Part 2, Act 5, Scene 1 Summary

A Messenger gives the Governor of Babylon news that Tamburlaine's armies have begun their assault on the city, that defeat is inevitable, and that the Governor should hang flags of truce. The Governor angrily refuses; calling the Messenger disloyal and suggesting that nothing should deter him or any other Babylonian from defending their city to the end. Two Citizens separately rush in and plead with the Governor to offer a truce. The Governor rejects them both, calling them cowards.

Theridimas and Techelles appear, also urging the Governor to surrender. The Governor again refuses, soldiers swarm the walls of the city, and Tamburlaine appears in his chariot, pulled as before by the kings and followed as before by his remaining sons and their prisoners. Tamburlaine speaks about his triumph over Babylon, comparing it to those of other great warriors and...