The book teems with the erudition and wonder that permeates Greenblatt’s Will in the World and The Swerve ... Less a straightforward biography, more an evocation of Marlowe’s milieu, swimming in lush detail, immersing us in England’s social ferment at a hinge moment ... [Greenblatt's] analysis is Shakespearean in spirit, crisp and conversational, tipped with puns and wordplay ... Some of the book’s most vivid chapters chart the artistic collaboration and rivalry between Shakespeare and Marlowe ... A genial tutorial on the vitality of a humanities education ... His generous insights on Marlowe and Shakespeare and their peers are antidotes to our festering obsessions with luxury, technology, and status.
Stephen Greenblatt has the rare ability to write vivid narratives for the general public that rest on firm scholarly foundations ... Greenblatt crafts a brilliant re-creation of the world Marlowe inhabited ... Greenblatt excels at delineating Marlowe’s intellectual and artistic growth ... Greenblatt speculates intriguingly about Marlowe and Shakespeare’s interactions ... Gives a vibrant sense of the very different personalities of two artists ... [A] masterful portrait of a man and an age.
Mr. Greenblatt tells this murky but exhilarating tale with pace and gusto ... Mr. Greenblatt surveys theories of the slaying but none entirely convince ... Brisk and gripping.
Masterfully details who might have had motivation to kill Marlowe ... Greenblatt excels at immersing the reader in that time and place and has an ear for the delectable turn of phrase. The rich historical detail, thriller-like pacing, and an abundance of intrigue keep the pages turning.
