Did Christopher Marlowe have anything to do with Shakespeare?

Answer 1

Although Marlowe and Shakespeare were about the same age (Marlowe was two months older), Marlowe died before Shakespeare's career really got started. If, as some believe, Shakespeare spent a significant portion of his "lost years" in the London theatre world, he could not have avoided being in contact with Marlowe. What is more, Marlowe's style had considerable influence on the theatrical world even after his death, and must have influenced Shakespeare and all the other young writers of the day.

Although the fact that Marlowe died in 1593 and Shakespeare's writing really started to take off at about the same time makes it tempting to wonder whether Marlowe faked his death and took over Shakespeare's identity, it is ridiculous to imagine Marlowe trying to get a grant of arms for John Shakespeare or negotiating the marriage between Susannah Shakespeare and John Hall. ( To say nothing about what Anne must have said when the new Will Shakespeare arrived in Stratford. "Hello dear--My God! Will, you've changed--you look just like Christopher Marlowe!").

Thanks to the enormous research efforts of Leslie Hotson in the 1920s we now have the actual detailed minutes of the Coroner's Inquest into Marlowe's death.