Part 1, Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

This epic play, written during the Elizabethan period, tells the epic story of an ambitious would-be emperor and his rise to earthly greatness. His ascent to power is contrasted by his descent into a delusional arrogance and his resistance to what he himself describes as the "feminine" weakness of deep emotion. Themes of loyalty and of the relationship between fathers and sons are developed through a series of military conquests interspersed with brief interludes of tenderness and personal intimacy.

A brief prologue introduces the action of Part 1, the chronicle of how Tamburlaine conquers the world. It suggests that the audience, or the reader, is intended to view what happens as a tragedy, and to judge Tamburlaine's actions accordingly.

Mycetes, King of Persia, is upset, but asks his brother Cosroe, whom he says is better with words, to explain why...