Tamburlaine the Great, Part 1 is a blank verse tragedy by Christopher Marlowe. It dramatizes the rise of Tamburlaine, a Scythian shepherd who becomes a powerful conqueror and is called the Scourge of God. The play is known for its soaring poetry and its exploration of ambition and power.
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Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.
Opening of the book
TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT, IN TWO PARTS. This is Part I. By Christopher Marlowe Edited By The Rev. Alexander Dyce. Skip to Part II. TRANSCRIBER'S COMMENTS ON THE PREPARATION OF THE E-TEXT: SQUARE BRACKETS: The square brackets, i.e. [ ] are copied from the printed book, without change, except that the stage directions usually do not have closing brackets. These have been added. FOOTNOTES: For this E-Text version of the book, the footnotes have been consolidated at the end of the play. Numbering of the footnotes has been changed, and each footnote is given a unique identity in the form [XXX]. CHANGES TO THE TEXT:
Character names were expanded. For Example, TAMBURLAINE was TAMB., ZENOCRATE was ZENO., etc. GREEK: One word, appearing in note 115, was printed in Greek Characters. This word has been transliterated as [deiktikos]. Tamburlaine the Great. Who, from a Scythian Shephearde by his rare and woonderfull Conquests, became a most puissant and mightye Monarque. And (for his tyranny, and terrour in Warre) was tearmed, The Scourge of God. Deuided into two Tragicall Discourses, as they were sundrie times shewed vpon Stages in the Citie of London. By the right honorable the Lord Admyrall, his seruauntes. Now first, and newlie published. London. Printed by Richard Ihones: at the signe of the Rose and Crowne neere Holborne Bridge. 1590. 4to.
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