Christopher Marlowe was an interesting guy if his plays reflect anything about him.

Tamburlaine is about a Scythian Shepherd that rules the world through force of arms, but loses eventually due to his own hubris. Apparently God doesn't take kindly to burning Holy books. In the first one he conquers all these places and people turn on each other for little to no reason. Though, for being a shepherd, he sure is well read. He can quote all the classics and everything. He marries the daughter of a sultan and they have three kids. Then Tamburlaine dies in the end.

Doctor Faustus is a legend about a guy that enters a deal with the devil for worldly pleasures and all of that. The A and B texts are similar, but different in a few cases. They both tell basically the same story. Dr. John Faustus is displeased with the learning of Theology, Physic, Astronomy and Medicine, so he turns to the Black Arts of Necromancy. All these good angels and evil angels come around and try to talk him out of it, but he dies in the end in both. God would have forgiven him if he had repented, but Faustus would not repent.

The Jew of Malta is about a Jew from Malta. He's pretty greedy. Pretty sure he has sinister machinations too, but meh.

Edward II is about Edward the Second, presumably about Edward III's father.

All in all it's a pretty good collection and I do recommend reading it if you want some flawed characters having flaws. It has annotations and other things to help you if you need them, and a discussion in the beginning by the editors I believe. ( )

How can anyone deny the impact this story has had on the generations? Even if not in Marlowe's form of Dr. Faustus, the simple fable of a man giving up his eternal soul for fame, wealth, power, etc. is one that resonates universally. A bit tedious to read alone, but if you are lucky to see a performance, the words will really come alive. Marlowe's poetry is on par with Shakespeare and other masters of iambic pentameter from the Renaissance, but the real pleasure in reading this is how relateable it can be. We all lust for power and success and money, etc (to some extent), and I think that there is real, worldly evidence of the lengths that some individuals will go to gain what they desire. ( )

Tamburlaine, Parts I and II ; Doctor Faustus, A- and B- texts ; The Jew of Malta ; Edward II