. Minus the notes and references, the body of text is only 230 pages and divided into smaller well-developed chapters which made this a quick read for me. The Foreword is a letter from Michael Rubbo, director of the PBS Special Much Ado About Something, which also explores the Marlowe theory and served as inspiration for Pinksen. What follows is seven sections, each divided into smaller chapters, and each exploring a different part of the overall theory.
Pinksen begins with a nice introduction about the theory itself, teasing his reader with just enough information to want you to know more and introducing you to who Marlowe was and where he came from. Chapter 2 of Section 1 contains numerous quotes from others about the Marlowe theory, showing that Pinksen did his homework and proving that the information (truth) is out there. What follows is a brief biography of Marlowe, leading up to his death and even a detailed look at the coroner’s report. From there, Pinksen leads the reader into the concept that Marlowe went into exile instead. Although we know where Pinksen’s own opinions lie, I did not feel he is trying to sway the reader into either direction. Devout Shakespeare fans will certainly “enjoy” getting angry over the theories here.
I was impressed with the rich colors of the book’s cover. The book’s formatting and editing is flawless, probably thanks to a good copy editor or to investing in one of the editing packages that IUniverse offers. Either way, this is a book authors considering self-publishing should buy as a reference if they want to study technique and layout of the book itself. Pinksen is very deserving of his Writer’s Digest award. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, learned a lot from it, and will definitely be sharing it with others. And as for Marlowe, all preconceived notions I had of Shakespeare, before reading this book, have just been thrown out the window. Marlowe’s Ghost is a book that makes you question, and that’s exactly what good literature in this genre should do.
Explore this book online at marlowesghost.com!
