Pulitzer Prize–winning author and Harvard professor Stephen Greenblatt presents his new book, Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival, in conversation with Geoffrey Harpham, Emeritus Director of the National Humanities Center.

In this captivating event, Greenblatt reconstructs the scandalous and subversive life of Christopher Marlowe -- the “rock star” of Elizabethan theatre and Shakespeare’s greatest rival. A poet, playwright, and spy in the Queen’s service, Marlowe wrote daring masterpieces such as Tamburlaine and Doctor Faustus, works that pushed the boundaries of power, faith, and desire. Accused of heresy and blasphemy, he was murdered in a London inn at the age of 29 -- his violent death only deepening his myth.

Part of Charleston Literary Festival 2025

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