The Theme Of Virtue In Shakespeare's 'Tamburlaine'

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The lines which conclude this important passage are like a puzzle even when improved, but there is no doubt concerning the main direction of his statement nor the meaning of the concluding lines:
Inferior birth is not to be blamed for virtue is the fount whence honour springs. Virtue expresses itself in aspiring, and it involves an instinct for beauty as well as struggle for power. The marriage of Tamburlaine to Zenocrate which concludes the play has the same relation to this passage on beauty as the conquer of crowns and empires does to the earlier speech on aspiration. Viewed in this way, the play is not simply a series of military victories and acts of inhuman cruelty but the progressive evolution of Tamburlaine as a heroic figure, as a man of “virtue.” …show more content…

Though there is an impression of richness in the diction, the figures of speech which appear most frequently and which are mostly used are drawn from a limited range of categories: the gods of classical mythology, especially Jove; jewels, treasure, and precious stones and metals; stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. Instances of these can be found throughout the play. In addition to these main ones, there are a lot of references to elemental forces of nature and characteristics of the classical underworld, and of historical and geographical references. These images give intensity to the impression of greatness and are more responsible for the heroic character of the play than the increasingly glorious military triumphs of the

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