Task One: The Life and Times of Christopher Marlow

1564- Day of Birth, coincidentally the same year as Shakespeare
1578- Scholarship to attend King's School , Canterbury
1580- Cambridge University. Corpus Christi College
1584- Receives BA degree
Marlowe was nearly rejected from starting his BA due to extended absences. This was resolved when it was revealed he had been working for the secret service. This was countering Roman Catholic movement against Queen Elizabeth.
1586- Finished Dido Queen of Carthage
1587- MA Degree
1588- Dr Faustus
1589- Briefly imprisoned over his involvement in the death of a man in a street fight
1591- Finished The Jew of Malta
1592- Edward II
          The Massacre at Paris
          arrested in the Netherlands briefly
1593- Hero and Leander
          heretical papers found, linked to Atheism. Thomas Kyd said they were witten by Marlowe
          arrested but given bail, had to report daily
          killed in Deptford under questionable circumstances whilst dining with disreputable 'friends'.
Kyd's claim that Marlowe was heretical was reinforced by ' A note containing the opinion of one Christopher Marly, concerning his damnable judgement of religion and scorn of God's word'.

A better legacy to Christopher Marlowe is as a pioneer of poetic literature. Many, like playwright Ben Jonson, rembember him more for creating blank verse and paving the way for Shakespeare's fame who recieved more accalaid mainly due to the fact he lived longer.

Animals in Gothic Literature

Animals have formed a part of gothic literature mainly due to its influences. For example, the gothic is closely related to the Romantic Movement which has a strong focus on nature and the wilderness. This means that the settings used are often inhabited by wild animals.

Whilst animals are less prominent in earlier gothic literature such as Horace Warpole's The Castle of Otranto, Edgar Allen Poe has often been acclaimed to have revived and modernised the gothic genre. Therefore his heavy use of animals in his work has had a heavy influence on the direction of gothic literature.

Two of his works were named after the animals with in them rather than the characters themselves demonstrating how characteristic of the genre he found them.

• The Raven (1845)
• The Black Cat

Both of these animals have been interpreted as bad omens and their mere presence invokes fear in the reader due to their foundations in superstition. In 'The Black Cat' Poe also relies on imagery to invoke terror, the exact shape of a cat hanging on a noose was imprinted on a wall in the ruins of his old home.

A key function of animals in gothic literature is to help blur the lines of reality vs fantasy as the boundary between human and animal is made indistinguishable. This was first initiated by Bram Stoker in Dracula through the concept of The Count being able to take on bat like qualities. This concept is now ingrained in the mythology of the vampire.

Similarly, Angela Carter is seemingly fascinated by the werewolf, in her collection The Bloody Chamber, three of her short stories are based on this mythical creature which either has the ability to transform between wolf and human or is a grotesque mixture of the two such as in 'Wolf-Alice'. Infact, fifty percent of the short stories in this book are entitled after an animal.

1. The Tiger's Bride
2. Puss-in-boots
3. The Werewolf
4. In the company of wolves
5. Wolf-Alice

Animal imagery is also frequent in gothic literature. It often represents the wild, uncivilised qualities of characters in novels such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

A Gothic Recipe

Before you begin, it is essential to partake in thorough preparation.

Your key ingredient will be your protagonist. You may use either male or female, although your choice will invariably alter the end product as each is composed slightly differently.

Male. Usually a byonic hero. Intelligent, sophisticated and educated but yet struggling with emotional conflict. Think Dr Faustus, Dr Frankenstein, someone of that ilk
Or Female. Young, vulnerable, alone but curious and independent.

Basic Ingredients (based on Dr Faustus)

• Hero (Dr Faustus), a strong protagonist will bind the other characters together.
• Tyrant (Mephistopheles), equivalent to a dash of dark chocolate, bitter but yet oh so tempting
• Stupid Servant (Wagner), accents the hero to provide a more thorough flavour development. Their stupidity makes them a universal flavour.
• Clown (Robin), adds lightness to the dish and prevents it becoming too stodgy
• Older Man/Woman (Old Man), a reminder of more traditional methods
• Clergy (Pope), A very weak flavour, easily usurped by other ingredients.
• (Virginal) Maid (Helen of Troy), a highly sought after ingredient mainly due to its purity. Highly desirable

Once you have prepared your main ingredients it is time to move onto the more technical aspects of the recipe and combine them together in just the right fashion.

1. First mix together the following

• eerie setting i.e. a castle
• death and decay to give an after taste of foreshadowing
• a dash of things past to create more layers and depth of flavour

2. Next add the dry ingredients in any order

• a sliver of the supernatural
• heaped tablespoons of horror and terror
• broken shards of social convention to add tang
• contrast and combine life and death through the addition of an egg
• light and dark symbolism to taste

3. Ensure mixed thoroughly, preferably with an electric whisk, in order to blur reality and fantasy
4. Separate a small amount of the mixture and add as much power as you have available
5.Use your imagination, even if some flavour combinations seem a touch 'mental'
6.Finally add a dash of sauce as is conventional

• sin
• macabre
• nostalgia
• ethereal
• melodrama

Note to chef: Don't be afraid to add components from other recipe books. Recommended: 'Romanticism'

A Philisophical Concept

Black and white symbolism.

We all know what it is to 'see the light'. But is it possible to see the dark? Or can you only 'not' see the light. In the conflict between good and evil surely this means that evil is powerless and therefore if good loses the battle, it has only itself to blame.

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light
-Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

The Not Girl

My two hundred word gothic short story...abstract style!

We saw it. A raven. A raven not, Both a raven and a raven not. Dead raven. Ravens are black, Raven was not black. Red Raven. Leave it be. Leave it not. I left it. She left it not. Nobody was watching us. There was nobody to see. Only me. There was never ever anybody to see. Only ever me.

We sat on the grass. Not grass. Both grass and not grass. Dead grass. A daisy. Only one. He loves me, he loves me not. A daisy not.

That was in the past. Passed not. Will not.

Now grown up. Not grown up. Not alone anymore. Alone still. He is our friend. NOT! Our lover? NOT! He shows us love. That is love not.

Captive, see light not. Captive not. But I cannot escape. Not true. What do you mean? You know of murder  not? Murder is sin. To murder him is a sin not. Leave him be. Leave him not. I left him. She left him not.

Evil. Evil not. Evil and evil not.
So I went to the tree. Do not!
Must. Must not!
And then? The final knot.