A Conversation with D. K. Marley
DK
Marley is a historical fiction writer specializing in Shakespearean themes. Her
grandmother, an English professor, gave her a volume of Shakespeare's plays
when she was eleven, inspiring DK to delve further into the rich Elizabethan
language. Eleven years ago she began the research leading to the publication of
her first novel "Blood and Ink," an epic tale of lost dreams, spurned
love, jealousy and deception in Tudor England as the two men, William
Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe, fight for one name and the famous works now known
as the Shakespeare Folio.
It is so wonderful to have you come back onto the blog. I know you are passionate about the works of Shakespeare and Marlow, and I would like to explore that passion with you today. There have been many novels about
Shakespeare, why did you feel it was important to write about this particular
topic?
Yes, there are
many novels on Shakespeare, expounding the continued belief that he wrote the
plays and sonnets attributed to him, but this novel gives wing to the
possibility of someone else being the writer.
 |
| The Chandos Portrait (held by the National Portrait Gallery, London) |
So, this novel is of
historical importance?
I would rather say
it is of historical interest. I am not a historian. Even though I love doing
research for my novels, my passion is fiction and a story like this that is
rich with intrigue and theories, well, it is the stuff historical fiction
writers dream about. Both characters, William Shakespeare and Christopher
Marlowe, have a world full of questions surrounding them. There are endless
avenues any writer can traverse when it comes to these two men.
What made you want to write
about Marlowe and Shakespeare?
The first time I
visited England in 1997, I took a tour of the Globe Theatre and there in the
museum was a wall dedicated to the five other men who may have written the
plays, a thought I had never imagined before. To this day, I truly don't know
why Marlowe stood out to me, but I took out my notebook and began writing notes
about him, knowing a story was there.
 |
| Shakespeare's Globe, London, England. |
When I came back home and started researching on the Internet about the possibility, I came across some amazing discoveries. The more and more I delved, the more the theory sounded plausible. Given the fact that Marlowe was already a playwright and had access to far greater resources than Shakespeare ever did, the idea had merit, but the problem was the issue with his death at the age of twenty-nine in Deptford.
 |
| An anonymous portrait in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, believed to show Christopher Marlowe. |
When I came across
Peter Farey's discussion, the problem resolved and all of my questions melded
together into one solution: he never died, but was exiled. This was truly a
sixteenth century case of conspiracy and identity theft. The idea of a crime
novel or suspense was quite interesting to me, even something on the line of
Dan Brown's books, but in finding my own voice, historical fiction felt more
like home, especially the time period of the Tudors. The Elizabethan era has
always been my favorite period and I love tackling the job of weaving a bit of
the old language with our modern tongue. While I tried to stay true to history,
I did use artistic license, such as the additions of the subplot of Marlowe's
imaginary friend, to round out a writer's torture who is plagued with a “muse,”
as was Marlowe who was referred to as the “muse's darling.”
My grandmother
gave me my first book of the complete works of Shakespeare when I was eleven
years old. The language, the history, and the style of writing has intrigued me
ever since. During my school years, I immersed myself into English Literature,
even acting the part of Calpurnia in Julius Caesar when we studied that play.
There will be many who
scoff at the idea that Shakespeare was merely an ambitious actor who stole the
works of Marlowe; how do you approach this?
Of course, there
will, and I expect that, but again, I do not claim to be a Shakespearean
scholar or historian. Yet, sometimes the simplest of explanations lean more
toward truth than elaboration. That is why I used the quote from Francis Bacon,
who himself is another candidate for writing the plays - “The forbidden idea
contains a spark of truth that flies up in the face of he who seeks to stamp it
out.”
There may be a
spark of truth to the idea that Shakespeare did not write the plays and there
always will be those who wish to stamp out debate.
This is the same
kind of wall the writers and men of ambition and progress, those of the “School
of Night” faced during the Elizabethan era. I have been to some delightful
debates over the years discussing the question of Shakespeare's authorship, the
first and foremost being the lectures held at the Globe Theater in 2007.
There is even a
petition people can sign on the internet called the Declaration of Intent for
the Shakespeare Authorship Debate, although the site supports Edward de Vere,
the Earl of Oxford, as being the writer, which is fine with me, for any support
for anyone other than the man Shakespeare shows I am not alone in believing
that this actor from Stratford was not the man who wrote such eloquent and
astounding verses; and yet, I am not against those who do believe.
 |
| Portrait of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604) |
The question
reminds me of a small episode where this very thing took place. I was standing
in a group at the first debate held at the Globe and a gentleman looked at me
when he discovered I was a Marlowan, and said, “O, you are one of those. I
suppose you believe he was exiled.” Very calmly, I replied, “Well, you have to
admit that the idea makes for a great story, and that is what I am, a story
teller.”
What kind of evidence is
there that Marlowe survived the tavern brawl in Deptford? And what evidence is
there against William Shakespeare being the writer?
To me, Marlowe was
as a brilliant writer as he was a spy. A man who could create such astounding
characters, even if you only attribute those we know about – Faustus,
Tamburlaine, Edward – shows he had the ability to form well-rounded characters.
Walsingham was known for recruiting boys of genius at a young age for the
underground spy ring, so a boy of Marlowe's caliber, a boy and man who could
morph characters, would have fit into Walsingham's plans. It would not have
been a difficult thing for Marlowe to do as a writer, for oftentimes writers
use this technique for getting into the minds of their characters.
What kind of questions should a person ask who is
looking to do some research on this topic?
1.
Do we
know Marlowe survived the death in Deptford without a doubt?
No, but
tell me this:
2.
Why
was one of the most beloved playwrights of his day, before Shakespeare, buried
in a common churchyard?
3.
Why did
the Queen provide her own coroner for the inquest when she herself was not
within the verge of the murder, and then give instructions that no one delve
further into questionings about Marlowe's death?
4.
Why
was Marlowe with three other well-known spies instead of presenting himself
before the Privy Council at eleven o'clock, which was his punishment for the
supposed seditious writings found in Kyd's apartments?
5.
Who is
the mysterious man known simply as Monsieur Le Doux during those years Marlowe
would have been dead?
6.
Why do
we not hear anything about Shakespeare's writings until after Marlowe dies?
7.
Who is
the Mr. W. H. to whom the sonnets are dedicated?
8.
Who is
the “dark lady” of the sonnets?
9.
What
kind of education did the two men have?
10.
What
is the secret riddle of the epitaph above Shakespeare's tomb?
11.
Why
was his grave dug twelve feet deep instead of the normal six foot?
12.
Why
did Shakespeare's son-in-law, Dr. John Hall, leave off any mention of the day
Shakespeare died in his journal?
There are so many
questions, I could go on and on. If a person holds up all of these in relation
to Shakespeare, the questions loom; and yet, when I held up each of these
questions to Marlowe, all the answers, for me, fell into place.
 |
| A foul sheet from Marlowe's writing of The Massacre at Paris (1593) |
Shakespeare did
not have the education for such lofty writing, he did not have the background
and there is no evidence of his having traveled. Even his friend, Ben Jonson,
railed him on his lack of languages. Also, maybe just to me, but I thought it
odd, there is no mention of his writings, or any books he may have had in his
possession for his own research, in his will. For those in favor of
Shakespeare, I am sure they will say it is because the plays belonged to the
playhouse and the actors, but still, to me, there is a question.
There is no doubt
Shakespeare was an ambitious man and a brilliant actor, and considering the
time period he lived with poverty and sickness so rampant, a man might do
anything to make sure of the survival of his family, the legacy of his name and
his own ambition.
When you read some
of the sonnets, many of the ones I have quoted in the novel, the desperation of
a man writing the words resounds. Clearly, the sonnets show a man desperate for
someone to recognize the hidden clues, clues that smack of the life of Marlowe,
not Shakespeare. It was a common practice in those days to hide clues or
riddles within writings, so this style of writing would not have been unusual
for Marlowe. Also, he had all the means available to him to undertake a masque
to save his own life – the money, the backing, the patrons, and a favor from
the Queen herself, who was known to take great pains to protect those who
protected her.
 |
| Shakespeare's Globe, London, England. |
Any
final thoughts on the Shakespeare authorship question?
Yea, simply this –
an early American author, Napolean Hill, said, “All great truths are simple in
final analysis, and easily understood; if they are not, they are not great
truths.”
So, are you saying after
all of this that you are a strict Marlowan and not a Stratfordian?
Well, no. I am
saying that there are reasonable questions to the debate, and I am saying that
the premise makes for a great story; but in truth, we will never know unless
someone stumbles upon some profound letter one day revealing to the world the
true author. Until then, I will remain an avid Shakespeare-lover. There are
questions I have, but I have no questions about the beauty and genius behind
the works themselves.
Thank you so much for coming onto the blog today and sharing your thoughts on Shakespeare and Marlow! I shall certainly have to check out your book!
Blood and Ink
History shows Kit Marlowe died in a tavern brawl in Deptford in 1593, but did he? England is torn by religious metamorphosis and espionage. The stages of England and bright intellectual boys are used to bolster Queen Elizabeth I's reign and propagate the rising Protestant faith. At the age of eight, Christopher Marlowe, the muse's darling, is sucked into the labyrinth of secret spy rings, blood, murder, and betrayal, while his own ambition as England's favorite playwright drifts further from his grasp. As Christopher grows to manhood, he sinks further into the darkness, and a chance meeting with an unknown actor from Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare, sets him on a path of destiny; a fate of forced exile and the revelation that the real enemy was not the assassins of Rome, but a man who stared into his eyes and smiled. One he did not expect...
D.K. Marley
DK Marley is a historical fiction writer specializing in Shakespearean themes. Her grandmother, an English professor, gave her a volume of Shakespeare's plays when she was eleven, inspiring DK to delve further into the rich Elizabethan language. Eleven years ago she began the research leading to the publication of her first novel "Blood and Ink," an epic tale of lost dreams, spurned love, jealousy and deception in Tudor England as the two men, William Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe, fight for one name and the famous works now known as the Shakespeare Folio.
She is a true Stratfordian (despite the topic of her novel "Blood and Ink"), a Marlowe fan, a member of the Marlowe Society, the Shakespeare Fellowship and a signer of the Declaration of Intent for the Shakespeare Authorship Debate. Her new series titled "The Fractured Shakespeare Series" will tackle adapting each play into a historical fiction novel. She has traveled to England three times for intensive research and debate workshops and is a graduate of the intense training workshop "The Writer's Retreat Workshop" founded by Gary Provost and hosted by Jason Sitzes and Lorin Oberweger. She is also a blogger for her blog "The Jabberwocky Blog" on Wordpress. She lives in Georgia with her husband and two Scottish Terriers named Maggie and Buster.
Connect with D.K. Marley: Author Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram: @theRealDKMarley •Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Jol's Book Club.
