Blazoning Forth the Loves of Men
Mr Kemp
'They who love not tobacco and boys are fools.' So runs the ‘snappiest’ of the Elizabethan spy Richard Baines’s charges against Elizabethan poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe in the infamous ‘Baines Note’.
There is no reason to believe that Marlowe actually said this. Nor is there any reason to suppose that Marlowe uttered some of the more inflammatory lines in the note either. He probably never stated that 'Saint John the Evangelist was bedfellow to Christ and leaned always in his bosom; that he used him as the sinners of Sodoma.' But what Marlowe definitely did write was Hero and Leander, an epic poem about two young lovers. LEN.4 give their thoughts on this extraordinary homoerotic poem.
'One of the main reasons I enjoyed the epyllion [a narrative poem in the style of epic poetry, but shorter] Hero and Leander by Marlowe was its frank exploration of homosexuality. Marlowe’s lustful descriptions of Leander and his ‘smooth breast’ and ‘soft belly’ are refreshingly open and are indicative of a small gay culture in Britain as early as the 16th century, something which I was not aware of and which dispels the myth of pre-20th century Britain as a place without an iota of tolerance.
Another reason I enjoyed Hero and Leander was its vast amount of classical references and ideas. These repeated references to Classical myths and histories such as ‘Circe's wand’, were sometimes poignant but were often ironic and sometimes quite funny (Homer surely couldn’t have anticipated Circe and her wand to be inverted into a description with phallic connotations). Indeed, the repeated inversion of not just myths, but also gender roles and the properties of nature arguably give the epyllion a very British flavour of satire that can be seen throughout British culture from Chaucer to Monty Python. Therefore, identifying it in Elizabethan literature is an enjoyable event.' - William Dodd
'My favourite aspects of Hero and Leander are the variations in the descriptions of Hero and Leander themselves. Hero is described as majestic with her purple embroidered robe and her actual physical appearance is unknown so the reader can put a face and body onto Hero that is the most beautiful female face the reader can imagine. Leander is described physically and actually seems to be more feminine than masculine with his long hair, and soldiers say that he could be a maid in man’s attire. I think the contrast between the descriptions is staggering especially when the primary idea that these people are of an unprecedented beauty beyond the ideal mortal human is undeniably present.' – Daniel Toye
'Perhaps what makes Hero and Leander so interesting is Marlowe's complete disregard for the conventions of a tragic piece of epic poetry. The story, at least originally, is classically tragic, but Marlowe ignores this totally: the poem merely ends before the tragedy. This could be explained by Marlowe's premature death, but the poem in general makes few remarks foreshadowing the tragedy, so little so that those that do occur can be doubted in their purpose.
What is it, therefore, that Marlowe wants to examine, if it is not a set of tragic morals? If the text is examined, the vast majority is erotic, and deeply physical. This implies that Marlowe is interested in examining love, in its Christian image as courtly love, as well as the Pagan sexuality. For example, the first ninety lines - more than a tenth of the poem - are not dissimilar at all to one extended blazon, full of euphemisms such as 'his bodie was as straight as Circes wand'. This frankness, as a love poem that is explicit (see the possible image of consummation 'he asked, she gave, and nothing was denied') is refreshing, and makes the poem interesting to read. Consider as well the fact that Marlowe's description of Leander is active and physical, often sexually so, as compared to the passive Hero and descriptions of her clothes. Descriptions of her physical beauty rarely tell the reader more than the simple notion that she is extremely beautiful. From these two things, the interpretation of the poem as a queer text begins to emerge.
It is difficult to avoid intentionalist notions when stating this. Of course, this poem (combined with the frank nature of homosexuality in Edward II) show that Marlowe was interested in homosexuality, but such broad statements as labeling him as gay would be drawing the wrong conclusions. However, his interest is worth examining by itself. Various lines have homosexual undertones, even overtly so, for example 'some saw he was a maide in mans attire, / For in his lookes were all that men desire', and a later pun on this notion, 'Leander, thou art made for amorous play', immediately linking 'maid', and the context of the line, with 'made' and 'amorous play'. He is certainly more interested in Leander's physicality than Hero's.
The reasoning for this is also important. Various reasons could be given for Marlowe's interest in homosexuality. Perhaps it is a piece of propaganda, although this seems unlikely: examine Edward II, where Edward's infatuation with Gaveston is arguably responsible for his downfall. Perhaps it is a satire of the genre of semi-erotic poetry into which Hero and Leander falls, using and extending classical images, and especially that of Ganymede, Jupiter's boy-lover, to promote his agenda. The concept of a young boy as a lover was more acceptable at the period, for example, perhaps evidenced by the first hundred (roughly) of Shakespeare's Sonnets. Perhaps Marlowe is merely playing devil's advocate. It is impossible, and indeed to an extent wrong to assume Marlowe's intentions, but the poem stands unique in its explicit notions of homosexuality.' – Kit Treadwell
'Sexuality is a fundamental theme in Marlow’s epyllion. Although the most extensive depictions of sensuality are geared towards heterosexual relations, there is a robust sense of homoerotic lust. In Hero and Leander, the subject of love is deeply interconnected with ancient mythology. This is particularly prominent with queer love. The first implication of homosexual desire is the mention that Jove would be yearning to sip nectar out of Leander’s hand. There is a hint of homosexual concupiscence in this because Jove was involved in sexual activities with a young boy named Ganymede. Jove would sip nectar out of his hand. Moreover, there is a further reference to classical mythology with the description of Hippolitus. Hippolitus was severely chaste and sought after by girls and yet Marlow states that Hippolitus would be swayed by Leander’s beauty and would attempt to court him. Thus, Marlow is inferring Hippolitus’ sexuality. The conjoined nature of homosexuality and mythology in Hero and Leander presents queer love in a powerful and holy nature, and an indulgence enjoyed by the Gods. In addition, the usage of queer love in the poem is strikingly liberal for the time which appears to show Marlow speaking out about acceptance of sexual orientations.' – Adam Pogrund
'Hero and Leander uses the supposed cover of classical tragedy as a vehicle to explore homosexual desire in a strikingly modern way - Leander’s supposed androgyny again serves as a mask from the contemporary censors. It appears on the surface as a heterosexual love story, but the opulent description of Leander - the male hero - openly states that men lusted after him. Marlowe suggests that Leander’s beauty is so great that it surpasses both classical myth and the sexual norms of the time. There’s also a frankly odd episode in which Leander is sexually assaulted by Neptune while out for a swim, drawing on classical ideas of Platonic love, and alluding through ‘grew proud’ to the sea god’s lust. The poem also subverts the sexual norms of the time by undermining traditional male dominance, with various images of men prostrate at women’s feet and celebrations of female eroticism giving a rather different perspective on sex to my presumptions of Elizabethan attitudes.' – Alex Haydn-Williams
'Kit Marlowe’s Hero and Leander stood out for me amongst the poems I have read and studied. It combines colourful imagery which pleases the mind’s eye and paints aesthetic perspectives in words in a superlative fashion, lying in concordance with the Renaissance movement of creative authors. The authorial stance being so intimate with the characters’ physicality, especially Leander’s, creates a very interesting take on sexuality and beauty. Leander’s physical attraction is explored much more and seems more perfect in his bodily presentation, being moulded by the poet as if a Greek statue, fashioned by the gods. The way that the act of sex itself is breezed over in the context of Hero and Leander contrasts with the drawn out sexual play of Neptune, toying with Leander as he crosses the Hellespont. This unconventional stance is a refreshing read and explores a new dimension of sensuality which contemporary poets were not eager to explore. The colourful and hyperbolic imagery as well as the clever juxtaposition between Hero’s externally projected beauty and her chastity as well as the contrast between the very goddess to whom she is pledged in celibacy, Venus, and her priestesshood, challenges ideas of conventional Christian sexuality.'– Nick Montague-Jones
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