Tamburlaine the Great (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Christopher Marlowe
- First Published: 1590
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Tragedy
- Time of Work: Fourteenth century
- Setting: Asia
- Genres: Drama, Tragedy
- Subjects: Slavery or slaves, Asia or Asians, War, Death or dying, Kings, queens, or royalty, Heroes or heroism, Fourteenth century
- Locales: Asia
Characters Discussed
Tamburlaine (TAM-bur-layn), the magniloquent Scythian shepherd who, becoming the ruler of vast lands in Africa and the Middle East, calls himself “the Scourge of God.” Absolutely ruthless, he kills the defenseless women and children in conquered cities and stabs his own son when he finds him gambling during an important battle. He is pre-eminently theatrical, delighting in triumphal pageants and in such spectacular effects as changing the color of his tents from white to red to black while he waits outside a city for its surrender or its challenge. This...
[The entire page is 1056 words long]
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