A presentation on Acts I and II of Tamburlaine

1. Getting Started
with
Tamburlaine

2. We open in Persia
The Persian Empire is spread across the Middle
East, ruled by Mongols (think Genghis Khan)
But by the time of the play, the middle of the
fourteenth century, Persia has been broken up – no
longer a unified empire.
From the Annotated Text:
“Marlowe portrays the Persian Empire as whole
and governed by a king, with a ruling class
probably intended to be ethnic Persians, rather
than Mongols; the characters themselves look
back on ancient Persian rulers such as Cyrus the
Great as their heroes.”
In other words, Marlowe is playing fast and loose
with history
Persia then
“Persia” now

3. Mycetes
We start in the court of
Mycetes. A quick note: in the
2007 movie 300, this is what
the (5th century B.C.) Persian
King looked like. Historical
representations of Persian kings
often emphasize their
femininity or androgyny, as
opposed to – for instance – the
Spartan soldier masculinity.
Marlowe’s Mycetes is kind of
like this.

4. Mycetes
Notice his first lines:
Brother Cosroe, I find myself agriev'd;
Yet insufficient to express the same,
For it requires a great and thundering speech:
Good brother, tell the cause unto my lords;
I know you have a better wit than I.
In other words, Mycetes passively “finds himself agriev’d (angry, sad)” but wants to deliver
an important speech, which he doesn’t think he could do, so he tells his brother to do it.
The first line of dialogue in the play, and Marlowe sets up the effete, highly ineffective king
and his brother, who wants to overthrow him.

5. Cosroe is smarter, slyer, and stronger than his
brother. And he wants to – yes – Make Persia
Great Again.
Unhappy Persia,—that in former age
Hast been the seat of mighty conquerors,
That, in their prowess and their policies,
Have triumph'd over Afric, and the bounds
Of Europe where the sun dares scarce appear
For freezing meteors and congealed cold,—
Now to be rul'd and govern'd by a man
At whose birth-day Cynthia with Saturn join'd,
And Jove, the Sun, and Mercury denied
To shed their influence in his fickle brain!
Now Turks and Tartars shake their swords at thee,
Meaning to mangle all thy provinces.
How’s he going to do that? By overthrowing his brother.
What a line! Meaning to mangle
all this provinces. To “mangle!”
The alliteration. What Turks (like
Tamburlaine) want to is pick the
empire up, shake it, and break it
apart.

6. Hamlet / Marlowe
There’s a little bit of Hamlet
here, or perhaps its most
famous modern surrogate:
The Lion King.
Hamlet begins after a
brother has usurped the
throne. Cosroe is
Claudius/Scar; Mycetes is
King Hamlet. But there’s no
son here to avenge Mycetes.
And all this business will be
over by the end of Act II.

7. Notice what happens at Line 55 of Act I
Mycetes is describing a plan to send an army to catch
Tamburlaine, the shepherd “thief” rebel who is robbing and
taking over the Persian Empire. He asks Cosroe if he thinks it’s a
good “kingly resolution.”
Cosroe says, “It cannot choose, because it comes from you.”
This is a fascinating vision of authority. Mycetes is a weak,
ineffectual king, but he’s still the seat of power, which Cosroe
affirms. It must be a good decision if a king makes it. If a king
makes a decision, it must be good. If it’s a good decision, a king
must make it. Etc.
Marlowe brilliantly sets up the key issue of the play: where does
authority lie? When should you challenge it? Who deserves
authority? Is there a power higher than a king, or should there
be?
Because once we meet Tamburlaine, he’s going to even question
the possibility of divine authority.

8. Cosroe’s Plan
Cosroe works with
Mycetes’ unfaithful
advisers to take over his
empire. That’s what the
rest of Act I describes:
the court is crooked and
depraved, but Marlowe
seems to be saying that
the reason is because of
a weak king. The empire
“droops”
Well, since I see the state of Persia droop
And languish in my brother's government,
I willingly receive th' imperial crown,
And vow to wear it for my country's good,
In spite of them shall malice my estate.
A note: it would be interesting if Marlowe set up
Mycetes as a good king – an Arthurian figure, or
even someone resembling the mostly beloved
Queen of his current moment: Elizabeth. We’d be
angry at Cosroe, but instead Marlowe seems to
think that Mycetes should be overthrown. He’s
asking for it. But instead, this is crucial to the
story he wants to tell about the takeover of an
empire by someone who seemingly has no
connection to it.

9. Cut to Act II
It’s difficult to imagine this on the page, and I’ve never seen
a production of Tamburlaine (even a filmed one!), but
please bear with me.
We’ve just seen a conniving brother, a weak king, and lying
advisers. We’ve heard that there’s this guy named
Tamburlaine who is raising hell. The curtain closes.
And the next scene, he just storms in – almost mid-sentence
-with a beautiful kidnapped Egyptian princess and tells her
that she’s better of with him than her father. Also,
Tamburlaine is wearing a shepherd’s robe, so he looks like
he should be cleaning up sheep crap or wittling a lute.
I mean, Marlowe could have had someone enter and say
“Behold the great Tamburlaine” and then there’s music and
pomp and circumstance and a procession. Nope: just this
powerful king telling a woman she’s better off here.

10. Tamburlaine
FWIW, I’m thinking Jason Momoa
as Tamburlaine. He’s not Persian
(he’s Hawaiian), but Tamburlaine
would have been played in 1587
by a British actor, and probably a
very stagy one.
Aquaman and Khal Drogo from
Game of Thrones works. Don’t
know if he can do Elizabethan
dialogue, but let’s hope.

11. Tamburlaine
But if I’m casting this movie
in the 1960s, no doubt: I’m
going with the late Omar
Sharif. He’s Egyptian,
incredibly handsome,
dashing, powerful.

12. Line 21
Tamburlaine’s subordinate, Magnetes, tells him that they have letters from a Turkish sultan offering
support to Tamburlaine. Basically, don’t worry – you’re not going to get any trouble for the law.
Tamburlaine doesn’t say, “great. Thanks.” Instead he responds
But now you see these letters and commands
Are countermanded by a greater man;
Look at that couplet visually: the first line refers to laws and letters and important pieces of paper.
Yet it also refers to the authority (that word again) behind them.
And the next line says, they are “countermanded,” a word we never use but that we can tell exactly
what it means, by a “greater man” – him.
Yet the part that gets me is the “now you see.” Everything I’m doing proves my greatness, and it’s a
greatness that transcends pieces of paper and the authority that those pieces of paper represent.

13. And now comes my favorite line in the play.
Tamburlaine finds out that Zenocrate is to be married. And he responds to
this by saying that he is a “Lord,” even though he was born in a low place,
that he’s a shepherd. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have the social or
financial or family status. His “deeds shall prove” that he is a Lord.
And he’s going to be a “terror to the world.”
And my favorite line is not something someone says, but a stage direction
that happens mid-scene . And depending on which text you have, you may
not see it. Tamburlaine talks to his robe (a totally normal thing) and says “Lie
here ye weeds that I disdain to wear.” And here’s the line:

14. He removes his shepherd’s clothing to reveal his armour beneath.

15. He removes his shepherd’s clothing to reveal his
armour beneath.
Symbolic? Of course. Dramatic? Obviously. Flamboyant? You think?
Tamburlaine is a performer, just like the actor playing him. But he
believes that the things he wears – what we see on the outside –
doesn’t define him any more than a letter sent to say “the law’s on
your side.”
If you watch this live, you might wonder if Tamburlaine is going to be
completely naked underneath. That would be . . . Something. But
instead, he shows his armor. He’s a warrior.

16. A thought
It’s interesting to see Tamburlaine reveal who he
“really” is by showing off his armor. I mean, the armor
is great. He may have taken it from the Egyptians. But
he says this armor represents him because it’s
awesome.
There’s a scene in the terrible movie that some people
love called Spring Breakers. In it, these four college
girls get in trouble and are bailed out by an idiotic drug
dealer named Alien. When they get to his house, he
shows them all his “shit”: his clothes, his weapons, his
bed, his – um- tanning oil.
I can’t help but think that one some level we should
think, critically, that Tamburlaine is kind of pathetic in
showing off this armor, the kind of thing he never had,
as a sign of his great power and character.
I got Scarface. On repeat. SCARFACE
ON REPEAT. Constant, y'all! I got
Escape! Calvin Klein Escape! Mix it up
with Calvin Klein Be. Smell nice? I
SMELL NICE!

17. But . . .
Here’s the thing, and this is crucial to the way we read the play:
Tamburlaine is this powerful. He is this effective. He’s everything Mycetes is
not. And Cosroe is going to (not surprisingly) join up with him to take his
brother out.
He says “I hold the Fates bound fast in iron chains,
And with my hand turn Fortune's wheel about;
And sooner shall the sun fall from his sphere
Than Tamburlaine be slain or overcome.”

18. Here’s the thing
Tamburlaine in these scenes is a
wrecking crew. He’s Thanos. He’s
General Zod from Superman. He’s the
most charismatic and interesting person
on the planet, even though he’s from
humble origin. He believes he is willed
by . . . something . . . to take over the
world, and he’s doing it one wussy king
at a time. The play at times seems to be
laughing at the power of kings, even as
its depicting this one guy as the most
supremely capable person who might
have ever existed.

19. Theridamas
The next moment proves this. I love this part.
Theridamas, who we met in Act One, comes in. He’s got an
army with him, and he wants Tamburlaine to surrender. This
is going to be interesting.
Theridamas is immediately impressed:
A Scythian shepherd so embellished
With nature's pride and richest furniture!
His looks do menace heaven and dare the gods;
His fiery eyes are fix'd upon the earth,
As if he now devis'd some stratagem,
Or meant to pierce Avernus' darksome vaults
To pull the triple-headed dog from hell.
(he likes the armor!)
(he “menaces”
the gods.)
Rereading this I’m struck by
all the M words Marlowe
uses. Note the play of
“menacing” and meant,” as
well as “embellished” and
the softer ending of
“stratagem.”

20. This is the play in a nutshell
Theridamas comes in ready to
overthrow Tamburlaine, on
the king’s orders.
Tamburlaine gives a speech.
Theridamas completely
submits to Tamburlaine after
hearing this speech.
Theridamas says
What strong enchantments tice my
yielding soul
To these resolved, noble Scythians!
But shall I prove a traitor to my king?

21. Here’s why this is important
Just as Marlowe wants us to immediately believe
Mycetes is weak, he also wants us to know that
Tamburlaine is amazing. (The armor thing
complicates things, but that’s a stretch).
It’s not just that he believes he’s amazing: other
people do too. The Theridamas moment is kind of
ridiculous. Tamburlaine gives one speech to this
powerful, previously loyal general and completely
converts him. It’s almost like he hypnotizes him
(and Theridamas realizes it: he’s been “enticed.”)
Marlowe could do anything he wants with his
representation of Tamburlaine. He doesn’t care
about the actual Tamburlaine (whose real name
was “Timur”).

22. In the first Avengers movie, Loki
has this power – mind-control
basically – but for him it’s magic.
Tamburlaine does it entirely
through words.
He’s not a superhero, just a
shepherd.

23. Throughout the rest of the play
Tamburlaine will
continue to assert his greatness
continue to make progress to taking over Persia
win the love of Zenocrate
convince others that he is divinely inspired
We’re only reading Tamburlaine Part One. In that one he’ll die. Thus the
tragedy of Tamburlaine, the hero who falls from a high place.

24. The End?
At the end of Part One, Tamburlaine is on top of the world.
It’s likely that 1580s and 90s audiences would have stayed through the
whole thing, but think about how Marlowe leaves things at the end of
this first act. With a defiant rebel having taken power and conquered all
his enemies (who weren’t even really “enemies” – they just stood in his
way).

25. A few key lines from Acts I and II
And so mistake you not a whit, my lord;
For fates and oracles [of] heaven have sworn
To royalize the deeds of Tamburlaine,
And make them blest that share in his attempts:
Tamburlaine believes he that everything he
does is right, and that it is destiny to have
everything he’s done be right.

26. A few key lines from Acts I and II
Menaphon, a Persian Lord, who
has submitted to Tamburlaine tells
Cosroe what he thinks of
Tamburlaine. I’ve bolded the key
words. There is something vaguely
erotic, it seems, about
Menaphon’s
Of stature tall, and straightly fashioned,
Like his desire, lift upwards and divine;
So large of limbs, his joints so strongly knit,
Such breadth of shoulders as might mainly bear
Old Atlas' burden; 'twixt his manly pitch,
A pearl more worth than all the world is plac'd,
Wherein by curious sovereignty of art
Are fix'd his piercing instruments of sight,
Whose fiery circles bear encompassed
A heaven of heavenly bodies in their spheres,
That guides his steps and actions to the throne
Where honour sits invested royally;
Pale of complexion, wrought in him with passion,
Thirsting with sovereignty and love of arms;
His lofty brows in folds do figure death,
And in their smoothness amity and life;
About them hangs a knot of amber hair,
Wrapped in curls, as fierce Achilles' was,
On which the breath of heaven delights to play,
Making it dance with wanton majesty;
His arms and fingers long and sinewy,
Betokening valour and excess of strength;—
In every part proportion'd like the man
Should make the world subdu'd to Tamburlaine.

27. A few key from Acts I and II
At the end of Act II, Tamburlaine
has dominated. Everybody.
Look at what he says here:
originally, he was saying he was
“royalized” by his deeds and that
he had divine power. Now he’s
even made at the gods. And he’s
coming for them.
Though Mars himself, the angry god of arms,
And all the earthly potentates conspire
To dispossess me of this diadem,
Yet will I wear it in despite of them,
As great commander of this eastern world,
If you but say that Tamburlaine shall reign.