Irony In Tamburlaine

Aurora shall not peep out of her doors,
But I will have Cosroe by the head
And kill proud Tamburlaine with point of sword.” (p.17)
The foolish king becomes a subject for laughter for his ironical thundering speech. The same irony can be noticed in Cosroe’s alliance with Tamburlaine. After they have defeated Mycetes, Tamburlaine challenges Cosroe. The newly crowned king of Persia responds:

However, Cosroe is defeated by Tamburlaine, just like Mycetes. Ironically, one of the reasons why Cosroe has wanted to dethrone his brother is the weak-mindedness of Mycetes. Yet, Cosroe is no more clever than his brother, at least in regard to judging the chances for success that his forces have against the forces of Tamburlaine.
A further plot complication is introduced by Bajazeth, Emperor of the Turks. Feeling threatened by the conquests of

He will attempt to gather all the fruit that the world has to offer. The irony of Tamburlaine’s quest for kingship is that he has only recently witnessed the death of two kings, Mycetes and Cosroe, whose royalty did not prevent disaster, and he will later observe the destruction of Bajazeth. Zenocrate, in Act V, indicates an awareness of a truth that Tamburlaine here has not perceived. She laments, “Ah, Tamburlaine my love, sweet Tamburlaine, / That fights for sceptres and for slippery crowns.” (p.57) Tamburlaine dedicates his life to the achieving of these slippery crowns.
The next stage of dramatic development is the climax. The climax of Tamburlaine, Part I occurs in Scene 3 of Act III when Tamburlaine defeats Bajazeth and assumes all of the titles of the conquered ruler. Bajazeth has earlier described himself as

With all of his titles and positions, Bajazeth thus represents the high point in Tamburlaine’s conquests. Later, as Tamburlaine mounts up into his chair by using Bajazeth as a footstool, Tamburlaine