Christopher Marlowe was an influential Elizabethan poet and playwright known for his tragic plays, particularly 'Tamburlaine,' which transformed public drama by introducing vibrant language and complex themes. His mysterious death in 1593 has sparked various theories, yet remains unresolved. Despite criticisms in later centuries, Marlowe's work laid the groundwork for poetic freedom and inspired subsequent playwrights, including Shakespeare.

1. Christopher Marlowe, baptized Kit Marlowe (Feb 1564 – May 1593),
was an English poet and playwright of the Elizabethan era. He was famous
for the tragic aspects of his plays and greatly influenced William
Shakespeare, who eventually became the most influential Elizabethan
playwright.
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE
In early May 1593, Marlowe was arrested
after being betrayed by his friend
Thomas Kyd. On May 30th, Marlowe
mysteriously died.
Theories of his death include; the Queen
sentencing him to death because of his
atheistic views, being killed on account
of his alleged homosexuality, wounds
inflicted due to a physical brawl,
increasing debt that led to murder.
However, inconclusive autopsy reports
allow wide speculation over Marlowe’s
death even today.
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2. TAMBURLAINE
-Christopher Marlowe
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3. Loosely based on the life of the
Central Asian emperor, Timur,
Tamburlaine changed the face of
Elizabethan public drama. It did
away with clumsy language and
loose plotting, leading to an
interest in fresh and vibrant
language, remarkable action and
intellectual complexity. It is
considered the first popular
success of London’s public stage.
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4. MAIN CHARACTERS
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• Mycetes – Persian emperor
• Cosroe – Brother to Mycetes
• Tamburlaine – Shepherd, later; ruler of Persia
• Zenocrate – Tamburlaine’s wife, daughter of the
Egyptian King
• Calyphas – Tamburlaine’s oldest son
• Bajazeth – Emperor of the Turks
• Zabina – Bajazeth’s wife
• Callapine – Bajazeth’s son

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PLOT
PART 1:
•Tamburlaine is a Scythian Shepherd, functioning as a
bandit.
• Mycetes dispatches troops to kill Tamburlaine.
• Cosroe plots against Mycetes.
• Tamburlaine woos Zenocrate.
• Tamburlaine makes a deal with Mycetes’ soldiers &
Cosroe.
• Tamburlaine defeats Bajazeth.
• Tamburlaine conquers Africa .
• The wedding.
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Damascus
Africa
Persia
TERRITORIES CONQUERED BY TAMBURLAINE

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PART 2:
• Tamburlaine continues his plight to capture
neighbouring kingdoms.
• Disputes between Tamburlaine and Calyphas.
• Callapine escapes and plots to avenge his parents.
• Tamburlaine and Callapine meet in battle.
Tamburlaine claims victory.
• Tamburlaine kills Calyphas.
• Makes the defeated Kings pull his chariot.
“ Holla ye pampered jades of Asia!
What, can ye draw but twenty miles a day?”
• Savagery in Babylon.
• Burning of the Qu’ran.
• Bids his sons to conquer the earth.

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THEMES
• Renaissance Humanism
The play idealizes the potential of man. Tamburlaine is portrayed as
an over-reaching, zealous character. The play does not depict
Tamburlaine praying to God for inspiration and protection before a
battle, which would have been considered the norm.
• Atheism
Burning of the Qu’ran. This completely violates the thinking of the
16th Century, where God was feared and those who disobeyed the
laws of religion were condemned to damnation.
• Morality
Morality is no longer seen as an objective. People are encouraged to
embrace the subjectivity of morality.

9. CRITICAL RECEPTION
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• In 1588, Robert Greene condemned Tamburlaine atheistic in his letter Perimedes
the Blacksmith.
• However, play-goers & playwrights during that time received Tamburlaine with great
enthusiasm. It is believed that Tamburlaine was among the first great plays that
Shakespeare saw in London, and his experience inspired his early works (Henry IV).
• By the 17th Century, hyperbolic language had
gone out of style. Critics during that time wrote
off Tamburlaine as a great play, stating that the
events in the play were ultimately unnatural &
unconvincing.
• Ben Jonson, a renowned critic, stated that the
play “had nothing but scenical strutting and
furious vociferation to warrant them to the
ignorant gapers.”
• Robert Fletcher observed that Marlowe
gained his reputation because he avoided regular
play arrangements and took great care to give his
language poetic condensation and suggestiveness.

10. CONTROVERSY
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In November 2005, a production of Tamburlaine
at the Barbican Arts Centre in London, was accused of
trying to protect Muslim sensibilities by amending the
section of the play in which a copy of the Qu’ran is
burnt. The rewritten sequence showed Tamburlaine
defiling a book meant to represent all religious texts.
However, the director of the play denied the
censorship. He stated that the change was done from a
“purely artistic” point of view in order to establish the
play as an existential epic, without anti-Turkish ideas.

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IMPACT ON LITERATURE
Four decades later, Tamburlaine is still considered a literary
Classic. It paved the way for expressiveness in writing and gave impetus
to “poetic freedom”. Even though Shakespeare surpassed Marlowe as a
playwright, credit must be given to Christopher Marlowe for inspiring
one of the greatest playwrights in the literary world. Considering his
untimely death, we cannot acknowledge that Marlowe reached his
literary peak.
Tamburlaine embraces the
ruthlessness and savagery of human
nature. It does away with idealistic
Elizabethan ideas and presses the audience
to reflect on a fictional character, with the
hope of finding a parallel within our own
lives. It forever changed the face of English
public drama.
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Thank You
Kelly Waller
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