A Stationer in Mourning and a Classical Poet Celebrating Marital Love: A Comparison of Hero and Leander Q1 and Q2.

This article focuses on the editorial and paratextual transformation of Christopher Marlowe’s unfinished poem *Hero and Leander* (referred to as Q-) by George Chapman in its second edition (Q). While the first edition, published posthumously by stationer Edward Blount, served as a memorial to Marlowe, Chapman’s continuation and the addition of a paired dedication in Q shift the work’s emphasis toward celebrating the marital love of the patrons, the Walsinghams. The article situates this editorial choice within the broader reception history of the *Hero and Leander* legend, which has been interpreted as exemplifying marital love despite its tragic narrative. It argues that Chapman’s edition functions as an “epithalamic epic,” aligning himself with the classical poet Musaeus and asserting his poetic authority after Marlowe’s death. [Extracted from the article]