Other activities included forensic analysis using the disciplines of chemistry to give a practical insight into some of the ways by which certain substances can be identified, which can prove invaluable in a criminal investigation. ‘The forensic work was extremely enjoyable as I got to carry out the experiments to help discover who killed Kit Marlowe. ’ The boys looked at the genre of journalistic writing and composed their own sensational headlines and copy for a newspaper of the time describing the details of Marlowe’s murder. ‘I enjoyed journalistic writing the most, as I liked using my imagination to put the story into context and work with my friends in a group.’ Finally there was a code-breaking session with the Classics department, in which the code was the old English language. The task was to identify what type
of word each old-English word was in a series of fictional Elizabethan restaurant reviews. This activity showed how historians interpret accounts from the days of Marlowe, in which many words have become disused to the point of being forgotten. ‘The code–breaking was very challenging, I enjoyed that the most.’ The day ended for the boys with a talk by the archaeologist Simon Blatherwick on archaeology in London, and what kind of sites and items are found from centuries ago beneath the ground and the fascinating story that tells us about our history. This was followed by a dramatic interpretation of Marlowe’s death, stage–managed by Year 10 boys, and based on what they had discovered throughout the day. ‘I found discussing conspiracy theories in the Library most interesting, as it allowed me to share my views with my friends and talk about different ideas.’
Visiting actors work with boys on the sword-fighting activity.
Boys examine conspiracy theories around Marlowe’s death.
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