Representation of Death in Cristopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great, Parts One and Two
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Abstract
In 1587, Christopher Marlowe introduced a new approach to theatre in Ta mburlaine
the Great
and reformed
the reigning
theatrical practices. The popularity
of
the plays’
main motif,
Death,
can be traced back to ancient Greek
and Roman
texts,
but Marlowe’s
portrayal
of the Death-topos
differs from
the traditional
depictions
on
many
levels.
My
main aim
in
this essay
is
to point
out
the
Marlovian
innovations
concerning
the
theatrical
representation
of
death
by
relying
on
contemporary
popular culture.
I also intend
to emphasise
the complementary
relationship
of rhetoric and imagery
in order
to prove
the shared
importance
of
verbality
and imagery
