I finished part II of Tamburlaine by Marlowe. I read these plays in my undergraduate days and must say I do not even remember them. It might be that the action of the play was usually halted with long speeches, especially by the titular character. This play was similar to part I, in that Tamburlaine is continuing to grow his empire through conquest, except now he is losing people around him. Hs wife Zenocrate dies, he kills his effiminate son, and then he succumbs to some sickness. In the plays "cruel Tamburlaine" is never defeated, but dies of a bodily sickness. I guess in the end he wasn't greater than Jove, and was mortal.
As far as main characters there is nothing likeable about Tamburlaine. In Part I his mockery of his victims was amusing, but by Part II he is beyond cruel, and a scourge of mankind. He is a disgusting character that torments and kills everything in his way. Por ejemplo, his wife Zenocrate dies of sickness in a town, so he burns the town so it is also wearing mourning colors. And of course everyone in the town is killed by drowning. Oh Renaissance drama, you really know how to make a guy feel good! I plan on starting Edward II this week, maybe I will hold off on that plan.
Showing posts with label Tamburlaine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tamburlaine. Show all posts
Monday, 6 February 2012
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Marlowe
So its been about a decade since I read Christopher Marlowe, and somewhere in there he somehow is not as amazing as I remember when I first read him. Maybe I didn't have much to compare him with other than Shakespeare, and they are pretty even when it comes to writing. But now, he just seems wordy. His characters speechify all the time compared to the more flowing and excited Middleton.
Having said that, Tamburlaine Part I was still good. A lot of the speeches I enjoyed even though they went on a little longer than reality. I couldn't help but wonder how the play would have looked in the hands of a Webster or Middleton, probably a little sicker and twisted. The scenes with the former Persian King being placed in a cage and eating table scraps were quite amusing until he "brains himself on the cage bars".
I will start Part II tonight.
Having said that, Tamburlaine Part I was still good. A lot of the speeches I enjoyed even though they went on a little longer than reality. I couldn't help but wonder how the play would have looked in the hands of a Webster or Middleton, probably a little sicker and twisted. The scenes with the former Persian King being placed in a cage and eating table scraps were quite amusing until he "brains himself on the cage bars".
I will start Part II tonight.
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