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Context Theatre / Tamburlaine

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1!!As Marlowe's plays are OlderThanSteam and this one is based on historical events, all spoilers on this page are [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked]].
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4->''Come, let us march against the powers of heaven,''\
5''And set black streamers in the firmament,''\
6''To signify the slaughter of the gods.''
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8''Tamburlaine'' (or ''Tamburlaine the Great'') is a play in two parts by Creator/ChristopherMarlowe. It is very loosely based on the life of the 14th-century Central Asian emperor UsefulNotes/TimurTheLame.
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10!!This play contains examples of:
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12* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Zenocrete.
13* AmbitionIsEvil: The only way to get anywhere in the world is to murder your way to the top. Subverted in that it's presented as a noble activity.
14* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Agydas. Actually, it's a case of either stabbing himself and dying instantly or being tortured to death.
15* BreakTheHaughty: Tamburlaine in the second part. Bajazeth in the first.
16* ByronicHero: Tamburlaine.
17* BuryYourGays: Mycetes.
18* TheCaligula: Tamburlaine as the story progresses.
19* CampGay: King Mycetes.
20* ComeToGawk: After Tamburlaine conquers the Turks, he keeps the former Emperor Bajazeth in a cage and feeds him on table scraps.
21* DeathSeeker: Olympia
22* TheDeterminator: Tamburlaine.
23* DoNotTauntCthulhu: Tamburlaine can massacre Muslims by the million without any divine retaliation, but when he burns the Koran and says Muhammad is nothing special…
24* DrivenToSuicide: Bajazeth, the deposed Emperor of the Turks.
25* EmergencyMultifaithPrayer: When after solemnly swearing peace by Christ the much more numerous Christian army attack the Turkish army, Turkish commander Orcanes calls on Christ to intervene. The Turks win handily.
26* TheEpic
27* EvilRedhead: Tamburlaine is described as having amber curls.
28* FromNobodyToNightmare: "Tamburlaine? He's just a sheep herder..."
29* TheHypocrite: the governor of Babylon urges his soldiers and population to resist to the last man, resulting in the city being destroyed and the population massacred. When he is brought before Tamburlaine, he offers him his treasure to be spared. It doesn't work.
30* LeaveNoSurvivors: When one kingdom sends in their maidens pleading that Tamburlaine have mercy on them his response is essentially "[[KickTheDog you should have surrendered when I gave you the chance.]]"
31* SelfMadeMan: Tamburlaine. Sheep-herder turned world conqueror.
32* SiblingRivalry: Tamburlaine's younger sons, although they seem to like their ineffectual older brother and try to shield him from the consequences of his actions.
33* TakeOverTheWorld: Tamburlaine's goal.
34* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The play is inspired by the life of the 14th-century Central Asian emperor Timur, but with a large quantity of dramatic license.
35* VillainProtagonist: Tamburlaine.
36* WeHaveReserves: Bajazeth boasts that he has so many troops that it doesn't matter how many Tamburlaine's men kill; the reinforcements will just use the corpses as building material.
37* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Tamburlaine does this to the conspirators when he takes the Persian crown.
38* YouKilledMyFather: In part 2, the son of Bajazeth raises an army and comes after Tamburlaine, and another after the defeat of the first. Subverted as Tamburlaine routs them with the greatest ease.
39* YoungConqueror: Tamburlaine.

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