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Algebra and the Art of War: Marlowe's Military Mathematics in Tamburlaine 1 and 2

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Jarrett, J 

Abstract

In his Tamburlaine plays, Marlowe broached a difficulty of dramaturgy: how can an acting company of a dozen men convey to their audience the scale of military battles involving thousands? Here, I argue that algebra provided Marlowe his solution. I reconsider the numbers critics have noticed are ubiquitous throughout Tamburlaine 1 and 2 in terms of their algebraic functions and their role in effecting an algebraic stage. My contention is that Marlowe utilized algebra to create a unique aesthetic of warfare, in which the enormity of battle could be played out imaginatively within the small space of the Elizabethan theatre.

Description

Keywords

Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine, algebra, war

Journal Title

Cahiers Élisabéthains: A Journal of English Renaissance Studies

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0184-7678
2054-4715

Volume Title

95

Publisher

SAGE Publications
Sponsorship
AHRC (1357535)