Dramatic Monologue Books

Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) was a workaholic literary genius. In his relatively short life he wrote 92 novels in his "Human Comedy" series. In these works he wishes to reveal to us humanity in all its many faces as seen in the social, political, business and religious milieu of nineteenth century France. Many of the novels use recurring character in a technique also used by such writers as William Faulkner and Anthony Trollope.
Lost Illusions is a long and sometimes tedious novel about a young poet from the provinces whose name is Lucien Chardan. He is fatuous and relatively talented as a minor poet and historical novelist. He engages in a platonic affair with the wealthy Madame Bargeton resulting in the couple's flight from the village to Paris. There they are soon separated by boredom and disillusion with one another.
Lucien has an amorous affair with the showgirl Coralie who is beautiful but dumb. He becomes a newspaper reporter. Balzac shows us all the details involved in the publishing and literary world of Paris. We meet many interesting characters who populate this environment. It is clear than Lucien is like his creator for Balzac knew well the literary life in Paris. Lucien is disillusioned by the cynicism and the quest for the god MONEY which is worshipped by his friends. Art is forced to take a backseat to the pursuit of pelf. Doublecrosses, blackmail and deceit rule the Parisian desert.
Lucien's sweet sister Eve marries David Sechart. Sechart is a printer who believes he has invented a new way to produce paper cheaply. He is involved in convoluted schemes to keep the business afloat and stay out of debtor's prison.
Lucien is not an admirable figure. He is foolish and vain seeking glory and fame. Balzac continues his downfall story in later books in the Human Comedy series.
Balzac is a great writer but takes getting used to. Many of his pages are devoted to explaining complex money matters and who is cheating whom. He is wonderful on describing a scene in detail and was first class in his microscopic examination of French rural and urban society in mid nineteenth century life. Balzac does not make moral judgments on the actions of his flawed characters leaving that to the reader. In the pantheon of nineteenth century French novelists he stands alone with Victor Hugo and Gustave Flaubert at the top of the list.

The Human Comedy is a saga of 92 novels that Balzac said was written by French society. Legend described him as the night-shirted social recorder working until dawn fueled by liters of coffee. Lost Illusions (1837-1843) is considered to be one of the best of the novels in the series in scope and structure. From the frenetic world of writers and booksellers in Paris to the grueling life of hard work and boredom in villages, Balzac traced the systematic destruction of illusions in his characters. No one could be trusted (friends, foes, or family) when the creative or inventive characters attempted to reach a goal. The flicker of hope and joy related to an artistic or business accomplishment was extinguished within days or hours. The enduring artists and producers were those who lived almost without hope, guided by a strict code of ethics protected only by their ability to keep their accomplishments secret. Ultimately, some of these survivors reached their goals. But by then, they no longer placed high value in them, much of the luster lost with their illusions. Lost Illusions set the standard for many of the wonderful French novels of the subsequent years of the 19th Century. The reader is immersed in French culture in a manner similar to the later writing of Gustav Flaubert.

I read this book during my latest visit to my favorite middle east country. I must admit that I didn't enjoy this book as much as others. I felt like it was slow to come around and I thought there was too much detail on (seemingly) unimportant things at times. I'm just a regular person, so that said if you are an accomplished reader you may love this, for neophytes such as myself, other titles are more likely to be properly enjoyed (see my reviews)...and keep me updated!

Lost Illusions by Balzac is one of the most famous novels out of the ninety two he wrote in his lifetime and maybe also among a million his admirers have written in 175 years since his first novel was published.

Balzac choses Lucien as a romantic, good-looking dreamy poet. We are first thrust into his provincial life, with details about his ordinary life and extraordinary ambitions that he has no means of realizing. Except patronage by an older woman! She leads him to Paris, only to abandon him to fight his way into the high society. How Lucien rises and falls in the glamorous, amorous, corrupt and vicious life as a journalist in Paris is picturized through a narrative that is bathed in realism, and yet proceeds through both suspense and wit, in the spirit of the pace at which Balzac could conjure up such novels.

In the provinces, Lucien has a friend, David, who likewise is somewhat lacking in social and economic acumen, and is a hard working inventor. David own father ruins him by extracting an unreasonable price for the printing press that he leaves or sells to his own son. Crafty competitors take advantage of David's credulous character. David endures both provincial small mindedness and economic setbacks suffered to keep Lucien afloat. Balzac displays his knowledge of these disparate characters with remarkable attention to detail. He weaves an undercurrent, of what could have passes as a dissertation, on the art and science of paper making.

Balzac creates in his one book, a saga that unravels friendship, love, jealousy, lust, ambition, vanity, greed and absurdity that lurk in our beings and in our relationships. By using two main pillars, Lucien and David, Balzac erects a bridge into the two worlds of poetry and science. He shuns hint of any romance of either worlds, and shows how much character, how many hardships and set-backs, how much devotion and labor are required for a man to become a known poet or a scientist.

I am quoting an example from this translation (carried out by Katharine Prescott Wormeley):

"No one can be a great man cheaply," said d'Arthez in his gentle voice. "Genius waters her work with tears.Talent is a moral being which, like all other beings, is subject to the maladies of childhood. Society rejects undeveloped talent just as nature removes her feeble or deformed creations. Whoever wishes to rise above his fellows must be prepared to struggle, and not recoil at difficulty. A great writer is a martyr who does not die - that's the whole of it!"

Besides the two pillars, the book has an interesting array of characters. Actresses, society women, editors and publishers, lawyers, struggling writers, dandies - all appear with their human failings and foibles as part of a drama that unfolds with an enrapturing narrative. Be it history, economics, alchemy, or psychology, or any topic under the sun, Balzac ushers in his great knowledge, suspending and supporting the story with able and apt pointers, tresses and metaphors.

Balzac's Lost Illusions is undoubtedly a classic everyone can enjoy and must read at some point in their lives. Highly recommended.

This is one of the best novels by Balzac, which is to say much, since he is still one of the best writers that have ever lived. Here, as in the rest of his work, the reader can appreciate Balzac's knowledge of worldly life, and especially the world of business, so alien to other writers. In this book he elaborates on the printing business as well as on journalism -vastly so-, back when it first began as a mercantilist activity. He contrasts the small life and intrigues of the province with the -no less petty but more gandiose- life and intrigues of the big city, Paris, and in particular of the faubourg Saint-Germain, the paradise of the Parisian jet-set.

David Sechard is a young man who inherits, at great cost, his cold and greedy father's printing business. Lucien Chardon (later "de Rubempre", after taking his impoversihed mother's more aristocratic last name) is his best friend. Both of them share a love for poetry, but it is Lucien who comes to shine as the young genius of province, the promise for whom it is worth it to sacrifice it all. Lucien gets the love of one Louise de Bargeton, the "queen of Angouleme", the most cultivated and refined woman in town. Louise promises to take Lucien to Paris, introduce him into the great society, and make him triumph as a poet. His family gives him all they can to get him started, and off he goes to Paris. But he happens to be arrogant, proud, and insecure, and soon he suffers the despise and insolence of aristocrats and other rich people. After what he believes to be an offense from Louise, he rejects her, earning her eternal hatred.

In the meantime, Lucien has been spending time with two very different circles of friends. The first is composed of a group of young intellectuals, hardworking guys sacrificing money and fun for the sake of science, art, and knowledge. They are there for him in times of need, and encourage him to keep up with his writing. The second group is a bunch of journalists, easy going but corrupt people who convince him to achieve quick fame and money. Lucien gets more and more trapped by this seemingly easy life, and after he conquers the love of the prettiest actress in Paris, his fate is decided. He achieves fame and fortune overnight, and so he jumps completely into the world of parties, frivolity and silly competition for status. At this point in the novel, Balzac introduces us to the sordid, decadent, and disgusting world of journalism understood as an unmerciful network of extortion and constant blackmailing. Lucien slides down that road, getting recognition and fame, oblivious to the growing net of envy that closes in around him every day.

What follows is the sad story of an unlikable character. Lucien has very little redeeming qualities about him, as opposed to some of his early friends, his young lover and his family. He is blind as blind can be, since his extreme selfishness builds a cloud in which he lives. He cares for nobody, except perhaps for the little Coralie, and he goes on leaving too many wounded bodies by the side of the road. Nevertheless, this character is the vehicle that allows Balzac to show us the real world out there. This writer never ever gives up to the temptation of sweetening things for the reader, he's brave and persists on his plan. Balzac is never a moralizing preacher, he is just a skillful painter of life as it is.

Here, as in the rest of his work, you will find characters who also appear in other novels, an ingenious device intended to give us a feeling of reality. This book is never boring and builds up tension rapidly, even for its length. It is an encompassing ride through all the fancies of youth gone wrong, as well as an unrelenting depiction of all the falseness and emptiness of high society. Much recommended.

This book has been so helpful in my auditioning process. THANK YOU FOR PUBLISHING THIS!!

As a young actor currently studying Shakespeare in an acting conservatory, this book perfectly compliments the tools I am being taught.

It is full of information written in a clear, efficient manner and is never patronizing to the reader. The tone has a lighteness and joy that invites the actor into the world of classical text and removes any stodgy stereotypes that may surround the poet's work.

I recommend this book to any actor who is looking for some less performed Shakespeare monologues and comes equipped with an incredibley useful guide to understanding the plays themselves, as well as what is going on specifically with each monologue.

I would buy it as a gift for all of my acting friends.

Bravo to the authors.

Simply the best book ever to analyze Shakespeare's monologues: incisive, illuminating, deeply intelligent, always entertaining and sometimes brilliant. Experienced actors as well as those new to the craft will find this immeasurably helpful, and they will have plenty of company. Anyone who appreciates Shakespeare's words and work will find this wonderful book an oasis in a literary desert too often filled with mirages.

Learn the Speech! Actors need tools for their acting toolkit and not a day goes by here at my Writers & Performers Garage in Los Angeles that I don't mention this great new tool. With over 150 monologues, it's an essential for actor preparation. I can't think of any recent book I've read that is more useful for actors working seriously at their craft.

As a nonactor I'm in the midst of reading this book. Now for the first time I'm completely grasping the prose and verse. In the past I've tried to read Shakespeare cold, with no help, and as a modern English speaker you can pick up some things yes, but this book makes it all, and I mean all clear. We get well over 100 of his greatest monologues, and every unfamiliar word is fully explained, as well as multiple interpretations of the lines.

I recommend this book to students, actors, writers, and layman for it will unleash the magic of the verse. And when it does you can read or see a performance and grasp it all...and there is so much to grasp, and a good play requires a good reader, a good performance, a good audience, and this book will make you one.

William Gaddis will never be an American literary icon on the order of Hemingway or Faulkner, it's fair to say. His novels, written in a fractured, stream-of-conscious hybrid of dialogue and interior monologue, are full of obscure allusions, facts and figures, and in true postmodern glee, often defy thematic description. I found "A Frolic of His Own" to be an absolute riot (maybe because I'm a lawyer)--it was too long, for sure, but smart and true as the best satires are.

This interesting little book has a lot to say about the state of Art in the Age of Technology. Unapologetically elitist, the moribund narrator illustrates how the democratization of art (best exemplified, for Gaddis, by the invention of the player piano) has transformed the genius of creation into little more than a spectator sport. Poking fun at the Pulitzers (the only purpose of which, he observes, is to proclaim the recipient fit for bourgeois consumption), the narrator breathes a sigh of relief on behalf of Pulitzer-less Thomas Pynchon, while commiserating with John Kennedy Toole on his posthumous receipt of the prize. Gaddis bewails a world where every four year old with a computer is considered an artist and sounds a note of gratitude (of which self-gratitude is almost certainly a part) for those who toil in the sweat and anonymity of true creation.

For those disgusted by the Hollywood mentality that exalts the mainstream at the expense of the maverick, that assesses quality in the language of capitalism, this sly little book provides a welcome critique, nurturing the inner elitist in us all.

Reminds me of nothing so much as Lucky's inspired tirade in Waiting for Godot in which the ends and odds of Western civilization are stitched up and stuttered nonstop in one fell swoop. Dense and dead funny.

William Gaddis' Agape Agape is a brilliant, philisophical rumination on the nature of contemporary society and its relationship to art and the artist. It's not really a novel, but rather a 100 page diatribe of a dying man trying to get his affairs in order before the end. He is in a bed somewhere, spilling water, bleeding slightly on his notes, his books. He talks to us about everything from the mundane (the blood) to the deeply philisophical (Plato and many, many others). I read this one one sitting in about an hour because it's that compelling and enjoyable. The conversation seamlessly moves from real estate matters to artistic matters. His commentary will make you chuckle, will make you shake your head in agreement. This is an interesting work and if you are looking from a step up from your average novel. Enjoy.

An old man's Beckett-like disjointed rant is a forum for satisfyingly inconclusive and erudite musings on art, music, and individual inspiration in our "age of mechanical reproduction" and mass-market pandering. This small book is full of a wealth of crisscrossing themes. Unlike Gaddis's larger tomes, this is simply structured, has blistering forward momentum and can be read in a few hours. In prose alternately profound and profane, Gaddis has contrived a perfect device to exercise his lifelong preoccupations, creating an impassioned but infirm narrator whose very disorganization engagingly mocks the author and his sprawling subject. Parts are excruciatingly funny. This is a must-read if you're a Gaddis or Beckett or Thomas Bernhard or David Markson fan, or if you ponder the nature of art in this--or any other--age.

I have seldom if ever revised my opinion of an author based on a posthumous work-until now. I confess to having found the late William Gaddis' other (and in some circles, classic) novels (J.R., Frolic of His Own, The Recognitions, and Carpenter's Gothic) theoretically interesting and probably brilliant, but always far too long, very self-indulgent, difficult for its own sake and almost unreadable-in other words, they bored me, what I could get through of them.
This prejudice of mine is coupled with a general dislike for posthumous works in general-the kind where a Major Author left a work unfinished at death, and which is years after released and edited with an introduction or forward by some noted Scholar: ("This really IS a great book, all of Fitzgerald's/Hemingway's/Duras'/McGowin's major Themes are here," etc., etc.). Well, they very seldom are great works, and just as the act of Revision seems contrived to some (your Kerouac wannabes, perhaps), I, conversely, find the act of posthumous publication to itself be contrived-again, in general. Glenn Gould, the great pianist, once expressed his intense dislike of "live" recordings being released on record labels with the surrounding hoopla, and said he planned to do a "fake" live album, recorded in the studio, complete with mistakes and overdubbed with audience coughing, etc. Sony of course wouldn't go for it, but I've often wanted to write a "fake" posthumous novel, the Final (unfinished) Work of a Great American Novelist-I'll make it about 100 de-contextualized pages, with 200 pages of forwards, introductions, afterwards, and footnotes. Now that Dave Eggars is a Publisher, he should get in touch.
But in the case of Agape Agape, the Afterward is totally superfluous. The book was finished when Gaddis died, and I don't need to have that explained to me, nor do I care what Joseph Tabbi et. al. Think of it in the overall context of Gaddis' other novels or what it started out as or what Gaddis wanted it to achieve. It's 125 pages, and all of a piece, without section or chapter breaks, the perfect length for what is the most cohesive and affecting book the man ever wrote-the free-associations of a dying narrator who's afraid his lifelong goal to write the definitive history of the player piano will never come to fruition. Into this frenetic and breathless narrative, then, is woven...everything. What begins with the narrator's opinions concerning several aspects of the History and Future of Technology becomes a fictional autobiography the likes of which has rarely been achieved, cemented by the character's grasp of mortality and humanity, and by Gaddis' seamless and masterful narrative drive. He is ON.
This is a one or two-sitting book, and the reader will come away from it reeling. It's too brief for me to go into specifics, for the specifics are the book, the book is the plot-but if you've never read Gaddis, START HERE. And if you need to picture a Literary Precedent, think of Dostoyevsky's Notes from Underground, perhaps, or of the best shorter work by Camus or John Hawkes-but only think. Because this book suceeds where Gaddis' other novels drag in that it also makes you feel.

Sensitive, powerful messages, reflecting teen Echo Boomer daily life, values, tribulations and triumphs and will to succeed.

Echo Booming is a soul searching look into the lives of today's youth. Humorous, insightful, and for delivery straight to the heart, these monologues hit a Bull's-Eye!

After only a few of these one hundred monologues for teens,
it is very obvious this former drama teacher is in touch
with her audience. And it seems to me adolescents need to
start by expressing their real feelings (in and out of
plays) instead of grasping for the larger issues of Love,
Death and God they seem to think gain them more attention (I
only found one of these here, a child talking to his or her
dead mother at her gravestone). Each of these monologues has
a built in drama playing up the opposites possibilities of
its subject matter in a way to make and audience wonder what
will happen. And each builds to a climax that would allow
the actor to show off his or her strengths.

Some of the monologues struck me as more poignant that
others--"A Favor" in which a young person asks a friend if
the speaker can sleep over at the friend's house because his
or her father is acting strange; "Thanks, I Think" where a
guy gets a ring from his aunt but worries that it might be
designed for a girl; and "Jerk" in which the speaker finds
his or her birthmother but that person doesn't want to speak
to her child. These made me think there are real situations
that happen outside of the classroom and the author is
giving teenagers words they perhaps would have difficulty
finding on their own to express how they feel. That seems
very healthy and worthwhile in itself. Isn't it the same
reason we, as adults, go to plays, read books and attend
thoughtful movies? They help us express what we cannot.

When the monologues dip into the vernacular they seem less
genuine to me: "I came home from work and she was out of
there man. No, man. Yeah, it kind of sucks, but that's cool.
No note, no nothing. Yeah, dude I'm sure. Dude, I looked all
over the place. You think I don't look all over the place?
She's my mother, man." But there are cut-ups I knew in my
high school teaching days that I can hear doing "Money" with
its quirky logic and ironic conclusion. And were I the
teacher of students doing these, I would certainly ask why
they chose the particular ones they did. I can see many an
active class discussion following their answers.

I didn't really spot any clinkers. These monologues seem
thoughtful, field-tested and great tools for teachers of
drama, English, creative writing, and some classes in
sociology that involve self-discovery. And what would happen
if after reading and performing these you asked kids to
write some of their own? I just bet they would include
teacher/student interaction, sex, drugs and rock
music--conspicuously absent in this collection (probably
because administrators and parents would object). But there
is plenty here and it is terrific. Plus, what a great title
for the book, whatever the "Echo Boomer" term may mean about
the audience's generation. This is a very worthwhile tool
for students and teachers. As "Use It" says: "I know I'm
only fifteen, but I'm smart enough to know that a lot of the
crap you're going through right now, it's gonna change. It
just seems like it never will. But, hey, you know what, look
at the bright side. You're an actress. You're an artist. You
have the opportunity to take all this...stuff...I mean this
pain, and use it. Use it baby. If you look at it like that,
all the bad stuff that happens, it's the best thing that any
actor could hope for." Bravo!

I think this book was a wonderful read for any actor or director, it lets you get back to the basics of acting: storytelling. Tim has a nice way of writing the book so that both a professional and a newbie can take something away from his book and apply it to thier approach. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone in the acting profession.

You're bound to deeply appreciate this book. Tim McDonough has a intelligent and clear-eyed approach to speeches and monologues.

What is good about it: he's a no-nonsense writer, stressing clarity above all else. He has a deceptively simple understanding of how acting relates to storytelling that is truly wise, unique and fascinating.

This book will provide experienced and greenhand actors alike with a solid, grounded basis for digging into the plummiest of narrative speeches. It would be an eye-opener for an actor, a director or a teacher of these crafts.

For young actors -- or anyone looking to focus and improve their audition pieces -- this book will be your bible. Get your hands on it quick.

Put this play in the hands of middle schoolers and you will be very pleased. When I first read it I thought, well maybe it will work for my advanced acting class (11-12 year olds). When they read it they really wanted to produce it. Once we started on the project it really came to life. The kids could really relate to the material. They have also used the monologues for audtitions.
Don't just read this play, have age appropriate young people read it aloud. It makes all the difference.

You can also cast enough children that this makes an excellent classroom project too.

Jeremy Kruse has his finger on the pulse of middle school students! The dialogue in scenes from "Lockers" relates directly to the youth, teaches excellent lessons, and at the same time avoids a preaching tone. The students in our drama elective thoroughly enjoyed preparing and rehearsing the scenes. They presented them to their peers as part of our school's Character Traits & Values program. Students, teachers, and administrators thought it was fantastic! Their only question - where can we get MORE of this material written by Jeremy Kruse?

Some of you probably remember this as the play Marlowe managed to complete before he was killed in "Shakespeare In Love." It is interesting that even though many critics do not see this as one of Marlowe's better plays, Marlowe (in the movie) said that this was even better than his "Dr. Faustus." The play begins with the Protestant Prince Navarre marrying a Catholic Princess. While some are hoping this will make peace between the Catholics and Protestants in France, many see the approaching war as inevitable. Anjou (the eventual King Henry III) teams up with the overly ambitious Guise and they decide to eliminate the Protestants. Most of the scenes that follow are short murder scenes, but Marlowe knew what he was doing. By keeping the scenes short, he emphasizes that murder is a vile act. (Hollywood has always looked for ways to justify and even glorify killing.) Well, action movies are here today and gone tomrrow, while the classics from Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Dickens will survive time. Quoting a bit of Shakespeare: 'the truth should live from age to age.' Moving on, King Charles IX is understandably sad at the bloodshed. Upon his death, Anjou is crowned King Henry III. Marlowe keeps the tension as the Protestants (under Navarre) start to strike back. Then, there comes a rift between Henry III and Guise. And should we be surprised about this? Ambition seldom knows loyalty. Henry III realizes that Guise is popular, so a secret murder is his best bet. And Navarre is sharp enough to realize that if he helps bring down Guise, he may win Henry III's gratitude. It is interesting that someone even tries to warn the ego maniac Guise of the danger he is in, but Guise compares himself to Caesar and foolishly walks into the death trap. (Undoubtedly Shakespeare had this in mind when he wrote his "Julius Caesar.") Moving on, Henry III plots the murder of a cardinal who he sees as dangerous. (But as in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," some enemies are more powerful after their death.) The death of this cardinal brings about a successful attempt on Henry III's life. And we can see that Henry III's death was revolving in Shakespeare's mind as he wrote his "Hamlet." If we accept Marlowe's words (in "Shakespeare In Love") that this is even better than "Dr. Faustus," we'll have to fight many critics. But the argument is that this play is historical and completely plausible. And the more believable something is, the more scarey it is likely to be. In the movie, Shakespeare choked a bit when Marlowe just said the title. It's sad that this play will probably never get the attention it deserves.

I CAN NOT understand why this play of Marlowe's was never popular. In this chilling masterpiece, not a single page is wasted. This play offers several dramatic passages. Guise's soliloquy in scene 2 is especially powerful. Another aspect of this play that Marlowe handles with the utmost of genius is Anjou's rise to King Henry III, and later his fall. Throughout the play, Guise presents us with chilling moments and his death is handled with dramatically appropriate lines. The reconciliation between King Henry III and Navarre also demonstrates Marlowe's mastery of literature. Finally, King Henry III's death really helps us to see that Marlowe paved the way for Shakespeare in every sense of the word. If you liked Marlowe's "Faustus" and "Edward II," you WILL NOT want to miss this one!

Short, but fully packed, this book delivered far more than I expected. A fun read, these original monologues, followed by many tips on the audition process, run the gamut of emotion in various situations. Light, heavy, dark, romantic, comedic, loud, tentative, angry - it's all in there, and much more. There is a suggestion on how to approach and convey each monologue. Though not an actor, I couldn't resist repeatedly trying the monologues out loud. I highly recommend this book.

when I mentioned I was looking for some Indian Literature to get into, a good Hindu friend of mine suggested that I looked into Karnad after reading the traditional epics.

These plays blew me away. I wasn't expecting anything, and I was amazed at the language and use of myth and the reincarnation of these stories. Honestly a good read for anyone interested in theater, mythology, or India.

Shakespeare has given the world a magnificent set of plausible villains - Iago, Richard III, Lady MacBeth, for instance - as well as a more complex set of morally flawed heroes - Othello, Lear, Coriolanus, Henry V, Hamlet. No one, however, has delivered a judgment of immorality against Shakespeare merely on the premise that to understand a rogue, he must have been one. Perhaps it helps that almost nothing of Shakespeare's personal behavior, virtuous or vicious, has been reported.

Christopher Marlowe was a tempestuous, unstable fellow - a spy and a brawler, who was eventually killed in a tavern brawl. Too little is known, really, to brand him as a rogue, but the signs are clear. In the play Edward II, his best and his closest to Shakespeare in dramatic impact, Marlowe has given us a cast all of whom are morally compromised if not purely evil. Hey, the bad guys whack the bad guys and the audience loves it! Sounds like cable TV! Marlowe understood violence and cruelty at least as well as Shakespeare, and we have no reason to suppose that it wasn't first-hand knowledge. Of Shakespeare's peers, only John Webster had as profound an understanding of "wickedness."

Hollywood, heads up! A film about Marlowe in the process of writing and rehearsing Edward II would be a smash! I'm available to write the screen play.

Meanwhile, readers, if your only experience of Marlowe was Doctor Faustus in high school, I think you'll be surprised at the intensity and word-craft of Edward II.