Tamburlaine the great

The main characteristics of ‘Tamburlaine the Great’
Tamburlaine the Great is Christopher Marlowe's first theatrical work, written in two parts and initially performed in 1587-8 before being published in 1590. It follows Tamburlaine's transformation from a lowly Scythian shepherd to a great tartar conqueror and magnificent emperor. Part I begins with a debate between Mycetes, King of Persia, and his brother, Cosroe, about Tamburlaine's threats to the realm and Mycetes' weakness as a king. The latter directs Theridamas, the commander of his forces, to assassinate Tamburlaine. Instead of fighting Tamburlaine, he persuades Theridamas, who is marching with a thousand soldiers, to join his side. Meanwhile, Cosroe, who is determined to usurp his brother's throne, joins Tamburlaine in his quest. Tamburlaine and Cosroe beat Mycetes, but Tamburlaine challenges Cosroe to a fight for the Persian throne, which he easily wins. Tamburlaine also defeats the Turks and captures their king, Bajazeth, and queen, Zabina, as captives. He humiliates and tortures them, and in order to escape their sad situation, they commit themselves by banging their brains against the prison bars. Tamburlaine then kidnaps Zenocrate, the Egyptian princess, and makes her his queen. Agydas, a Median or Iranian Lord, begs Zenocrate to leave Tamburlaine, but Zenocrate is adamant about her intention to marry Tamburlaine. Tamburlaine, on the other hand, is surprised by Agydas' remark and commits suicide, fearing punishment at the hands of the ruthless Tamburlaine.
The sultan of Egypt, Zenocrate's father, resolves to halt Tamburlaine's invasion of Egypt. As a result, he seeks assistance from the king of Arabia, who was Zenocrate's fiancée until Tamburlaine abducted her. Tamburlaine marches to battle the sultan and king of Arabia, despite Zenocrate's pleadings to pity her father and countrymen. This section concludes with Tamburlaine's victory and the death of Arabia's ruler.
Tamburlaine murders his son Calyphas for being a coward at the start of Part II while training his three sons on the art of war. Callapine, Bajazeth's son, who is Tamburlaine's prisoner in Egypt, persuades his jailer to help him escape by promising him a kingdom. He escapes and is crowned Turkish Emperor, swearing to avenge his father's death.
Tamburlaine then learns that Zenocrate is sick. The physicians are unable to save her life, and she dies. Tamburlaine, distraught over his wife's death, destroys the city in which she died, urging the locals not to rebuild it.
Tamburlaine's army invades Natolia, east of Turkey, and captures its monarch's wife, Olympia, after she murders her son and burns his body along with her husband's. Theridamas wants to court her, but she gets him to stab her in order to die.
Tamburlaine proclaims his authority after capturing the monarchs of Soria, or Syria, and Trebizon (north of Turkey) by riding his chariot drawn by the captive kings of Soria and Trebizon and ordering his warriors to rape the Turkish concubines. Then he orders the hanging of the kings. Tamburlaine's next victory comes over the king of Babylon, who refuses to relinquish control of the city and is therefore hung in chains and slain. He orders that the entire population of Babylon be drowned. Callapine, who survived the battle of Natolia, raises an army and prepares to assault Tamburlaine once more. Tamburlaine, who is now terminally ill, is satisfied to scare them away rather than pursue them because he is too weak to do so. When he considers his conquests, he laments the fact that he will not live to capture new territories. Tamburlaine dies after crowning his son and successor Amyras in the second act of the play.
Tamburlaine the Great was based on the life of Timur the Lame, the Asian ruler. However, as Liza Hopkins points out, Marlowe's purpose is not to provide "a straightforward copy of the life of a real figure"¹. According to Hopkins, the author is "less interested in what happened to the real Timur than he is in establishing the picture of an unstoppable superman"². Tamburlaine's violent conquests, as well as his excessive violence and pride, are glorified in the play. It is a story of battle, love, ambition, and power. It emphasizes the perils of unbridled ambition and striving. Nonetheless, it must be stressed from the outset that this play is not a morality play attempting to demonstrate the effects of ambition and pride as faults. According to Irving Ribner, Marlowe's purpose in this play is to portray Tamburlaine as "a hero not because of any Christian virtues, but because of a Machiavellian virtue that enables him to manage fortune and obtain success in his ventures."³. Furthermore, Ribner claims that "the play is an exaltation of virtue, and this subject positions Tamburlaine outside the Christian universe of divine providence that rewards good and punishes evil"⁴.