PODCAST: Stephen Greenblatt on Shakespeare Unlimited

Fresh from the Folger Shakespeare Library - An In-Depth Conversation About Christopher Marlowe

Stephen Greenblatt joins Shakespeare Unlimited host Barbara Bogaev to explore how Christopher Marlowe--playwright, spy, and provocateur--revolutionized English theater and made Shakespeare's genius possible.

In this fascinating interview, Greenblatt reveals compelling evidence that Marlowe worked as a spy for Queen Elizabeth's secret service, examines the mysterious circumstances of his murder at age 29, and makes a bold argument: Marlowe, not Shakespeare, was the key figure who transformed England from a cultural "dystopian backwater" into the epicenter of the Renaissance.

Listen Now: Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 269 (September 23, 2025)

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or listen directly at the Folger Shakespeare Library