Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

USUMCASANE

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)Cas.. | Vsum. | Vsu. | Cas. | Vsu
Words363
Characters1995
Typicality0.31 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA07004.2
BritDrama no.789
ClusterCluster 2 — Allegory, Nature & pageant voices

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Blush heaven to lose the honour of thyname, To see thy footstool set upon thy head, And let no baseness in thy haughty breast, Sustain a shame of such inexcellence: To see the devils mount in Angels thrones, And Angels dive into the pools of hell. And though they think their painful date is out, And that their power is puissant as Jove's, Which makes them manage arms against thy state, Yet make them feel the strength of Tamburlain, Thy instrument and note of Maisty. Is greater far than they can thus subdue. For if he die, thy glory is disgraced, Earth droops and says that hell in heaven is placed. My Lord our men of Barbary have martcht Four hundred miles with armour on their backs, And lain in leagre fifteen months and more, For since we left you at the Souldan's court, We have subdued the Southern Guallatia, And all the land unto the coast of Spain. We kept the narrow straight of Gibralter, And made Canarea call us kings and Lords, Yet never did they recreate themselves, Or cease one day from war and hight alarms, And therefore let them rest a while my Lord. I joy my Lord, your highness is so strong, That can endure so well your royal presence, Which only will dismay the enemy. Magnificent & peerless Tamburlaine, I and my neighbour King of Fesse have brought To aid thee in this Turkish expedition, A hundred thousand expert soldiers: From Azamor to Tunys near the sea, Is Barbary unpeopled for thy sake, And all the men in armour under me, Which with my crown I gladly offer thee. I long to pierce his bowels with my sword, That hath betrayed my gracious Sovereign, That cursed and damned Traitor Almeda. My Lord, your presence makes them pale and won. Poor souls they look as if their death's were near. Here they are my Lord. Then feels your majesty no sovereign ease, Nor may our hearts all drowned in tears of blood, Joy any hope of your recovery? Your Majesty already hath devised A mean, as fit as may be to restrain These coltish coach-horse tongues from blasphemy.

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.