Marlowe's seven plays dramatise the fatal lure of potent forces, whether religio
us, occult or erotic. In the victories of Tamburlaine, Faustus' encounters with
the demonic, the irreverence of Barabas in "The Jew of Malta", and the humiliati
on of Edward II in his fall from power and influence, Marlowe explores the shift
ing balance between power and helplessness, the sacred and its desecration.
