god into throwing his mace at Leander, which he
regrets and calls back.
Leander arrives cold and naked at Hero’s door,
where he begs to rest upon her bed and bosom. When
he lies down, she is embarrassed and hides beneath the
covers. However, Leander’s hands ensnare her. He
speaks beguilingly to her, and then becomes more
forceful. Still confl icted, she resists, but with only half
her strength. Afterward she is ashamed and wants to
leave Leander in the bed alone, but he grabs her and
triumphantly admires her naked body while her blush-
ing cheeks light up the room. Morning is now coming,
and the poem (or fragment) ends with an elaborate
mythological allusion in which night is mocked by the
light of day and retreats to hell fi lled with anguish,
shame, and rage, the emotions that Hero is feeling.
The magic of Hero and Leander lies not in its plot but
in its tone and wit. It is at once comic and erotic, ironic
and tender, satirical and sad. It recalls the CLASSICAL
TRADITION but also includes “myths” of Marlowe’s own
creation. Events happen quickly, but Marlowe lingers
over detailed descriptions and digressions. The focus is
on sex and the tension between desire and innocence.
For instance, Leander fi rst seems to be an experienced
and sophisticated seducer: “Who taught thee rhetoric
to deceive a maid?” asks Hero (l. 338). Nonetheless, at
other times he seems inexperienced and ignorant: He
fails to recognize fl irtatious overtures such as Hero’s
dropped fan, and when he and Hero are fi rst together,
he has no idea of what “else was to be done” beyond
hugging and kissing (l. 536). Moreover, he is com-
pletely confounded by Neptune’s attempt at seduction,
despite the god’s obvious intent.
The poem displays intriguing perspectives on
human sexuality. The narrator has a number of stereo-
typical and even cynical comments on female sexual-
ity: “All women are ambitious naturally” (l. 428) and
“In such wars women use but half their strength” (l.
780). Other aspects of the poem reverse gendered con-
ventions. Critics often comment about the mock BLA-
ZON, which creates an image of Hero’s beauty and
erotic appeal through a description of her clothing
rather than her body. Leander’s beauty, however, is
evoked through the traditional blazon, typically
reserved for women. The poem lingers on his neck,
shoulder, breast, belly, back, and eyes, ending with the
assertion that it is men who are moved by such beauty:
“For in his looks were all that men desire” (l. 84)
explains Neptune’s homoerotic attentions. Other
scholars have noted the disparity between Hero’s pro-
fession—priestess of Venus, goddess of love—and her
apparent chastity. Feminist critics have also explored
the violence of Hero and Leander’s sexual encounter,
particularly as a misogynist comment.
FURTHER READING
Brown, Georgia E. “Breaking the Canon: Marlowe’s Chal-
lenge to the Literary Status Quo in Hero and Leander.”
In Marlowe, History, and Sexuality: New Critical Essays
on Christopher Marlowe, edited by Paul Whitfi eld White,
59–75. New York: AMS Press, 1998.
———. “Marlowe’s Poems and Classicism.” In The Cam-
bridge Companion to Christopher Marlowe, edited by Patrick
Cheney, 106–126. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2004.
Cheney, Patrick, and Brian J. Striar. The Collected Poems of
Christopher Marlowe. New York: Oxford University Press,
2006.
Martz, Louis L., ed. Hero and Leander by Christopher Mar-
lowe: A Facsimile of the First Edition. London 1598. New
York: Johnson Reprint Organization; Washington: The
Folger Shakespeare Library, 1972.
Bruce E. BrandtHEROIC COUPLET This is a rhyming COUPLET
written in iambic pentameter, a common poetic device
used in EPICs and other heroic-themed poems.HEYWOOD, JOHN See “BALLAD ON THE MAR-
RIAGE OF PHILIP AND MARY, A.”HOCCLEVE, THOMAS (THOMAS OCC-
LEVE) (ca. 1367–1426) Little is known of Thomas
Hoccleve’s early life, although it has been suggested
that his family originated from the village of Hockliffe
in Bedfordshire. From 1387, we have records of his
employment as a clerk at the Privy Seal offi ce in West-
minster, where he was employed to copy writs, peti-
tions, grants, and other offi cial documents. In his free
time, he pursued a career as a poet, although he never
obtained the quasi-laureate status of his contemporary,218 HEROIC COUPLET