The Comparison of Tamburlaine the Great by Christopher Marlowe with its Spanish Prototype, Silva by Pedro Mexia

By investigating the historical documents related to Emir Tamburlaine's life, the researchers carry out a comparative analysis of cultural materialism in Tamburlaine the Great, a play by Christopher Marlowe and Silva by Mexia. The objective of this research is to show the similarities and differences between the two plays from a historical perspective, elucidate the manner in which cultural materialism has influenced literary representations and explain why Marlowe has chosen to write Tamburlaine the Great. Tamburlaine has international fame for his conquests and atrocities. With his unquenchable thirst for power, he put many into death in order to achieve his goals in various lands across the world. Tamburlaine's vast bloodsheds were treated with the connivance of his European contemporaries because he demolished Europe's adversaries and was hence praised by Europeans. Spain, for instance, established an embassy in Samarkand. This led to the publication of historical books on Tamburlaine's life by Spanish writers and historians. Silva by Mexia and Tamburlaine the Great by Christopher Marlowe can be cited as examples that captured the attention of many writers and playwrights throughout the 16th century or the Elizabethan era. Thence, Marlowe has paved the way for the inauguration of cultural materialism.