Tamburlaine the GreatTamburlaine the Great achieved, and sustained, great success on the Elizabethan stage. And it speaks provocatively to our own time, when it has been the subject of numerous major productions. Timur Khan--to give Tamburlaine his original name--was long perceived in the West as a ruthless conqueror, whose career was marked by vindictive massacres, the sacking of enemy cities and the assertion of egotistic will. In this light, his career connects with twentieth-century experience of genocide, ideological justifications of brutality and conflicts of rival religions’ faiths. It is significant that the 1990s--four centuries on from Marlowe’s play--have seen the development in Uzbekistan, of a vindication of Timur, perceived as a heroic and admirable figure in this state newly "liberated" from the Soviet hegemony. |
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Africa Agydas Almeda Amyras Anippe Arabia Argier armour arms army Asia Babylon Bajazeth Basso battle beauty blood Boötes brave burning Callapine Calyphas Captain Casane Celebinus chariot Christians Christopher Marlowe conquered conquest Cosroe crown Damascus death divine Zenocrate doth earth Egypt emperor Enter Exeunt eyes fair Zenocrate father fear fiery fire Fortune fury Gazellus Governor grief hath heart heaven hell honour host Jerusalem Jove King of Fez King of Persia live looks lord Mahomet majesty Marlowe Marlowe's martial Meander Menaphon mighty Tamburlaine Mycetes Natolia Olympia Orcanes Ortygius Perdicas pity play proud royal SCENE scourge Scythian siege siege of Damascus Sigismond slave soldiers Soria soul stars Sultan sweet sword syllable stressed Tamburlaine plays Techelles tent thee Theridamas Thou shalt thousand horse throne Timur town Trebizond triumph Turk Turkish unto Usumcasane victory villain walls wound wrath Zabina Zenocrate Zenocrate's ΙΟ