Christopher Marlowe, renowned for his Elizabethan plays, also made a groundbreaking contribution to poetry, particularly through his translation of Ovid's Amores, known in English as Elegies. This translation, completed around 1584 while Marlowe was a Cambridge student, not only marked the first English rendering of Ovid's work but also introduced the heroic couplet into English literature. Scholars view Marlowe's choice to tackle Ovid's themes of illicit love and seduction as a daring challenge to the prevailing religious and moral standards of his era, showcasing his avant-garde role in the literary landscape.
Marlowe's decision to translate this specific work was therefore 'a characteristically transgressive act' against 'the religious and moral establishment.'
Marlowe's translation of the Amores... was also the first time that the rhymed heroic couplet was used in such a long-form way in an English text.
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