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Why did Cambridge hesitate to award Christopher Marlowe a master’s degree?
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Christopher Marlowe
Detail of a portrait thought to be of Christopher Marlowe, dated 1585, artist unknown; in the collection of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, England.
In 1587, the University of Cambridge hesitated to award Christopher Marlowe his master’s degree primarily due to his frequent and unexplained absences from the university.1
These concerns were resolved after the Privy Council intervened by sending a letter to the university. The council clarified that Marlowe’s absences were the result of his employment on matters touching the benefit of his country, which is widely believed to refer to his service in the secret intelligence network of Queen Elizabeth I.12