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Mycetes is the original king of Persia, a weak and incompetent buffoon. His brother Cosroe insults him to his face, and the other members of his court merely pay him lip service while secretly backing Cosroe’s plan to usurp the throne. His cowardly attempt to hide his crown in battle provides an occasion for Tamburlaine to show his kingliness by contrast.
Mycetes Quotes in Tamburlaine
The Tamburlaine quotes below are all either spoken by Mycetes or refer to Mycetes. 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:
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Part 1 Quotes
Brother Cosroe, I find myself aggrieved
Yet insufficient to express the same,
For it requires a great and thund’ring speech.
Good brother, tell the cause unto my lords,
I know you have a better wit than I.
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Art thou but captain of a thousand horse,
That by characters graven in thy brows
And by thy martial face and stout aspect
Deservest to have the leading of an host?
Forsake thy king and do but join with me
And we will triumph over all the world.
I hold the Fates bound fast in iron chains
And with my hand turn Fortune’s wheel about,
And sooner shall the sun fall from his sphere
Than Tamburlaine be slain or overcome.
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Mycetes Character Timeline in Tamburlaine
The timeline below shows where the character Mycetes appears in Tamburlaine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
Act 1, Scene 1. In the Persian capital of Persepolis, the dimwitted king Mycetes laments the recent raids on Persian merchants by a Scythian bandit named Tamburlaine, who’s said...
(full context)
...with Theridamas. This excites Cosroe, who plans to ally with them in his coup against Mycetes for the throne.
(full context)
Act 2, Scene 2. Meanwhile, also in Parthia, Mycetes receives word that Tamburlaine’s assembled force presents a real threat to his own. The oafish...
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...Tamburlaine, has his victory assured by fates and oracles. The crew prepares for battle with Mycetes.
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Act 2, Scene 4. Mycetes curses war and ridiculously attempts to hide his crown so it cannot be stolen. Tamburlaine...
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Act 2, Scene 5. Later, Mycetes has been defeated, and Tamburlaine now bestows the king’s crown on Cosroe. Cosroe makes Tamburlaine...
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