[Western Crossover] The Death of Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe was a notorious libertine in the glittering, decadent world of London. He sought inspiration in extreme behavior so he could write the perfect play, and so he used his beautiful face to do the most wanton, unrestrained things.

Then, one early morning, as he sat by a tower window savoring the thrill of falling, he saw a handsome youth with skin almost transparent in its pallor leap gracefully from the roof of the church opposite. The rising sun glimmered on the boy’s skin like diamonds. The extraordinary scene was like the first light appearing in chaos, and it sent Marlowe’s thoughts surging.

And so he wrote:

Hylas, that peerless beauty, once served the god of love.

Nature wept with sorrow at the sight of him,

For he had taken all the world’s beauty away.

All that remained was a heap of scraps.

To show how grievous the loss had been,

Half the world was shrouded in darkness from that day on.

Years later, a published edition changed Hylas’s gender to “she.” When Caius learned of it, he grabbed Marlowe by the neck. “How dare you write me as a woman? Do you want to die?”

Marlowe, down on his luck: “QAQ But changing the gender makes more money.”

Caius: “I’ll kill you!”

Caius Volturi X Christopher Marlowe

Reading guide:

1. JCB narcissism

2. The author is a professional procrastinator

3. A surprise after the story is complete

Theme: Longing for redemption