Anonymous portrait believed to be the playwright Marlowe. Christopher Marlowe (February 26, 1564 - May 30, 1593) was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. He was the foremost Elizabethan tragedian of his day. He greatly influenced William Shakespeare, who was born in the same year. Marlowe's plays are known for the use of blank verse, and their overreaching protagonists. A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on May 18, 1593. No reason was given for it, though it was thought to be connected to allegations of blasphemy. On May 20 he was brought to the court to attend upon the Privy Council for questioning. Ten days later, he was stabbed to death (age 29) by Ingram Frizer. Whether the stabbing was connected to his arrest has never been resolved. Little is known about Marlowe. What evidence there is can be found in legal records and other official documents. Marlowe has often been described as a spy, a brawler, a heretic and a homosexual, as well as a magician, duelist, tobacco-user, and counterfeiter. He is best remembered for his plays Dido, Queen of Carthage (1586) Tamburlaine, part 1 (1587), Tamburlaine, part 2 (1587-1588), The Jew of Malta (1589), Doctor Faustus (1589, or 1593), Edward II (1592), and The Massacre at Paris (1593).