Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

FREDERICK

in 2 Tamburlaine the Great — Marlowe, Christopher

Metadata

Play2 Tamburlaine the Great
AuthorMarlowe, Christopher
Year (catalogued)1590
First performance1588
Decade1590s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyAdmiral's (Nottingham's) Men
Speech prefix(es)Fred.
Words269
Characters1547
Typicality0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA07004.2
BritDrama no.789
ClusterCluster 14 — Law & judgment

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

And we from Europe to the same intent, Which if your General refuse or scorn, Our Tents are pitched, our men stand in array. Ready to charge you ere you stir your feet. Your Majesty remembers I am sure What cruel slaughter of our Christian bloods, These heathenish Turks and Pagans lately made, Betwixt the city Zula and Danubius How through the amid of Verna and Bulgaria And almost to the very walls of Room, They have not long since massacred our Camp, It rests now then that your Maiesly Take all advantages of time and power, And work revenge upon these Infidels: Your Highness knows for Tamburlaines repair, That strikes a terror to all Turkish hearts, Natoliam hath dismissed the greatest partly Of all his army, pitched against our power Betwixt Cutheia and Orminius mount: And sent them marching up to Belgasar, Acantha, Antioch, and Caesariam, To aid the kings of Soria and Jerusalem. Now thou my Lord, advantage take hereof, And issue suddenly upon the rest: That in the fortune of their overthrow, We may discourage all the pagan troop, That dare attempt to war with Christians. Assure your Grace 'tis superstition To stand so strictly on dispensive faith: And should we loose the opportunity That God hath given to venge our Christians death And scourge their foul blasphemous Paganism: As fell to Saul, to Balaam and the rest, That would not kill and curse at Gods command, So surely will the vengeance of the highest And jealous anger of his fearful arm Be poured with rigour on our sinful heads, If we neglect this offered victory.

Plot summary

Plot — 2 Tamburlaine the Great
Q@reames has invaded Europe, but the advance of @amiburlaine in Asia forces him to make peace: he concludes a defensive treaty with SigiSiOHa) and both swear by the gods of their respective religions. Sigismond breaks his vow and makes war; Orcanes prays to Jesus Christ for victory, and Sigismond interprets his defeat as divine vengeance for his perjury. Bajazetli’s son @allapimé escapes from prison in Egypt by offering his jailer wealth and a crown. He is installed as Emperor of Turkey, and he and (Bamiburlaine muster their forces for war on one another. Tamburlaine encourages his sons to martial pursuits, and promises to settle the succession on the most warlike, not the eldest. He teaches them courage by wounding himself, but @alypHaS proves reluctant. Zenoeraté dies. Tamburlaine has her body embalmed and takes it with him; Bamissa, the town of her death, is burned. @echelles and [iieridamas besiege BalSSPA at the Syrian frontier. The fort is taken and its captain shot; determined not to outlive him, his wife Olympia kills her son but is captured before she can kill herself. Miteridamias woos her, and threatens rape when she rejects him. She offers him an ointment that will make him invulnerable, and offers to test it by anointing her own throat; this turns out to be a trick to make him kill her. Wamburiaine’s forces arrive at the frontier and give battle. GalyphasiStays away, preferring to play cards, so Tamburlaine kills him. Callapine’s subject kings are captured and made to draw Tamburlaine’s chariot, while the Turkish concubines are given to the common soldiers. Callapine himself escapes and regroups while Tamburlaine marches on Babylon. EH@GG¥ErHOE is captured, hung up in chains on his city walls, and shot. The citizens are drowned in the asphalt lake nearby. Tamburlaine burns the Koran and challenges Muhammad to take vengeance. He is taken ill and dies, regretting the parts of the world he has left unconquered. Amyras succeeds his father, while Callapine’s army advances.