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If his works were incomplete or muddled, at least we have them. We also have the legends that have been passed down to us through literature and legend. He is always a part of the Shakespeare Authorship Controversy; and what little we know of his life has become the subject for countless bits of fiction.

Perhaps most notable among the recent fictionalized Marlowe characters is his appearance in "Shakespeare in Love." As Lisa Hopkins explains, "Rupert Everett's benevolent and more successful Marlowe acts as role model to the young Shakespeare, buying him drinks and helping him to think of a better plot for his projected play...


before dying in a brawl in a Deptford pub."

Of course, as with any fictionalization, the movie takes liberties with some of the facts literary scholars hold to be true. Hopkins writes, "Though the film makes no pretensions to historical accuracy, it does include some interesting pretensions to historical accuracy, it does include some interesting suggestions: "Doctor Faustus," we are told, is an early work, while Marlowe has just finished writing "The Massacre at Paris "on the day of his death.

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In spite of the years that have intervened to separate us from any concrete answers to the Marlowe legend, we still look for answers. Every historical bit of paper is examined. Perhaps, we'll discover some unknown manuscript that will answer all of our questions.

Hopkins writes, "Perhaps the ultimate fascination of Marlowe... is the ways in which he defies easy assimilation into the modern world and retains his mystery."

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