Tamburlaine

by Christopher Marlowe
Bajazethis the powerful Emperor of the Turks. He has little patience for the rumors of Tamburlaine’s growing might, dismissing him based on his humble background and scorning “the presumption of this Scythian slave.” When Tamburlaine destroys his troops and imprisons him and his wife Zabina, Bajazeth is in disbelief and never relents from his verbal assault on his captor. This running soundtrack of abuse only serves to highlight Tamburlaine’s equanimity and inability to be fazed, as he gleefully degrades Bajazeth further. Finally despairing of possible escape, Bajazeth kills himself, causing Zabina to follow suit. His son, Callapine, enters in Part 2 and raises an army to take revenge on Tamburlaine.

Bajazeth Quotes in Tamburlaine

The Tamburlaine quotes below are all either spoken by Bajazeth or refer to Bajazeth . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Honor Theme Icon
).

Part 1 Quotes

For he that gives him other food than this
Shall sit by him and starve to death himself.
This is my mind, and I will have it so.
Not all the kings and emperors of the earth,
If they would lay their crowns before my feet,
Shall ransom him or take him from his cage.

Related Characters: Tamburlaine (speaker), Bajazeth , Zabina
Related Symbols: Crowns
Page Number and Citation: 4.2.89-94
Explanation and Analysis:
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Bajazeth Character Timeline in Tamburlaine

The timeline below shows where the character Bajazeth appears in Tamburlaine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
Fortune and Destiny Theme Icon
Act 3, Scene 1. In Constantinople, Turkish Emperor Bajazeth is laying siege. He and his allied North African kings discuss the rumored threat of... (full context)
Honor Theme Icon
Fortune and Destiny Theme Icon
Religion and Blasphemy Theme Icon
Act 3, Scene 3. Bajazeth’s envoy arrives, and Tamburlaine and his men utterly dismiss his threats, urging the emperor to... (full context)
Honor Theme Icon
Act 4, Scene 2. At his siege of Damascus, Tamburlaine uses the imprisoned Bajazeth as a footstool. Bajazeth and Zabina violently curse him, but he is unfazed, declaring his... (full context)
Honor Theme Icon
Fortune and Destiny Theme Icon
...raised the red flags while reveling and feasting outside their walls. He continues sparring with Bajazeth, whom he allows just enough food to keep alive. Zenocrate is distraught, still pleading with... (full context)
Honor Theme Icon
Bajazeth spitefully despairs of ever being released, and he runs against his cage bars to kill... (full context)
Honor Theme Icon
Beauty and Violence Theme Icon
Religion and Blasphemy Theme Icon
...the slaughter of the virgins and even more distraught when she finds the bodies of Bajazeth and Zabina. She laments how things have gone, but she remains genuinely torn by her... (full context)
Part 2
Honor Theme Icon
Fortune and Destiny Theme Icon
Act 1, Scene 3. In Egypt, Bajazeth’s son Callapine—encaged by Tamburlaine just like his father—convinces Almeda, the henchman assigned to guard him,... (full context)