One of the glories of Elizabethan drama: Marlowe's powerful retelling of the story of the learned German doctor who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. Footnotes.
Volpone by Ben Jonson Great Elizabethan satire concerns a wealthy, lecherous old man who feigns a mortal illness to solicit bribes from greedy acquaintances.
The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster The evils of greed and ambition overwhelm love, innocence, and the bonds of kinship in this dark tragedy concerning the secret marriage of a noblewoman and a commoner.
Complete Poems by Christopher Marlowe Contains Marlowe's translations of Ovid's "Elegies" and the First Book from Lucan's Civil War, plus the unfinished "Hero and Leander" and the poet's most famous creation, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love."
Volpone and The Alchemist by Ben Jonson These much-studied and frequently performed comedies by the great Elizabethan playwright satirize the greed, mendacity, gullibility, and pretension that Jonson saw rampant in 17th-century London society.
The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe Prejudice, the intricacies of Mediterranean politics, and Machiavellian strategy abound in this masterpiece of Elizabethan theater, in which the main character schemes to cling to his wealth, his status, and his daughter.
Tamburlaine by Christopher Marlowe From one of England's greatest playwrights, the work that set the form for later Elizabethan dramas. A 2-part romantic tragedy focusing on one man's relentless rise to greatness and eventual downfall.
