Christopher Marlowe

What does Tamburlaine`s speech tell us about the role of women in Marlowe`s work? Women in the oeuvre of Christopher Marlowe do not have a particularly significant role, nor are we encouraged to think of them as existing outside of the sphere of patriarchal society with power of their own.This is demonstrated in the above speech of Tamburlaine the Great quite neatly through his frequent use of the personal pronoun `I`. However, this is to be expected in the work of the Elizabethan dramatist, as he wrote at a time when women possessed little social, economic or political power. Thus, Marlowe`s women are not to be considered as separate entities, indifferent to the influence of men, as this would have been too controversial for his audience. Though at times we may see glimpses of female power in the depiction of Dido, Queen of Carthage, for example, as well as positive character traits in his other women, Marlowe ultimately leaves us with little doubt of the position of women within in his plays, as well as his world. The women depicted by Marlowe are viewed by their men as commodities. As Kate Chedgzoy suggests, `in Marlowe`s dramatic worlds women are conceptualized as the objects and medium of power rather than its agents` , and in nowhere is this more evident than in `Barabas` objectification of Abigail and identification of her with his wealth` in The Jew Of Malta. His very first words in relation to Abigail are his descri ption of her as his `one sole daughter, whom I hold dear / As Agamemnon did his Iphigen` . Abigail is referred to as a possession to be bartered as early as Act One, as according to Greek mythology, Iphigen was sacrificed by her father Agamemnon in exchange for fair winds for a sea voyage. Barabas` exclamation on the retrieval of his wealth is also significant, as his words `O girl, O gold, O beauty, O my bliss!`(2.1.53) are deliberately ambiguous. Thus, it seems that his love for his wealth and his daughter are inextricably linked. She is also compared to a diamond, by her suitor Lodowick as well as her father, a precious jewel `yet unfoiled` (2.3.296). Thus, Abigail`s purity is also something that can be used as an exchange, as her chastity is valuable. Thus, it seems that women`s lives and fates are controlled and influenced by the men around them. Abigail, once again, is an example of this. She subserviently agrees to go to the nunnery to retrieve the hidden wealth at the behest of her father, and even allows her two suitors, Lodowick and Mathias, to be pitted against each other, which ultimately results in the death of both of them. It appears true then that `women`s opportunities to elude the control of their fathers and husbands are strictly constrained` and this is also evident in the action, or inaction, of Tamburlaine`s wife Zenocrate. She begs her husband not to invade her homeland of Egypt, but she is met with a complete lack of pity: `Not for the world, Zenocrate, if I have sworn` . Despite this cruelty, when she is referred to by Agydas as a `worthless concubine` (Tamb.1.3.2.29), she immediately defends her lover Tamburlaine, urging Agydas to `speak of Tamburlaine as he deserves` (Tamb.1.3.2.46). Though Tamburlaine jeopardizes her reputation by waiting so long to marry her, Zenocrate will not see his reputation sullied. Thus, subservience to men is once again demonstrated in Marlowe`s work. It can also be argued that the women depicted are not only subjugated by men; they only really serve to highlight the extreme personalities of the male characters portrayed in Marlowe`s plays. The minor parts that women play are only vital in the sense of what they can show about their male counterparts. Abigail`s assertion `I`ll make `em friends again` (Malta.2.3.360) with regards to Lodowick and Mathias is absurdly naive, for example, and demonstrates her simplistic view of the world. Her qualities of `mercy, selflessness, affection, loyalty, beauty, warmth` are the absolute foil of the `vindictive, eccentric and extreme` Barabas. Whilst it may be true that without her his psychopathic tendencies would seem less horrific, it is also true that her and Zenocrate are `little more than puppets more or less necessary to the plot` . Abigail is quickly poisoned, for example, and only after Zenocrate`s death does the audience really become aware of Tamburlaine`s `growing extremism and obsessive megalomaniac destructiveness` . However, these small parts that women play in Marlowe`s works are not always depicted as demure simple, and somewhat weak. They are at times portrayed in a negative light, as is the case of the lead character of Dido, Queen of Carthage. Dido is shown to be typically womanly: cruel, irrational and fuelled by her passion. Her indifferent treatment of Iarbas when her love Aeneas arrives, for example, causes him to examine the mercurial nature of womanhood: `O love! O hate! O cruel women`s hearts, / That imitate the moon in every change` . However, Dido is not merely cruel: at times, she is positively crazed. She instructs that all of Aeneas` sailing equipment be hidden lest he leave her kingdom, and even insists that if he stays, she will give up her imperial crown to her sister Anna. When her efforts are thwarted by Iarbas, she decides to take her own life, with little thought of the duty to the people of her country. As Steane suggests, `Dido dies energetically, piling on the wood, stage- managing the whole affair, vengeful and cursing` , once again, demonstrating the irrational nature of womankind. Her death even encourages the demise of her own sister and Iarbas, `this threefold suicide...fully in accordance with Elizabethan taste` , furthermore depicting Dido negatively. But, although Dido is depicted less than favourably by Marlowe, she is perhaps the most significant exception to the rule that women have no particular role in his work. Though she may be cruel and irrational, she is nevertheless the lead character in the play. As Levin suggests, `Marlowe`s dramatic heroes stand alone in their singularity and single-mindedness` , and Dido is undoubtedly one of these heroines. At Aeneas` desertion of her, she takes control of her own destiny and life by ending it, for example. Also, Marlowe subverts this notion of women as possessions of men by having Dido refer to her lover Aeneas as `Dido`s treasury, / In whose bosom I will lock more wealth/ Than twenty thousand Indias can afford` (Dido.5.1.90-93). Though her gifts will undoubtedly be greatly received by Aeneas, it does not discount the fact that the power to bestow them lies in Dido`s hands. Ultimately though, Dido does not have complete control over her wealth or her life. Her love for Aeneas, for example, is not her own choice as Cupid decides to `play my part/As every touch shall wound Queen Dido`s heart` (Dido.1.2.332-23). Dido`s self-immolation is also inevitable, as Aeneas` desertion of her has irreparably damaged her reputation. She is all too aware that `all the world calls me a second Helen` (Dido.5.1.14), thus she has no choice to end her life, lest she be compared with the treacherous Helen of Troy. But why does Marlowe rob Dido of any control? The answer lies in his society, and their views on the position of women. It is true that `though Marlowe`s politics were to some degree ahead of his time, they were constrained by it` , and this is echoed in his portrayal of all of his women characters. By giving those stereotypical roles and traits, Marlowe`s work is not so subversive that it will be disliked by his audience, and a successful play depends of course upon the reaction of its audience. So, `the embalmed Zenocrate, the evanescent Helen, the rejected Dido` ultimately do not have a significant or even easily defined role in the works of Christopher Marlowe. Though he can be described as `a man living on a dangerous social and intellectual edge` , this evidently did not apply to his views upon women, or their subjugation or emancipation. Whilst at times it may appear that Marlowe does offer women positions of power in his plays, ultimately he is a product of his time, a time in which women were not the equals of men. Also, are we even able to gain enough insight in order for this conclusion to ring true, when Marlowe`s female characters were played by young boys on the stage? What cannot be denied, however, is that women are required to appear in his works, as if they did not, they would ultimately be lacking something, even if this something appears to be insignificant.