Christopher Marlowe was an Elizabethan poet and William Shakespeare's most influential English drama forerunner. He is most well-known for popularizing dramatic blank poetry. Marlowe's talents were varied and brilliant in a playwriting career that lasted only a little more than six years. He wrote about thirty plays, most of which have survived. Marlowe had a huge influence on Shakespeare and other major writers of his time. His work challenged accepted ideas about theatre presentation and encouraged innovation among his contemporaries. Marlowe died at the young age of 36 in 1593 after writing two words: "God hath me now." These words are usually taken to be a reference to God denying him access to the afterlife because of his involvement in religious controversies. However, some scholars believe they may also allude to Marlovian theories of poetic justice, in which case he would have been talking about himself. His body was discovered in a river near London's Globe Theatre, where he had played many of his works. The cause of death was reported by the coroner as "career violence" (a gunshot wound to the head). Marlowe has been called England's first true dramatist. He was responsible for popularizing dramatic blank verse - unrhymed iambic pentameter - which became the standard form for English dramas until the early 17th century.