The Complete Plays (80 page)

meteors
: Meteorological phenomena.

13–15  
At whose birthday… brain
: Mycetes was born under the
conjunction of the changeable Moon (Cynthia) and dull Saturn, and without the benign influences of Jupiter (greatness), the Sun (majesty) and Mercury (wisdom, eloquence).

15        
their
: For O's
his
, a mistaken anticipation of the use of the pronoun later in the line.

19        
through your planets
: Mycetes understands Cosroe's astrological lore.

33        
pull my plumes
: Like his ‘flocks' of travellers (32), Mycetes will be easy pickings (like domestic fowl for a fox).

36–8
Scythian thief… Isles
: From Scythia (a traditionally barbarous region in central Asia, north of the Black Sea), Tamburlaine intercepts the overland trade route from the capital of Persia to Britain and Ireland.
Trading
(38) is the reading of the second octavo; other early texts read
Treading
.

39        
confines
: Borders, hence territories.

41        
dreaming prophecies
: Prophetic dreams, or perhaps prophecies as meaningless as dreams.

45        
vagrant ensign
: Nomadic banner.

50        
Damon
: A byword for friendship. See (N).

63        
gall
: Bile, rancour. The antecedent of ‘Whose' is unclear; the line perhaps conflates the horses with their riders, but they are an odd subject for ‘Have sworn' (64).

66        
the Grecian dame
: Helen of Troy.

67–8  
Time… today
: Like the rhyme, the proverbs (Tilley T323, 327) are banal.

69        
borrowed
: From the sun.

87        
task
: Necessary to metre and sense, but missing from all early texts.

89        
Assyria
: This emendation of O's
Affrica
seems necessary to both geography and metre. Cf. line 164. Babylon once formed part of the Assyrian empire.

98        
kiss it
: One would sometimes kiss an object (e.g. the Bible) on which one swore an oath. Cosroe may also be punning on ‘seat' (=arse) in response to Mycetes's reference to his throne (97).

99        
Embossed
: Richly decorated.

107      
mated
: (Here) daunted.

109      
pass
: (Here) care.

111      
Median
: From Media, the north-eastern part of the Persian empire.

118      
resolve
: Melt, dissolve.

119      
equinoctial line
: The equator (apparently indicating people from much farther west; or perhaps an error for the northern tropic).

130      
Cyrus
: Cyrus the Great of Persia (N) overran the Ionian Greek cities of Asia Minor. Though the armies of his son Darius I invaded
Greece, only
his
son Xerxes led his own forces into Europe in 480 BC.

131–2  
forces… Christendom
: Perhaps referring to the Byzantine empire.

135.1  SD
CENEUS
: O's
Conerus
is a phantom character, produced by a misreading of this name.

137      
states
: (Here) peers, noblemen.

153–4  
Macedonians… host
: Alexander the Great of Macedon (N) defeated Darius III in 333 and 331
BC
.

159      
them shall malice
: Those who will resent.

166      
late-discovered isles
: The West Indies or islands in the eastern oceans.

182      
too exasperate
: So exasperated as.

Scene
2

8          
mean
: Low-born.

10        
silly
: (Here) defenceless.

15        
privy signet
: Document of authorization, with the royal seal.
hand
: Signature.

16        
thorough Africa
: I.e. to Egypt. In some medieval traditions, ‘Africa' designated the Turkish empire. See Seaton 1924:20.

18        
the puissant Cham
: The Great Khan, ruler of Mongolia and Tartary.

28        
prizes… precinct
: Treasure out of my hands.

29        
For… my state
: I.e. he needs booty to feed his infant power.

33        
for… import
: I.e. he acts like a lord.

41        
Lie
…
weeds
: His change of clothes marks symbolically his transition from shepherd to conqueror.

45        
success… unvaluèd
: Outcome and incalculable loss.

50–51  
exhalations… earth
: Earthquakes were attributed to winds trying to escape from beneath the earth's surface.

tilt
: Joust, battle.

57        
Spurning
: (i) Kicking, (ii) treating disdainfully.

61        
our estimates
: The reputations we give ourselves.

64        
conceit
: (Here) imagination.

88        
Rhodope
: For O's
Rhodolfe
. See (N). The Thracian mountain, famous for its silver mines, may be recalled because it was supposedly named after a queen of Thrace who claimed to be lovelier than Juno.

103      
fifty-headed Volga
: The river Volga with its fifty tributaries.

104      
Shall all we offer
: All of these we shall offer.

118      
Such hope… horse
: The Persian horsemen hope so too, but they will themselves be captured.

129  
play the orator
: Tamburlaine mocks the tradition of big speeches before battles. His enemies' wealth will be an adequate stimulus for his troops.

133      
top
: The quarto's reading, correcting O's
foot
in the light of line 135.

134      
alarm
: Alarum, battle-cry.

144      
possession
: (Four syllables) winnings.

147      
chain
: Chain of office.

160      
Avernus' darksome vaults
: Hell (N).

161      
triple-headed dog
: Cerberus (N). (One of the labours of Hercules was to drag him up from the underworld.)

163      
outward habit judge
: Appearance (or clothing) reveals.

169      
characters graven… brows
: Signs indelibly written in your face (‘characters' is accented on the second syllable).

170      
stout aspect
: Valiant appearance (‘aspect' is accented on the second syllable).

187      
portly
: (Here) stately.

189      
conduct
: Guidance (accented on the second syllable).

194      
merchants
: Merchant ships.

stems
: Timber prows.

199–200  
Jove… heavens
: Because Jupiter usurped the throne of heaven and, coincidentally, sometimes disguised himself (‘maskèd') as a shepherd, Tamburlaine takes him as a precedent for his own aspirations. There may also be the suggestion that the gods began as human beings.

215      
Should… state
: Should offer to aggrandize us with dukedoms right now.

216      
We think… exchange
: We would think that a poor exchange.

225      
resolvèd noble Scythians
: Theridamas is surprised to find bar barians with these qualities.

243      
Pylades and Orestes
: See (N). When captured by the Taurians of Scythia, who wished to make a human sacrifice, the friends offered to die in each other's place.

250      
Shall want… pierced
: I.e. I would gladly have my heart pierced.

258      
For you… doubt
: Tamburlaine is sure that Zenocrate too must have been won over.

ACT 2

Scene
1

1          
Thus far
: Cosroe has heard of Theridamas's and Tamburlaine's alliance (35–9) and is advancing to meet them at the ‘river Araris' (63 and note).

8      
lift
: Lifted.

12        
A pearl
: I.e. his head.

15–17  
fiery circles… throne
: His eyes are like the heavenly spheres and bear the stars propitious to his fortune.

21        
in folds… figure
: When furrowed… prefigure.

27        
sinewy
: O's
snowy
is probably an error for
sinowy
, a variant spelling.

29–30  
the man / Should
: The man who is destined to.

31        
terms of life
: Lively terms.

33        
Nature… his stars
: His natural gifts, his fortune and the influence of his stars all compete.

42        
strait… port
: Narrow… gate. Cf. Matthew 7:14: ‘Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life.'

43        
palace
: The image seems to be dictated by the topographical metaphor (and alliteration) of lines 40–44.

44        
Proud… if
: He will be very lucky if.

63        
river Araris
: Probably a mistake for the river Araxes in Persia, caused by an apparent reference to a river Araris in Virgil,
Eclogue
I, 61–2.

Scene
2

3–4  
On… of
: Both mean ‘because of.

10        
Aurora
: See (N). Mycetes threatens quick vengeance, at first light.

27        
false
: (Here) betray.

31        
Albania
: In Ortelius's atlas, a province to the west of the Caspian Sea.

40        
champian
: Variant form of ‘champaign', flat open country.

42        
Which
: I.e. the observers on horseback.

47–8  
cruel brothers… dragons
: In Greek mythology, when Cadmus sowed the earth with dragon's teeth, armed warriors sprang up and then started to fight each other.

59–71  
to entrap… Persia
: A device recommended by sixteenth-century strategists. Cf. Tamburlaine's use of his gold in 1.2.

Scene
3

2          
approvèd
: Proven (by experience).

5          
I take… satisfaction
: I am satisfied by your judgement.

7          
oracles of heaven
: Early texts omit
of.

11–12  
sway… in
: Exercise some command over.

15–16  
The host of Xerxes… Araris
: The huge armies of Xerxes (see (N) and 1.1.13on) drank rivers, including the Araxes, dry. See Herodotus,
Histories
VII.21.

21  
Cyclopian wars
: The Cyclopes (N) who forged Jupiter's thunder bolts are confused with the giants or Titans, both of whom made war on the Olympian gods.

25        
working
: (i) Moving, (ii) effective.

26        
top
: In all early texts,
stop
is nonsense.

33        
and
: The reading of the quarto, against O's
not.

37        
she
: Nemesis, the personification of divine vengeance for human presumption, whose temple was located at Rhamnus in Attica.

57        
wings
: I.e. the cross-piece of the cutlass (‘curtle-axe', 55).

59–60
sure… assure
: Apparently a disyllable and a trisyllable.

Scene
4

0.2
SD
offering
: Attempting

3        
those were
: Those who were.

9          
the pin
: It held the clout in place; to ‘cleave' it was to hit the bull's-eye.

11        
close
: Secretly.

12        
far from
: Uncharacteristic of.

18        
give the lie
: I.e. accuse me of lying.

22        
witty
: Wise.

25        
when I see my time
: When the occasion arises. Mycetes is trying to sound ‘witty' (22).

41.1
SD
Sound… battle
: Give the signal to resume the battle.

Scene
5

0.4
SD
presenting… crown
: Having refused to take Mycetes's crown in the previous scene, Tamburlaine now apparently presents it to Cosroe, who already has the one he acquired in 1.1.