Prologue Speaking Prologue characters can be found in a number of plays from the period. See, for example, the beginning of and . No … reward. These fourteen lines constitute a sonnet rhymed ababbcbcdedeff, like the prologue in . No … view Compare with the prologue in and in : From iygging vaines of riming mother wits, / And such conceits as clownage keepes in pay, / Weele lead you to the stately tent of War (A3r). toy a foolish idle tale ( n.3) forgèd fabricated, made up ( adj.3) last age the early sixteenth century character imprint, reproduce implacable not appeasable obstant lets opposing barriers Bajazeth Bajazeth refers to the historical Bayezid II, Ottoman Emperor ruling from 1481 to 1512. He was the eldest son of Mehmed II. The form here of Bajazeth, as opposed to Bajazet in other modern editions, is taken from Marlowe’s Tamburlaine plays, first published by Richard Jones in 1590. Janissaries The first standing army in Europe, the Janissaries were elite infantry troops conscripted to serve the household of the Ottoman Emperor. Established in the mid 14th century, they were a formidable force, often wielding significant political power. Exeunt all but Bajazeth As McMillin and MacLean point out, the exit of such a large group immediately after its entrance underscores the symbolic importance of this procession. So … are. These lines are organized into a sestain stanza rhyming ababcc. So … breast Compare to Shute where Bajazeth’s ruminations are mainly sparked by premonitions of his own mortality (N1v). unrip open, unseal descry describe regiment rule or governance ( adj.1) Why … evermore. These lines are the first instance in the play of ottava rima (abababacc), a verse stanza form associated in England with the epic poetry of Boccaccio, Ariosto, and Tasso. The rest of Bajazeth’s speech () along with much of the rest of the scene is divided into this heightened language. scruple doubt, hesitation make extent make an assessment (as property) northern bears the northern constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor mantle loose sleeveless cloak ( n.) cark burden of responsibility ( n.) bark small sailing vessel He knows … thing. In 1600, the booksellers Nicholas Ling, Cuthbert Burby, and Thomas Hayes published an octavo edition of Robert Allott’s , an extensive collection of quotations from the drama and poetry of the time. This and five other passages are taken from ; each is ascribed to Robert Greene. Compare with the version of these lines in : He knowes not what it is to be a King, / That thinkes a Scepter is a pleasant thing (L7r). Latona’s son Apollo, son of Jupiter (Zeus) and god of the sun. His mother, Latona, is goddess of the moon. Bajazeth has been Ottoman Emperor for thirty years. Compare with : Or as daughter bent to armes, / Adding more courage to my conquering mind (F2r). Twice fifteen … Since I began It has been 30 years since I became emperor. It is 1511. Bayezid II became Ottoman emperor in May 1481. Cynthia Greek personifying name for the moon goddess adamant incredibly hard rock The Persian Sophy, mighty Ismael A title for the supreme ruler of Persia. The next seven lines closely follow Ashton F7v-8v. Mighty Ismael refers to the Persian Emperor Ismael Safi, ruler of what was a new, eponymous Safavid state, who rose to power at the end of the fifteenth century as a teenager and ruled until 1524. Ismael was an active supporter of the minority Shia branch of Islam in opposition to the Ottoman’s Sunni branch. Historically, Bayezid II had sympathy with Ismael’s more mystical brand of Islam, even while Selim waged constant battles with Ismael from his adjoining province of Trabzon (i.e. Trebisond). According to Çipa, these campaigns made Selim a hero among the common people and soldiers alike (Çipa 36–37). At the same time, Ahmed (i.e. Acomat in the play) saw Selim’s actions as insubordination in the face of his more nonconfrontational father, and he used these to gradually turn Bayezid II against Selim. Did take the Levant clean away from me The Levant is a region of the Eastern Mediterranean that today together consists of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. Bajazeth here alludes to the early-sixteenth-century rise of Ismael as leader of the new Safavid state. Ashton describes Ismael’s early successful military encroachments upon the Levant beginning in a short section dedicated to Ismael (Ashton H8v-I1r). Did take Metrically, the addition of Did regularizes the pentameter line. Caraguis Bassa Caraguis Bassa here refers to Goragnes Bassa, the Ottoman commander and governor of Karaman, a city in south central Turkey. It is from Ashton that the play derives Bajazeth’s description of Ismael’s defeat and execution of Caraguis Bassa (Ashton G3r-v). Hali Bassa Hali Bassa here refers to the Turkish statesman and commander Hadim Ali Pasha; he is the father of the play’s Hali Bassa. Hadim Ali Pasha was a strong supporter of Ahmed, and he died in 1511 while leading a force against a Shia uprising inspired by Ismael’s religious teachings. Charactering stamping Ramirchan Vitkus (144) has suggested that Ramirchan might refer to Ramazan-oghlu, a Turkoman leader. Tatarian (of the Tatars) nomadic horsemen-warriors supporting Selimus (Vitkus 144) hapless unlucky and there … slain This account of the death of Bayezid II’s eldest son is neither in Ashton, Shute, nor Whetstone. As it contains over a dozen references to Alemshae and his fate, the play may possibly be drawing from another unknown source. Well … grave The equation of death with rest is very much a Senecan sentiment. The play regularly shows the influence of Seneca both in its philosophizing about politics and violence and in the affective registers of its main characters. See, for example, , , , and below. The Christian … peace Bayezid II signed a peace treaty with the Hungarians in 1495, this after losing campaigns and territory in Belgrade, Transylvania, and Croatia (Riad 95). He also suffered setbacks against Venetian forces during his sultanship. As Dimmock has pointed out (Dimmock 171), though, Bajazeth’s lament about his losses to Christian forces is greatly overstated here. assays trials victorious father Mehmet II (i.e. Mehmet the Conqueror) who ruled from 1444 to 1446 and then from 1451 to 1481. Throughout his reigns, Mehmet II led a series of successful campaigns against Christian forces, including the defeat of Byzantium (then renamed Istanbul) and the Byzantine Empire in 1453. uncontrollèd undisputed ( adj.3). garrisons body of soldiers positioned for defensive purposes die singular form of dice Corcut … laws These descriptions of Corcut and Acomat closely follow Ashton G5r-v, I4v-I5r. In Shute, Ahmed is described as a man of no trauayle nor vnderstandinge of the warres (Ashton O2v). Historically, Korkud (i.e. Corcut in the play) was in fact an active Ottoman general like his brothers, leading a number of military campaigns for his father. Selim Metrically, the shortened form of the name is preferable. Magnesia southeastern area of the Thessaly region in central Greece Mahound’s Mahomet’s (Muhammed’s). Mahound’s dreaded laws refers to the strictly observed religious beliefs and practices of Islam. Acomat … pause Historically, Ahmed was in fact an active general like his brothers, leading a number of military campaigns before turning against his father. Compare with Ashton which describes Acomat as delighting more in ease & pleasure then in battaill (Ashton G5r). For I … Acomat In 1510, Bayezid II planned to abdicate in favor of Ahmed. The Janissaries … smart In Ashton, the Janissaries recoil from the quiet kynde of lyfe of Selimus’s brothers (Ashton G5v); whereas in Shute, Selimus actively wins the Janissaries over with liberalitie and actiuitie (Shute N2v). chivalry men-at-arms ( n.1) Then … crown Compare with : Or ile make them hop without their crownes that denies me (B4r). runagate can refer to an apostate, a vagabond, or a deserter ( n.1–3) bassas Turkish officers of high rank, as military commanders or provincial governors ( n.1). Variously rendered as bashaws or pashas. law of nature love of family peers Members of a rank of hereditary nobility ( n.4). This is not a term used to describe the Ottoman elite and thus, like the play’s use of seigniory, betrays a particularly English perspective on the play’s social hierarchy. tenebrious dark holt hold, as in the interior cavity of a ship of vessel occident the west steeds horses pulling the chariot of the sun, as often represented in Greek and Roman mythology against Persians’ tent the forces of Ismael, the Persian Sophy his Ismael’s, the Persian Sophy ruinate destroy, reduce to ruins great Nero’s fen low lying swampy area surrounding Rome, here being associated with the Roman Emperor Nero that first nourished them. It was proverbial that new-born snakes consumed their own mother after birth. Bajazeth frequently effeminizes himself in the play. It is ironic that he identifies himself here with the despot Nero. eld old age battellous warlike, bellicose, pugnacious ( adj.) ’gins to prick begins to spur on Soldan supreme ruler of a Muslim state, often spelled sultan great Trebisond Trabzon, an empire running along the southeastern coast of the Black Sea. Historically, Bayezid II appointed Selimus governor of this distant province in 1487. The great distance between Trabzon and Istanbul strongly suggests that Bayezid II was trying to keep Selim from obtaining the Ottoman emperorship after he died. In , the King of Trebizon is a supporter of Callapine against Tamburlaine. Tatary An exonym for a region comprised of land that includes parts of what is now known as Siberia and northeastern China. Ashton recounts Selimus marrying the daughter of the Tatar king (Ashton G3v-G4r). Selim’s Metrically, the shortened form Selim's regularizes the pentameter line. he is a sea Compare with : I am the sea (3.1.233). To which Metrically, the shortened To which regularizes the pentameter line. luckless messenger a messenger not bringing luck Does Selim … of Tatary? Both Ashton and Whetstone mention this marriage (Ashton G4r, Whetstone E6r). Ramir Ramirchan. See . besprent besprinkle, connoting wastefulness ( besprent, v.) misconsters misreads forward ardent, spirited, eager, zealous ( adj.6c) reaches ploys complots designs of a covert nature ( n.) Perhaps, my lord, Selimus It makes more sense that Mustaffa is addressing Bajazeth here with my lord than calling Selimus his lord. prologue beginning meditated calculated plaudity approval unacquainted with whom Bajazeth is unaquainted to whom … Trebisond, See n. recomfort sooth, console, or comfort ( v.1) Now, Selimus, consider who thou art: As pointed out by many commentators, this long Machiavellian monologue and Selimus’s comments to his followers thereafter are reminiscent of a number of speeches in other professional plays of the period. Compare with Richard III’s opening soliloquy in , the Prologue in , and Tamburlaine’s sweet fruition of an earthly crown speech in B5v. In Shute, the machinations of Selimus come later, directly inspired by Acomat visiting with Bajazeth (Shute N2r). Aside This is the first of many unmarked asides in the play. Here, Selimus is directing this long speech to himself. As McMillin and MacLean point out, the large processional entrance here (and the soldiers) is used to signify Selimus’s power at this point. That the entrance is immediately followed by an aside underscores its symbolic importance. Selimus … thy desire Compare with Doctor Faustus’s opening soliloquy in , Barabas’s opening soliloquy in , the Guise’s soliloquy at the end of the second scene in , and Richard III’s opening soliloquy in . Each of these long speeches launches the arc of a dominant and destructive tragic hero. Think … merit. These lines constitute the first instance in the play of rhyme royal (ababbcc). The rest of Selimus’s speech () is divided into stanzas of this rhyme scheme. to thee there is no worse reproach there is no worse reproof to be directed at him abroach flowing freely, as from a broached cask ( adv.1) Mahound’s laws Muhammad’s laws, the tenets of Islam be locked up in their case Selimus here imagines that a copy (or copies) of the can be locked up, presumably either by a binding clasp or in a trunk or a press (i.e. cupboard). Ophir an area referenced by the Old Testament as renowned for its gold He means to … give. See n. votaries people bound or devoted to religious lives ( n.1) my forward mind Compare with : Error hath maskt your much too forward minds (Peele H1r). reck not of do not worry or care about And … catch overgone Occasion was sometimes personified as a woman with a lock of hair hanging down from the front of her forehead while otherwise bald; in order to catch her by the hair, you needed to act quickly before she passed you by (Vitkus 69). that virtue … mold. Selimus is reminded that some see virtue as being like a mirror by which one can both see one’s failings and fashion one’s self virtuously within it along the lines of ancient wisdom. Perhaps you think … prattling shade. After digging deep with learning’s wonder-working spade, Selimus’s imagined interlocutor now rests with him (the grave wizard) and prattles (talks foolishly or gossips) in the shadows. forsooth truly Avaunt an order to leave, here to leave such virtue-seeking glasses behind seigniory Lordship. This is a term often associated with feudalism and thus not one usually applied to the Ottoman empire. Faith In faith, truly bookish ordinance an authoritative moral decree derived from books stand on a sententious guard be armed with a tight argument (Riad 295) without far-fetched cicumstance Without hollow excuses. An almost identical version of the following lines (76–138) appeared in two 1603 manuscripts entitled Certaine hellish verses devysed by that Atheist and traitor Ralegh. They were likely recorded around the same time as Sir Walter Ralegh’s arrest for treason in July. Some have argued that these lines were derived from an original, now-lost poem by Ralegh, others that they were derived from the play and falsely attributed to Ralegh. Selimus’s articulation of a Golden Age myth here has been connected with similar passages in Hesiod’s and to Ovid’s . circled round, this building fair Earth. Also, circled round connotes an amphitheatre playhouse. dition rule, sway, jurisdiction, command ( n.1) And everyone his life in peace did pass. This line is missing from the hellish verses of 1603. the share an allotted part or portion ( n.3), property tantara a fanfare or fluorish of trumpets ( n.) There needed them in awe. These lines have been condensed to they neided then nothing of whom to stand in awe in the hellish verses of 1603. unknown armor armor that was not yet known (a new phenomenon) Ninus Ninus is the mythical inventor of warfare as well as the founder of Nineveh (a city in Iraq near Mosul) and the Babylonian Empire. warray make war upon, ravage by war ( n.1) Then they … bloody fights. These lines are missing from the hellish verses of 1603. In their stead are and with a common muttering discontent / gave that to tyme which tyme cannot prevent (Jacquot 1). vulgar common people gan began were just mere Metrically, the addition of just regularizes the pentameter line. bugbears imaginary terrors ( n.) bauble a small ornament of little value like Though the meaning of Q1’s loue is here preferable, the like of the hellish verses rhymes with like and strike, thus regularizing the rhyme scheme of the rhyme royal. policy a strategem, a trick ( n.3) others Selimus is thinking of a plurality here. parricides children who kill their fathers void deserted No more than him that dies in doing right. This line is missing from the hellish verses of 1603. snatch an unexpected and quick robbery ( n.3d) uneath with difficulty ( adv.1a). gout A very painful form of arthritis. In Ashton, Bajazeth is described as olde and unweldy, yea and gowtye also (Ashton G2r). unmanurèd wit uncultivated mind To draw out time, an unlooked for mutation. Garbled syntax here. Either this line translates to To draw out time because of an unlooked for mutation or To draw out time so long that an unlooked for mutation occurs. kiss his hands Ashton also has Selimus asking to kiss his father’s hand (Ashton G4v); in Shute, however, Selimus ends up kissing Bajazeth’s feet (Shute N2r). chivalry a body of men-at-arms ( n.1a) seigniory The territory under the dominion of a lord ( n.3). See n. Similarly, Ashton has Selim at this point assuring Bayezid II that he only comes with an army to request that he be given territories closer to the enemyes of Mahometans fayth (Ashton G4r). period time of negotiation with Bajazeth venture risk I’d dart … ground. Selimus promises to unleash his armies as so many lightning strikes. Compare with : How brauely this yoong Brittain, , / Darteth abroad the thunderbolts of warre, / Beating downe millions with his furious mood (Anonymous D4v). heartless cowardly school conditions prohibitions set by school theologians (Vitkus 73) Sisyphus King of Corinth who was punished by Zeus in Hades by forever having to push a boulder (stone) up a steep hill. At the top, it rolled back to the bottom, forcing him to roll it up again. Ixion’s Greek King who was punished by Zeus by being attached to a fiery wheel that was forever rolling. Like devils’ faces scored on painted posts Scored: drawn or carved. Painted devils could still be found within medieval churches, even after the Reformation. Or feignèd circles in our astrolabes Astrolabes were portable instruments used for making astronomical measurements ( n.). Selimus may be suggesting here that the heavenly spheres (circles) that astrolabes measured were imaginary. But go we … attire. This is an example of what McMillan and MacLean describe as the Queen’s Men’s dramaturgical strategy of narrative overdetermination, Selimus here predicting the action of a scene to come. solace recreate ( v.1) Enter Bajazeth, Mustaffa, Cherseoli, Occhiali, and the Janissaries. This scene takes place within the town of Andrianople in Northwest Turkey. See n. Even as … with me: Crocodiles were long thought to use tears and baby-like cries to draw in their prey. This is one of a number of epic similes (or extended metaphors) to be found in the play. The prevalence of such figurative language is reminiscent of . While is most often compared with the two Tamburlaine plays, the play has much in common with Peele’s biblical drama where Absalom, like Selimus and Acomat, rises up against his own father King David. Most commentators believe that Peele’s play was written a year or two before . Wanting lacking His haughty … to majesty. Compare with : A Scepter then comes tumbling in my thoughts. / My dreames are Princely, all of Diademes (Greene B3v). diadems crowns the Phoenix The phoenix was a mythological bird associated with the worship of the sun that, after living 500 years (five ages), collected aromatic plants and perfumes for its nest. It then burst into flames at its death and was reborn from its own ashes. In one tradition, it was reborn from its own ashes after its corpse was laid on a sun altar by Egyptian priests. Compare with : The Phaenix gazeth on the sunnes bright beames, / The Echinaeus swims against the streames (Allott Kk6v). echeneis Sucking fish. During the period, the echeneis was thought to have incredible strength, able to pull large ships. Here, in imagining that Selimus like this fish swims against the streams, Bajazeth is suggesting the power and rebelliousness of his son. His meaning … weakly stands his real intentions are barely perceptible in his words Syrtis boiling sands Two Mediterranean inlets in North Africa known for quicksand. hie go quickly ( v.2) fawning showing servile deference, cringing, flattering ( v.2) He craves … seigniory, Here, Ochiali delivers a slightly different message from what he was given by Selimus above. Historically in 1511, Selim requested governorship of a province in Rumelia (a territory in southeastern Europe consisting mostly of the Balkan Peninsula). This would have given Selim closer access to Istanbul. See n. scourge A person that is an instrument of divine chastisement ( v.2). In Marlowe’s Tamburlaine plays, Tamburlaine is often called a scourge of god, by himself and by other characters. burning brands either a torch, a match or linstock ( n.2), an iron instrument for making brands ( n.5), or a sword or the blade of a sword ( n.8) [Aside] The next two-dozen lines are self-directed speech. spare conserve antidotus Latin for antidote He that … his banks. With this image, Bajazeth accuses his son of destructive ambition. Compare with : He that will stop the brooke must then begin / When sommers heat hath dried vp the spring: / And when his pittering streames are low and thin, / For let the winter aid vnto them bring, / He growes to be of watry flouds the king: / And though you damme him vp with loftie rankes, / Yet he will quickly ouerflow his bankes (Allott E4r). pittring small, insignificant ranks Bajazeth here fashions a mixed metaphor, lofty ranks of soldiers attempting to damn up Selimus who, in this extended metaphor, is being imagined to be a river. Messenger the character Occhiali Samandria Territory surrounding the fortress city of Smederevo in Serbia. Historically, Bayezid II gave Selim a choice of governorships; Selim chose Samandria (Çipa 41). This gift frustrated Ahmed, as it was very close to Istanbul (Çipa 42). Ashton has Bayezid II at this point giving Selim Samandria (Ashton G4v); Bayezid II’s conferring of Samandria is not in Shute. Hungaria Latin for Hungary Cherseoli The 1594 quarto mistakenly prints this as a speech prefix. a royal present In Ashton, Bayezid II’s royall rewarde is great treasure, costlye apparell, horses, and seruantes (Ashton G4v). reck’ning consideration of a matter ( v.4b) Adrianople City in Northwest Turkey now called Edirne Byzantium Constantinople, or now Istanbul take settle in celerity speed wingèd coursers swift footed horses Enter Selimus, Sinam [Bassa], Occhiali, Otrante, and their soldiers. Though Cherseoli is sent by Bajazeth with Occhiali to deliver a gift to Selimus in the previous scene (), he does not enter with Occhiali in this stage direction. Presumably, we are to assume that Cherseoli delivered the item off stage before this exchange. corsive substance that corrodes, a corrosive ( v4b) Emperor Mahomet … with shame. Mahomet, i.e. Mehmet II, Bajazeth’s father. Mehmet II was defeated in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade and forced to retreat. steer lead Polonian Polish person hurtling rushing in noisily ( v.6). Here … again. See n. Basilius Vasili (Basil) III, czar of Russia, who ruled from 1479 until 1533. slave-born This was a common epithet directed at Russian people during the period. Termagant Perjorative Christian name for a Muslim god who was thought to be violent and overbearing. stop my mouth with gold or pearl silence (as a result of bribery) rusty jades from Barbaria old, decrepit horses from the Northeast (Barbary) coast of Africa Acomat and Corcut Parallelism here requires brothers be listed in this order. his bastards’ Acomat’s and Corcut’s Pegasus mythical winged flying horse Alarum within. According to Ashton (Ashton G5v-6r), Selim waylaid Bayezid II in Chiurlu (i.e. Corlu), a city in Northwest Turkey about 75 miles from Istanbul. In Shute, he attacked his father fifty miles outside of the capital (Shute N3r-v). Historians, however, disagree about whose forces were the first to engage the other (Çipa 50). Ottrante Ottrante is called a Tatarian in the following scene. He presumably joined Selimus after the marriage of Selimus. level aim at with a weapon ( v.8a) Ramirchan For more on this figure, see n. those base … sword. For other references to Ottoman encounters with Christians, see , , , , , and , and , . Persians For an earlier reference to the Persians, see . polypus A polypus is a cephalopod having eight or ten tentacles (). Octopuses, a cephalopod with eight tentacles, have long been known for self-cannibalism. Titan Hyperion, the sun god enterprise thy journey from the West Embark on a journey back from the West (i.e. reverse course). The 1594 quarto has East, but as Hopkinson pointed out (105), this makes little sense. Bajazeth’s is calling on Titan to reverse the natural course of things just as Selimus is doing in trying to depose his father. For that … Corcut and Acomat. This is another garbled sentence. Selimus seems to be saying here that he would not have tried to kill his father because (For that) the attempt or result would have led to spight being directed at him from his brothers. Should sit … In spite the crown would sit in spite span a short space of time ( n.4a) enterprise undertake or attempt ( v.1) in piecemeal into separate pieces unkind unsympathetic, perhaps with a pun on kind (i.e. kin) suggesting unnatural thoughtst scorn scornfully thought prince’s due reward become emperor Prester John Mythical Christian King from Asia who was believed to have become the King of Ethiopia. The various accounts arise from popular collections of medieval romance, depicting Prester John as a descendant of the Three Magi. See Prester John. Compare with : And I haue martch’d along the riuer Nile / To Machda, where the mighty Christian Priest / Cal’d Iohn the great, sits in milk-white robe (Marlowe G2v). stripped … of his camp As Riad points out (119), this appears to be an anachronistic claim as the Ottomans’ defeat of the Egyptian Soldan did not occur until years after Selimus had become emperor (i.e. in 1516 and 1517). sword and shield Words appear to be missing from Q1. fearst fears that Selimus means to dispossess him of the crown unbridled not restrained or held in check ( adj.1) Ah, bassas Ashton also describes Bayezid II eloquently addressing the Janissaries at this point (G6r). ought had to pay (money, goods, etc.); was under obligation to pay or render; owed ( v.3a) Non timeo … auctor. I do not fear death: it is the cause of death that distresses me (Latin). Alarum … then Ottrante Q1 does not include an entrance stage direction for Mustaffa and Selimus. It stands to reason that they would enter through different doors, as Ottrante and Cherseoli do. Upon … my caitiff breast. Compare with: Behold my sword, what see you at the point? / / For there sits Death, there sits imperious Death (E3r). See . caitiff vile, base, mean, basely wicked ( adj.3) Tiring exhaust through eating broke our ranks disrupted military formations ne’er drunk in the Tatarian blood that has never yet shed Tatarian blood Nay … on the plains. See . matched to encounter as an adversary, to fight (obselete) ( v.3a) blindful mistress of mishap the goddess Fortune who was sometimes represented as blind and spinning a wheel that could randomly land on a good or bad fate Rhamnus’ golden gates An allusion to the town of Rhamnous in Greece where the sanctuary of Nemesis, a goddess of retribution, was located. Compare with ( golden gate [C3r]) and (Rhamnis golden gates [B4v]). ever-turning wheel the wheel of Fortune Mars Roman god of war Termagant perjorative Christian name for a Muslim god who was thought to be violent and overbearing Minerva Roman goddess of wisdom and military strategy rend tear fain glad under the circumstances ( adj.2) [the Janissaries a] … Cherseoli It stands to reason that the Janissaries would also enter at this point in order to celebrate their victory. Also, Cherseoli’s body would need to be removed at the end of scene 6 as Selimus does not refer to the body in scene 7. Q1 does not include a stage direction managing the removal. luckless fault of luckless in the absence of Chief captain of the Tatar’s mighty host. Compare with : valiant Theridamus, / The chiefest Captaine of Mycetes hoste (A3v). son i.e. Alemshae. See and above. sire father spoil strip The unrevengèd … fields. Alemshae’s initial fate as described by Bajazeth here is reminiscent of the wandering of Andrea at the beginning of . His resting in Elysian fields, equating death with relief, is very much a Senecan sentiment. Stygian banks In Greek mythology, these were the banks of the Styx, a river dividing earth from the underworld. Elysian fields In Greek mythology, this was the joyous realm of the blessed in the underworld. Constantine’s great tower A tower (or column) in Byzantium (i.e. Istanbul) built by Constantine in the fourth century to commemorate the city’s founding. Perhaps you Like Bajazeth’s and Selimus’s, Acomat’s first entrance is marked by his delivering a long speech. Unlike his father and brother, he speaks to his followers. dulcet sweet Hymen Greek goddess of marriage Bellona Roman goddess of war. Compare with : As if , Goddess of the war, / Threw naked swords and sulphur bals of fire, / Upon the heads of all our enemies (H2v). votary one bound by vows to a religious life ( adj.1a) iron wall armor for long enough Metrically, the addition of for regularizes the pentameter line. surfeited indulging in something to excess ( v.3) surquidry Excess ( n.2). Ashton uses this rare word to describe the excess of one of Selimus’s governors (N2r). A field of dainties Things, fine, pleasing, and/or delightful ( n.5). Acomat talks here of things like food, wine, erotic pleasure, and song. champion one who fights on the behalf of someone Cytheria another name for Venus or Aphrodite, classical goddesses of love in dolorous vermeil in grief-inducing red, in blood What lets in all memory? Another garbled sentence. Acomat is asking here what prevents (lets) him from abandoning his pleasurable indulgences (i.e. keeping him in vain slumber) and achieving glory on the battlefield. Fortune favors mine intent Compare with : If fortune fauour me in mine attempts (C4r). Ramir Selimus’s father-in-law, Ramirchan. See . broach seditious jar spur on rebellious discord perturbation disturbance danger may not take it unprovided danger will not arrive unprepared for peace from whence your riches spring Visir suggests that, unlike peace that can create favorable economic conditions, war and uncivil unrest are expensive for an emperor. good justifiable immortal lines as rendered in books, possibly through inheritance (lines) lustful game amorous pursuits fond insipid ( adj.1) captive mind captive because driven by amorous desire ’pass compass, reach Indian mines Indian mines refers to the lucrative mines in Peru (Indian, i.e. Incan) operated by the Spanish. stout obedience prideful though obedient close and circumspect secret and cautious holy vows In act 1, Bajazeth tells us that he has reserve[d] the crown for Acomat. Acomat here suggests that this involved some kind of holy vow. election Bajazeth choosing Acomat as the next emperor. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Ottoman Empire did not have a rationalized system of succession unlike in England where primogeniture dictated that the crown be passed to or through the line of the eldest male heir. Instead, succession was assumed to be dictated by fortune which was in turn dictated by god. In practice, this meant the successful occupation of the Ottoman throne in Byzantium by a male in the Osman line after an emperor’s death. This system has been called unigeniture. An emperor could manipulate the process by granting a prince or favorite a governorship close to the Ottoman capital and by political machinations. Mehmed II made it common practice for Ottoman Emperors to eliminate all rivals to the throne. erection installation on the throne As yet is pent: Regan reminds Acomat that his election to the throne is not yet completed and as such he is not in a position to plan for his future as emperor. regiment rule or governance ( adj.1) Aside Though the 1594 quarto does not indicate an aside here, Acomat’s Advise thee, Acomat suggests a self-directed speech. will Q1’s will as in an exertion of will makes sense here. a timely largition A well timed bestowal of gifts. Metrically, the addition of a regularizes the pentameter line. premunition preventive action ( n.2) he will think Metrically, the addition of will regularizes the pentameter line. factious mutinous, inclined to rebel suffrages support insolence Metrically, the shortened form is preferable. overhardiness too bold assay attempt unsettled wit restless, turbulent mind alway Always. Archaic form is meant to rhyme last word of next line. embay bathe leads the dance takes the lead, takes preeminance What prince … alterations Compare with : What prince so ere, adornd with golden [crown] / Doth sway the regall scepter in his hand: /And thinks no chance can euer throw him downe, / Or that his state shall euerlasting stand (G3r). lest Bajazeth is imagining here a prince who does not fear the lour of Fortune. so many Metrically, the addition of so regularizes the pentameter line. lour frown acceptable agreeable rate judgment, estimation (Vitkus 87) So that … prince’s throne. Bajazeth complains that his authority, because dependent upon the people’s rate, hangs by a thin thread. Too true … horse’s hair. Damocles, a flatterer, having extolled the happiness of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, was placed by him at a banquet with a sword suspended over his head by a hair to impress upon him the perilous nature of that happiness (Damocles, ). Compare with : Too true that tyrant / Did picture out the image of a king: / When was placed in his throne, / And ore his head a threatening sword did hang, / Fastened vp only by a horses haire (N7v). awful arousing or inspiring awe ( adj.1) lay wait lay in wait did suck Metrically, the substitution of did suck regularizes the pentameter line. From whom … vital air. For a similar representation of Bajazeth’s paternity, see . Compare with : Behold my sonne which issued from my flesh (G1r). curtains A number of plays in the 1580s and 1590s include stage directions having to with curtains on stage (e.g. , , , and ). In this case, the directions seem to be referring to fabric that could be drawn across an opening in a tiring-house wall. Eunuchs Castrated males. Compare with : And let the Eunickes plaie you all a sleepe (F4r). Music within. This is one of the rare instances of a stage direction in an early modern play specifying the location of musicians. Here, the implication is that musicians were located somewhere within a tiring house or behind some kind of screen. Yet we will … to ruinate. Hali Bassa argues here that he cannot support Bajazeth’s disinheritance of Selimus because Selimus as emperor would, through his martial exploits, ensure that Hali Bassa’s wealth will remain intact. overslipped let pass ( v.1) the fruit that he had labored for the crown sophister one who makes use of fallacious arguments, a specious reasoner ( v3a). subject prince a prince who is also subject to a king against Metrically, the two-syllable against regularizes the pentameter line. Selim’s Metrically, the shortened form of Selimus regularizes the pentameter line. Gave he not Trebisond? See , , . Selim Metrically, the shortened form of Selimus regularizes the pentameter line. Our father … degenerate. See . we would not … lascivious pomp, Cali Bassa declares that he will not accept Acomat who still pursues splendid celebrations and entertainments. Compare too with Shute where the Janissaries oppose Acomat not just because he was addicted to ease and pleasures but because he was not liberall and a fatte man who could not well handle a horse (N4r-v). Compare with when the Mortimers at the end of the fourth scene discuss Edward’s failing as a king. foeman’s foe’s … pen. For an earlier description of Corcut, see above. guide the crown inform his decisions as emperor Princes rulers, commanders, governors ( n.3a) He gave … my thoughts. Bajazeth gave his daughter in marriage to Mustaffa. I love … Selimus Compare with : I loue, I loue him deerely. But the loue, / That men theyr Country and theyr birth-right beare / Exceeds all loues (G1r). How now How is it now? Sophy Ismael. For an earlier reference to Ismael, see above. Hath the Egyptian … again? For an earlier reference to past Ottoman encounters with the Egyptians, see above. Amasya An area in north central Turkey. Historically, shortly after he became Emperor in 1481, Bayezid II conferred the governorship of this coveted province onto Ahmed. This was a clear sign of Bayezid II’s preference for Ahmed over his other sons. ’gratulates congratulates Acomat … lifetime. See above. Aside The preceding stage direction makes it clear that this is an aside. make it sure to him pass it on to him And thou shalt have it Bajazeth is pressured by Acomat days later in Byzantium. This stresses Acomat’s ambition as well as Bajazeth’s passivity. In both Ashton (G6v-7r) and Shute (N3v), Bayezid II resolves to confer the emperorship on Ahmed immediately after defeating Selim. buried in the bosom Become the responsibility and continual worry. This ironically foreshadows future scenes in the play involving Aga. Sound … Corcut. In Ashton, Korkud only asserts his claim to the throne after Ahmed rages against his father (H2r-v). certify attest to therewithal over and above that ( adv.1) invest install Aside Almost the entirety of this speech is self-directed. by right Corcut may be reminding Bajazeth that he is his eldest surviving son and thus has a right to the throne. This claim founded in primogeniture, however, derives not from the Ottoman but the English system of monarchy. Under the terms of this system, it is Alemshae’s eldest son, Mahomet, who in fact enjoys this right. He might also be referring to Bayezid II promising the emperorship to him after his death when Korkud was young. See Ashton E6v-E7r where Bayezid II promises to eventually cede the throne to a thirteen-year-old Corcuthus when he is older. sailing without the stars Metrically, the addition of the regularizes this pentameter line. Like to a ship … betwixt love and right. Reminiscent of Wyatt’s extended metaphor in My Galley which had been in print since 1557, this is the first in a number of maritime epic similes in the play. While Q1 does not label this speech an aside, Mustaffa’s following lines make no reference to what Bajazeth has just said. Compare with : Like to an ship vpon the Ocean seas, / Tost in the doubtfull streame without a helme (E1r). And at my death … to him. This is not exactly what Corcut’s messenger relates above. Compare with . Bassas, how counsel you your emperor In Shute (N4r-v), the Janissaries riot in favor of Selim, and they end up forcing Bayezid II to name Selim heir. In Ashton (G7r-8r), the Janissaries are moved to advise Bayezid II to retain the emperorship by the possibility of Ahmed being made Emperor. Ashton will later record that Korkud asked his father for the emperorship (H2r-v). Corcut’s offer here, then, is an addition. brethren disinherited Selimus and Corcut flesh their anger to use anger like a sword and stab ( v.3b), or possibly incite their anger (Riad) or satiate their anger (Hopkinson) rend the bowels of this mighty realm To cut into or tear ( v4). The play four times forwards different versions of this image (see also ,, and ). Marlowe’s famously ends with Edward being murdered by a hot poker thrust into his anus, and the play was likely written a year before . Compare too with : Souldiers of Israel / That haue contended in these irksome broiles, / And ript old Israels bowels with your swords (H1r). puissance power, strength great puissance Metrically, the addition of great regularizes the pentameter line. enhancèd lifted, raised ( adj.) thrust out their heads decapitate Selimus and Acomat strong to fortify strongly fortify loth Disinclined, unwilling ( adj.1). In Ashton, Bayezid II retains the crown partly because he was moved by a certen inward & sweete lust to reigne al his lyfe (G8r). But we … Selimus. This is an example of what McMillin and MacLean describe as the Queen’s Men’s dramaturgical strategy of narrative overdetermination, Bajazeth here predicting the action of a scene to come. and then rent[s it.] Q1’s unusual stage-direction command say is repeated in the 14th scene below. Thus will I … head In Ashton, Ahmed conceyued a grudge and malice (G8r) but did not attempt to depose his father. In Shute, Ahmed does not seek revenge against his father. Instead, he holes up in a fortified city, resolving to wait on God to depose Selim for his wicked deeds. In Whetstone (E6r), however, it is suggested that Ahmed, like he does here in the play, violently revolted against his father. What? Why did my father do this? wipe me clean forever keep me forever from prize value promise, and religious oaths See above. president presiding god ( n.1b) challenge to assert ones title to, to lay claim to ( v.5a) detains keeps Haply possibly ( n.1b) forepassed previously passed ( v) supply supply of soldiers Natolia Anatolia. Previously known as Asia Minor, this large peninsula is bounded by the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean to the south. Here and below, Acomat is referring to Iconium (now Kolya), one of Anatolia’s principle cities, as Natolia. In Ashton, Ahmed eyes Anatolia not because he wants to take revenge on Bajazeth’s nephew but because by the ayde and power of this prouince he might after his fathers death recouer the Empyre (G8r). Moreover, in Ashton, Ahmed only ends up chace[ing] out (G8v) his nephew from Natolia. make a preface to begin My nephew my wrath. In both Shute (O3r) and Ashton (I3v), it is Selim who murders his nephews not Ahmed. The coming violent scene involving the son and daughter of Alemshae is an addition by the playwright(s). Iconium Konya. A large city south of Ankara in central Turkey. In these confusing lines, Acomat seems to be suggesting that Alemshae lately died (departed) in the city. one or two soldiers These kinds of permissive stage directions have long been taken as indicators that a printed play was derived from an authorial manuscript. Paul Werstine and others have recently questioned such claims. embowellèd To put, to convey into the bowels ( v.3). Though not identified by the as such, this would be the earliest use of the term in this sense. For similar images, see , , , and . tofore before would to God with wishes to God for by right The Beylerbey assumes that Mahomet is now the rightful heir of the Turkish emperorship because he is the eldest son of Bajazeth’s eldest son Alemshae. This primogeniture practice in fact was not followed by the Ottomans. Armenian tiger Now extinct, the Armenian (or Caspian) tiger was thought to have been especially fierce. venge revenge forward ready, prompt, eager ( adj.6) Now, fair Natolia … ground. This scene is vaguely reminiscent of Richard III’s murder of his two nephews in . It is also the first of two siege scenes (see also scene 27 below) which feature characters appearing above, which in the amphitheatre playhouses likely would have been the lords’ rooms. A number of plays during the period like , , , , and and had similar scenes. put up put up with sure safe Weakened … sword. Acomat is suggesting here that Mahomet’s forces aided Bajazeth’s early defeat of Selimus. parley a meeting between opposing sides in a dispute ( n.2a) walls This is a fictional designation for a level above the main platform (Dessen and Thomson). See and below. wondrous tomb This probably refers to the belief that Muhammad’s tomb levitated in the air after he was entombed within it. Alcoran another word for the Qu’ran, the sacred book of Islam e’en Metrically, the shortened form of even regularizes the pentameter line. You do us wrong … at your hands. The rhetorical workings of the rest of this exchange are reminiscent of a number of professional plays of the period (e.g. B4v and C4v as well as 1.2 and 4.4). kin Metrically, the shortened form of kinsman regularizes the pentameter line. Why, I am thy nephew; doest thou frown? Metrically, the deletion of for regularizes this pentameter line. Why, I am thy nephew. … the crown. The first instance of stichomythia in the play whereby rhymed lines of dialogue are split between two characters, the responding character often expressing an antithetical or repetitive sentiment. Here, this stichomythian exchange between Acomat and Mahomet will continue for almost twenty lines. Some of Acomat’s following exchange with Zonara also deploys stichomythia. See also Acomat’s exchange with Aga in scene 15 below. hinderers agents who stand in the way of Acomat’s ambitions do bear an equal eye Mahomet suggests that the gods will ensure that justice is served. Acomat The 1594 quarto mistakenly substitutes Mahomet here. Beshrew an expression, like, for example, the devil take me Phlegethon a fiery river in Hades, the classical underworld scale Climbing of walls using a ladder (Dessen and Thomson). Q1 does not indicate that the characters exit above. contains a similar scene (K3r). shook your plumèd crest Acomat accuses Mahomet of defiantly shaking a heraldic emblem at him and his forces (figured as a shield), a prideful gesture. How … to Bajazeth. Acomat again points out how near Mahomet is to the emperorship, in this case even looking like Bajazeth. for because compendium an abridgement or condensation ( n.2) Regan, go … fall. There is no stage direction suggesting that this horrific punishment was meant to be staged. Compare with : Had I beene there, the souldiers should have tost / Me on their launces points (274–275). fear scare O … my father’s purse. Acomat sarcastically responds to Mahomet’s curse. Zonara Zonara is not to be found in the play’s sources and as such is most likely an imaginative addition. This entrance marks the first appearance of a female character in the play. kin Q1’s article is unnecessary, and cutting it regularizes the pentameter line. wants so long thy company. lacks your company in the afterlife. groom A man of inferior position, a serving-man ( n.3). Zonara suggests that Acomat is a lower-order imposter. Caucasus An area between the Caspian and Black Seas. In the period it was associated with wildness. Hyrcanian A desolate area south of the Caspian Sea. Compare with (But thou art sprung from , / And Tygers of gaue thee sucke [F4r-v]) and (But you are more inhumaine, more inexorable, / O ten times more then Tygers of [i.e. Hycania] [621]). They strangle her This vague direction was common in plays of the time. In rare instances, a cord is specified. In the next scene, the Beylerbey of Natolia recounts that Zonara was strangled by Acomat’s barbarous soldiers. rate berate Mustaffa, [Aga,] and the Janissaries. Though Bajazeth sends him as a messenger to Acomat at the end of this scene, Aga is mistakenly not included in the group entrance here. Methinks … in my ears Compare with : O something soundeth in mine eares (B4r). chair A chair used to transport the sick, wounded, or dying (Dessen and Thomson). A number of plays during the period employ such chairs (e.g. , , and ). coffins Coffins sometimes appear in professional plays before the 17th century (e.g. .) For examples in later plays, see Q1 , , and . presages me predicts exequy funeral rite hearse a hearse cloth ( n.6) nephews This refers to both Mahomet and Zonara. In the sixteenth century, nephew could apply to a male or a female ( n.2b). ayrie The nest of a bird of prey, figuratively used here to suggest a high vantage point ( n.1a, 1b). Compare with : Oh that some ayrie spirit, / Would in the shape and liknes of a horse / Gallope with Arden cross the Ocean (A3r). luckless maid This addition to what is a short line was first suggested by Grosart in the 19th century. swoon A fainting fit ( n.) indicating a figure falling to the stage (Dessen and Thomson). Compare with : The King falls in a sound (E2v). dispensers of our hapless breath the gods, hapless: unlucky glut your eyes overly fill your eyes with occasion An occurence giving grounds for an action ( n.2a). Bajazeth is referring to his refusal to admit Selimus into his presence. See above. froward pervese, difficult to deal with, hard to please ( adj.) And so prevented Alemshae’s death on the field of battle meant that he did not end up having to see the horrible spectacle of his childrens’ murdered bodies. dreariment dreary or dismal condition (archaic) () But I have lived … pieces torn, See above. seed children channels water courses, river beds ( n.) riverets Small rivers, streams ( n.). Compare with (And made the channels ouerflow with blood [H2v]) and (as sure as / Ionathan, Abinadab, and Melchisua / Watred the dales and deepes of Askaron / With bloudy streames that from Gilboa ran / In channels through the wildernesse of Ziph [E1r]). Bemangled and dismembered cut and mutilated doth stand before, ready to strike. Metrically, addition of doth regularizes the pentameter line. Avernus jaws … Acomat. Bajazeth’s invocation here is reminscent of similar speeches of declamatory furor in Seneca, who is a significant influence on the play. Avernus Volcanic crater in Italy that was thought in classical times to be an entrance to the underworld. Taenarus A town in Greece in which there is a cavern that was thought in classical times to be an entrance to the underworld. Demogorgon a powerful god or demon, associated with hell or the underworld ( n.) Furies Roman demons of the underworld, avenging deities ( n.5) Erinyes Another name for the furies. Compare with : Come fierce horrible with snakes, / Come vgly Furies, armed with your whippes (G1r). thou the all-beholding heavens (see below) lightning brand lightning as a weapon ( n.3b) Enrolled Wrapped up or enfolded in ( n.7b). Compare with : And bullets / Enrolde in flames and fiery smeldering mistes (C1r). Jove another name for Jupiter, Roman supreme deity perceant Penetrating, sharp, keen, piercing ( adj.) Go thou … relent. Bajazeth’s sending a messenger to Acomat is neither in Ashton nor Shute. In Ashton, Acomat ends up catching Bayezid II’s oratour (G8v). wit understanding Speak him fair speak to him with pleasing words princes’ This refers to both Mahomet and Zonara. During the period, prince was used to refer to a male or female. Tityus The giant son of Zeus, Tityus was forever punished in the underworld by his father for trying to kill Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis. There, his liver was continually devoured, in this version of the myth, by a vulture. Acomat’s analogy is one of many epic similes in the play. Compare with : Slaues fetch out tortures worse than plagues (E3r). tireth to tear at food ( v.2.2a) civil of or relating to citizens or people who live together in a community ( adj.3) Just sent Metrically, the addition of Just regularizes the pentameter line. and one with him Another permissive stage direction. See the beginning of above. Wonders … so much Metrically, the addition of why regularizes the pentameter line. and thought … of the crown, See . mortal hate of enmity, hatred, etc.: pursued to the death; unappeasable, unrelenting, deadly ( adj.1c) I am not … shall stain. In this strained extended metaphor, Acomat asserts that he is not like uncultivated land in that Bajazeth’s greedy actions in withholding the crown have succeeded in growing hatred in him. He promises that his actions against Bajazeth will bear fruit. Honor’s Acomat offers a garbled analogy here (he’s either the land or the sower). His Honor here refers either to Bajazeth or to some generalized country lord. hasty purposes have hated ends Aga points to Selimus’s defeat at the hands of his father earlier in the play. To set … first brunt. to set his sights immediately on Bajazeth during his attack confines region, territory ( n.2) with his teeth Acomat is referring to Selimus here, and as such it should be his. color his strong hands Acomat is still referring to Selimus here, and as such it should be his fell treacherous, deceitful, false ( adj.2) unkind unkindly the man that first gave life to you Another instance of Bajazeth being represented as a life-giving father. See and above. the people’s adverse fame a reputation with the people that is harmful Whom fear … feeds. In yet more lines of garbled syntax, Aga warns that subjects who are forced to praise their leaders through fear will necessarily hate these leaders. Compare with : Whom feare constraines to praise their Princes deeds, / That feare eternall, hatred in them feeds (G5r-v). sway wield mace staff of office grace the condition or fact of being favored ( n.7) What though What would happen if peculiar to Particularly associated with ( adj.2c). Compare with : Hate hits the hie, and windes force tallest towers / Hate is peculiar to a Princes state (K1r). A version of the first line (Hate climes vnto the head; winds force the tallest towers) appears in Thomas Lodge’s which was first printed in 1596. state circumstances That state … integrity Another instance of stichomythia in the play whereby rhymed lines of dialogue are split between two characters, the responding character often expressing an antithetical or repetitive sentiment. Bare simple ( adj.11) poor integrity a poor person’s integrity Beseems it befits sacrilegious intent on the injurious treament of a holy person, site, or object graybeard old man wiped permanently removed did hear Metrically, the addition of did regularizes the pentameter line. Preferred … to my request? See above. tapers Acomat speaks figuratively of the eyes as candles that bring the light of vision. Acomat pulls out his eyes. As no command is given here, it seems most likely that Acomat himself blinds Aga. Years later, Shakespeare may have been influenced by this violent scene when having Cornwall blind Gloucester in . In Ashton, Ahmed only cuts off the nose and ears of Bayezid II’s oratour (G8v). Dessen and Thomson calls this a distinctive action as far as a stage direction goes (173). felicity Happiness. Acomat sarcastically laments that Aga will not be able to enjoy seeing him kill Bajazeth. rend out Bajazeth’s dim eyes blind Acomat, metaphorically suggesting murder anthropophagi Cannibals. Compare with : Or where the bloodie / With greedie iawes deuours the wandring wights (G1r). at his ease without the embarassment of sins Death … greatly please. Acomat refuses to kill Aga because death would be welcome to a wretched caitiff like him. They … hands Presumably, they here refers to Regan’s soldiers. This scene is reminiscent of Aaron cutting Titus Andronicus’s hand off in . Though it’s impossible to know the direction of influence, most theatre historians have dated the plays to have been written and staged within a year or two of one another. Disturbing violence and grim humor (i.e. Acomat’s confusion over which hand he holds) are characteristics of both scenes. Compare with the second act of . in that sort mutilated tenfold crystal orbs In the sixteenth century, it was widely thought that the planets and stars were variously distributed onto a series of rotating spheres. Peter Apian in his (1539) theorized that there were ten such spheres, with the closest to earth containing the moon, the second closest Mercury, and so on. smold’ring flame Lightning bolt. Compare with : dart these furious flames (E4v). brinish salty pearlèd pearl-like, round watry watery Come, lead me back again to Bajazeth. Though Q1 does not indicate it, Aga’s exiting at this point is a staging possibility here. Why so an expression of contentment music Aga’s laments Into … hands, Similar images can be found at , , and . Compare with : I long to pierce his bowels with my sword, / That hath betraied my gracious Soueraigne (H4v). clear declining vault Acomat describes the sky descending to the horizon. faitour an imposter, cheat, esp. a vagrant who shams illness or pretends to tell fortunes ( n.1) pillars legs lodges sockets trunkèd lopped, mutilated ( n.1) gyre a circular or spiral turn ( n.1) hurtle Brandish, wave. According to the , this erroneous sense of hurtle was often used by Edmund Spenser (). so to cut Metrically, the addition of to regularizes the pentameter line. With purpose … from thee. See . Let women weep Ashton records that Bayezid II here was wrothe and angry and called for an army to be sent to Anatolia (H1r). He was not overwhelmed by grief. bootless unavailing, useless, unprofitable ( adj.3) stern-born sons of Mars Sons born steadfast, fiercely brave, bold ( adj.2a). Compare with : Braue Romaine Souldiers, sterne-borne sons of (G3r). Phoeb’ Phoebus, the sun wain A large open vehicle, drawn by horses or oxen ( n.1a). Mustaffa alludes to the classical image of the sun god driving a horse-drawn carriage across the sky. prince the chief, the greatest, the best ( n.2a) Stygian meadows These were along the river Styx in the classical underworld. This image of unrevenged souls was recurrent in Elizabethan and Jacobean revenge tragedy (Riad 152), a genre derived from Seneca. Thou knowst … mighty Ottoman. It was a practice of the Janissaries to go into battle led by a decendent of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman empire. Such a practice is described in Ashton H1r-v. And who … Selimus Similarly, in Ashton it is Mustaffa who counsels Bayezid II to pardon Selim and appoint him captain of his forces (H1v). I cannot kill myself This is presumably because Bajazeth is too old to fight himself. There is also an ironic second meaning in this line: if Bajazeth cannot kill himself, Selimus will. Will Fortune … Q1 does not indicate that this speech is delivered as an aside. In plays of this period, it was conventional for messengers to be present when characters delivered confidential musings. cards A deck of cards representing the randomness of fortune. In the this extended metaphor, Selimus’s possession of these signifies his control over fate. And will … myself a king. Compare with : Then since thou hast all the Cardes / Within thy hands to shuffle or cut, take this as surest thing, / That right or wrong, thou deale thy selfe a King (A6r). reconciling lines lines asking for reconciliation captain general chief commander of force ( n.) courtesy the ceremonious expression of apology ( n.7) policy scheme device plan, project like Antaeus quelled by Hercules Son of Poseidon and Gaia (the earth), Antaeus was a giant who was energized by contact with his mother; thus, if he were thrown to the ground in combat (overthrown) he would immediately be reenergized. The Greek hero Hercules defeated the monster by choking it to death on his shoulders. sure safe in one’s possession or keeping ( adj.4) signet a small seal to give authentication or authority to a document ( n.1) hardly barely the cause Bajazeth’s offer; also Selimus’s kingly ambitions have at make an attempt at Exit Q1’s Exeunt is redundant. Come, mournful Aga The beginning of this scene is reminiscent of 3.2 when Titus addresses his mutilated daughter Lavinia. grieved afflicted with pain ( adj.2) in this light In this circumstance. Bajazeth here is suggesting that the lit world is now an unfamiliar place for the blind Aga. In all humility Compare with Ashton which has Bayezid II pardon Selimus after being swayed by two of his counsellors (H1v). In Shute (N4v-O1r), the Janissaries, fearing that Bayezid II intended to make Ahmed emperor, reach out to the defeated Selim to return to Istanbul and be crowned emperor. open unto you my breast Selimus lays bare his breast so that he might be stabbed at Bajazeth’s command. This is reminiscent of Richard III baring his breast to Queen Ann in the second scene of . unfeignèd sincere inglorious humbled thrice as very, highly, greatly ( adv.3b) common shared, also undistinguished by any superior characteristics ( adv.11a) Aside Selimus is plotting to himself at this point. in regard of on account of Offer to me Metrically, the addition of to regularizes the pentameter line. ebb decline, decay ( n.2b) Janissars Janissaries Do rest … heart, An elusive expression, Bajazeth’s sentiment here stresses the new resting of his thoughts. consuming destroying leese To set free, deliver, release ( v.1). Bajazeth assures Aga that Selimus will kill Acomat, thus setting free Acomat’s ghost from his body. grace forgiveness ( n.5) Enter Mustaffa. Q1 contains no stage direction for Mustaffa’s reentry after exiting at line 54. Bajazeth’s How now appears to be directed at him, and as such it makes the most sense to have him enter after the shouting within. triumph public festivity or joyful celebration ( n.4) Ah, gracious lord … Selimus, In Ashton, it is Mustaffa who entreats Bayezid II to give up the emperorship (H3r). host army unwieldy weak, impotent, feeble, infirm ( adj.1) younger youngest the Sophy and his Persians See below. victorious Soldan Tonombey See above. Historically, Tonombey (i.e. Tuman Bey II) was the last Egyptian sultan to rule before Egypt was defeated by Selim I in 1517. As he did not rise to power until 1516, years after the death of Bayezid II, this is yet another anachronistic reference. A few years before was first staged, George Saltern wrote the Latin closet drama about Selim I’s defeat of Tuman Bey II. Here, Selimus … unto me. Bajazeth ironically refers to the fact that his father Mehmet II favored his brother Cem over him as his heir, suggesting his frustration. Contemporary accounts, however, disagree about the course of Bayezid II’s abdication, some argue that Bayezid II resigned quickly and willingly (Shute O1r-v), others that he was forced to resign against his will, still others that his resignation was the product of a lengthy negotiaton (Çipa 54–55). sets it on his head For a comparable deposition scene, see D3r, D3v. Dimoticum Dimoticum is a City in Turkey that was the birthplace of Bayezid II. Compare with Ashton H4r, from which this detail seems to have been drawn. Now, sit I … Jove Compare with (As for my selfe, I stand as huge tree, / And others are but shrubs compard to me, / All tremble at my name, and feare none, / Lets see who dare impeache me for his death? [M1r]) and (The armestrong offspring of the doubted knight, / Stout mightie sonne, / That tamde the monsters of the threefold world [F4r] and Now sit I like the mightie god of warre [F3v]). arm-strong strong armed son of Jove Hercules after he had all his monsters quelled, An allusion to the twelve labors of Hercules which he successfully completed. See . Hebe The personification of youth, Hebe was the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She married Hercules after he was made a god and entered the heavens. attainèd reach, arrive at, gained ( v7) This Selimus gestures at the crown, symbol of his emperorship. he’s Metrically, the contraction he’s regularizes the pentameter line. broil turmoil, confrontation To make that sure … cut off. Similarly, Ashton describes Selim commanding a Iew phisition to poison his father (H4r). Shute says that Bayezid II died naturally or was poisoned (O1v), making no mention of a Jewish physician. that his emperorship platform The ground, foundation, basis of an action, event, calculation, condition, etc. ( n.3). Compare with : heeres the Angels downe, / And I will lay the platforme of his death (C4v). physic medicine Withal in addition stout rebellious ( adj.4b) resolute slack, lacking in firmness ( adj.2c) intoxicated poisoned ( adj.1) Hydra’s heads Hydra was a many-headed monster killed by Hercules as one of his twelve labors. As its heads regrew if cut off, Hercules had to burn every neck-stump with a fiery torch in order to kill it. Selimus understands that Bajazeth is only one of the Hydra’s heads that he will have to deal with as Emperor. In the following lines he describes the other principle heads (). Contemporary accounts and histories of Selim’s reign have mostly absolved the historical Selim of responsibility for his father’s death, either attributing it to natural causes or glossing over it all together (Çipa 57–58). Shute, for example, vaguely imagines that Bajazeth died suddenly of sickness brought on by thought, or els of poyson (O1v). fetch here Metrically, the addition of here regularizes the pentameter line. one Yet another permissive stage direction. One of the Janissaries could exit at this point. pageant a part played by someone in a situation ( n.1b) Mahomet’s dreaded laws as written in the Qu’ran Razi’s toys Selimus refers to the writings of Abu Bakr Muhammed al-Razi, a Persian philosopher, alchemist, and physician of the ninth and tenth centuries. Avicenna’s drugs Selimus refers to the medicines of Persian astronomer and physician Ibn Sina who lived in the tenth and eleventh centuries. necromancy sorcery, witchcraft the devil Corcut Do strangle Metrically, the addition of Do regularizes the pentameter line. And hearest thou, Hali? Do strangle him. Metrically, the addition of Do regularizes the pentameter line. shipwrack shipwreck shelf a sand bank in the river or the sea ( n.1) Abraham the Jew This representation of a Jew is vaguely reminscent of representations in professional plays of the period like and . Moreover, Abraham’s initial entrance late in the play is somewhat akin to Lightborne’s in . Historically, Bayezid II is famous for welcoming Jewish people into his Ottoman territories after they were outlawed by Spain in the early 1490s, and thus it is ironic that his murderer here will be a Jew. on your life on penalty of your life afford them you provide ( v.3) them to you make a conscience to make something a matter of conscience, of morality ( conscience vP4) Lysander’s counsel Selimus invokes the proverbial counsel of the Spartan admiral who forced the Athenians to capitulate at the end of the Peloponnesian War. His point was that cunning is sometimes better than force. Compare with : I’l imitate in this point, / And where the lion’s hide is thin and scant, / I’l firmly patch it with the Foxes fell (B2v). complots covert plans wrought brought about ( v9) open out-in-the-open meditation plotting Or fox’s skin or either … or Abraham the Jew with a cup. As he is not noticed by them until he speaks at line 81, Abraham probably needs to be imagined to be at some distance from Bajazeth and Aga at the beginning of this scene. Come, Aga, let us mourn awhile This scene is reminiscent of Marlowe’s when towards the end of the play Edward II mourns his fate with Spencer and Baldock (come sit downe by me. [H4v]). A similar scene can be found in Shakespeares (For Gods sake let vs sit vpon the ground, / And tell sad stories of the death of Kings [1515–1516]). Many commentators have also argued that the scene is a source for ’s madness scene in the third act. cross angry That woeful emperor … kingdom so. Bajazeth here refers to his grandfather (historically, Bayezid I) who ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402 and who was defeated by the Tatar conqueror Timur the Lame in 1402 at the Battle of Ankara. In calling him woeful, Bajazeth alludes to his defeat, capture, humiliation, and torture by Tamburlaine that was famously staged in the of Marlowe’s . The myth of Timur emerged in England at the end of the fifteenth century. Of Marlowe’s invention was that Tamburlaine was a thief from Scythia (a large region in Eurasia) before rising to power. in a cage Metrically, the addition of a regularizes the pentameter line. great scourge Metrically, the addition of great regularizes the pentameter line. reckon in my plaint consider in my complaint From my … to be rent. Yet another instance of a character considering his fate with a maritime analogy (Compare with ; ; ). This extended metaphor is particularly reminiscent of Wyatt’s My Galley, a sonnet he adapted from Petrarch. boisterous billows rough swelling waves hugy huge ( adj.) And cruel wrath; within me rage is rife. Adding semicolon to the line and replacing rages rife with rage is rife clarifies the meaning. Metrically, the addition of is regularizes the pentameter line. rage is rife rage is in abundance flashing buffets strokes; flashing because quick and lightning-like immure wall in ( v) It shall … shallows. Metrically, the addition of It regularizes the pentameter line. boatswain ship’s officer in charge of equipment ( n.1) stirreth nothing sure does nothing with certainty stars guidance out an exclamation expressing grief ( int.C1) vails can cast down ( v4b) stent stop blind procurer of mischance Fortune stayst relies ( v3b) enhance lift up, raise ( v1) thrillant steel Thrilling sword. The obselete word thrillantcomes from Spenser. The while while brought me to the world gave birth to me rulèd dominated poor estate economic condition exalted him elevated him in rank fair pleasant cruel Persians See . Now … all the world. Compare with : Where may I finde some hollow vncoth rocke, / Where I may damne, condemn and ban my fill, / The heauens, the hell, the earth, the aire, the fire, / And vtter curses to the concaue skie, / Which may infect the airey regions (F4v). ban curse, imprecate damnation upon ( v.2a) another while again regions of the air portions into which the atmosphere is divided according to height ( regions n.3a) Night … my stomach dry. Bajazeth’s invocation and curses here are reminscent of similar speeches of declamatory furor in Seneca. Night Bajazeth summons Nyx, Roman goddess of night. Compare with : Black night hath hid the pleasurs of ye day, / And sheting darknesse ouerhangs the earth, / And with the black folde of her cloudy robe, / Obscure vs from the eiesight of the worlde (D1v). mantle cloak Lethe Lethe was a river in the classical underworld associated with forgetfulness. pitchy steeds Black horses. Bajazeth here draws on the conventional image of night as traveling across the sky in a wain (carriage) pulled by horses. coal-black silence Bajazeth fashions a synaesthetic image, mixing sight and sound. lamps of ever-burning light eyes cursed my stomach dry Bajazeth imagines cursing as an act of purgation (i.e. throwing up). of noble worth worthy of noblemen Aside The next three lines are clearly self-directed speech. old as well as as old as care not much am willing Proserpina Latin for Persephone. Greek goddess of the underworld, daughter of Zeus. Destins the Destinies, the Fates If Ismael … iron spears See . Or had … Mamelukes Mamelukes were slave warriors who established powerful knightly castes in places like Egypt and India. crocodilus Latin for crocodile calmy calm What greater … his face? Aga compares his own fate to that of Priam, King of Troy during the Trojan War with the Greeks. Homer’s describes the course of the war, including Priam’s son Hector being killed in one-to-one combat with Achilles, his last remaining son Polites being killed by Neoptolemus before him, and the Greeks’ destruction of his city. did it behold Metrically, the addition of it regularizes the pentameter line. boon gift He dies. This scene ends with three bodies on the stage. Though Q1 offers no direction, these somehow need to be removed from the stage before the start of the next scene. Enter Bullithrumble … running Energetic first entries were one of the calling cards of the Elizabethan clown (i.e. foolish rustic), made famous by comic actor Richard Tarlton. See, for example, Derrick’s opening entrance in as well as Subtle Shift’s in . Throughout his two appearances in this play, Bullithrumble is very much an English rustic, not a Turkish one. The play’s pastoral setting here might have been taken from Shute, who in describing his escape, writes that Korkud was ultimately betrayed by certayne men of the countre (O3r). Marry expression, mild oath used to give emphasis to one’s words ( int.1) an if were … again Bullithrumble’s reference to the beginning of society offers an ironic counter to Selimus’s own ruminations on the same subject in the second scene. set a tap abroach To let ale or wine flow freely from a cask ( adv.1). Bullithrumble says he would drink excessively and without reservation. breach violation ten commandments Ten fingers and the set of ten moral principles that occur twice in the Old Testament. Compare with (fearing she would set her ten commandements in my face [H2r]) and 2 2.1 (Could I come neare your dainite vissage with my nayles, Ide set my ten commandments in your face). proper apt, skilled wasters Fencing with wooden swords ( n.3). A wooden sword was a common clown prop during the period. club’s trump Possibly an ironic reference to a card game of the period. Here, Bullithrumble refers to it figuratively to describe his wife beating him with a club. Compare with : she began to play knaves’ trumps (H2r). to sing Bullithrumble would have sang the following rhymed lines. Singing was usually part of the clown’s performative routines. hap luck shrew a woman given to railing or scolding ( n.2) even evening lies lies silent talents talons, with a pun on talents, skills fro from knave a cunning, unscrupulous rogue ( n.1) lays it on my skin hits me Sir John Sir John was a stock name for a rural Anglican priest. joined married I’ll tell you what Bullithrumble is addressing the audience. Elizabethan clowns frequently broke the fourth wall in their performances. In his injunction to the players in Shakespeare’s , Hamlet complains about this and other clown practices. holly wand a branch from a holly shrub, with a pun on holy (Vitkus 121) blessed Swatted. Bullithrumble frequently refers to the various religious practices of Anglican minsters in the two scenes in which he appears. Here, he ironically refers to their blessings in rituals like the eucharist. whole alphabet of faces Bullithrumble uses whole alphabet to describe his range of faces in response to being beat by his wife. Below he goes into more detail about this. cammock A stick or club with a crooked head, used in games to drive a ball ( n.1). Bullithrumble describes his wife’s crooked face as well as suggests that she is the stick, he the ball. criss-cross row the alphabet, so named from the figure of a cross prefixed to the alphabet in hornbooks and primers for teaching children to read ( Christ-cross-row n.1) While he … his Page. Bullithrumble should be sitting at a distance from where Corcut and his Page enter so that they do not immediately notice him. As Hopkinson and others have pointed out, the rest of this scene is very similar to a late scene in where the defeated and starving Scythian king Humber asks the clown Strumbo for some meat. It is also reminiscent of a scene in where Leir and Perillus are wandering in a forest, searching for meat that is subsequently provided by a disguised Cordella. Historically as reported by Ashton, Korkud was present when Selimus deposes Bayezid II in Istanbul. He then fled awaye priuilye wyth his gallayes in to his prouince (H4r). In Shute, Korkud is not present in Istanbul when Bayezid II is deposed. Later, he is forced into hiding by Selim and then executed (O2v). disguised like mourners wearing some kind of black costume (Dessen and Thomson) Tartary Tartarus. In classical mythology, the deepest level of the underworld where the gods locked away their enemies. O hateful hellish … on the grass. Much of Corcut’s account of his escape from Selimus appears to have been taken from Ashton (I4v-I5v), including his escape with servants from Magnesia to Smyrna as well as his desire to find a ship to take him to Rhodes. In Shute’s account, neither Smyrna nor Rhodes are mentioned, and Korkud is not said to have been accompanied by servants (O2v-O3r). fen swamp animatest to fill with boldness, courage, spirit ( v.1) ends goals so nor so in any way Old Hali’s sons Hali Bassa and Cali Bassa. Much of the rest of this speech is adapted from Ashton I4v. companies Corcut is referring to plural groups here. barded armed covered with bards (metal plates) ( adj.1) should have befell me Metrically, the removal of to regularizes the pentameter line. thus disguisèd Corcuts escape in disguise is mentioned in Shute (O2v). Smyrna Greek port city on the Aegean Sea dark cave Historically, Korkud was captured by his brother while hiding in a cave. Ashton does not recount Korkud’s capture, only that he was ultimately hanged in a bowestryng by Selimus (I5v); Shute describes Korkud hiding out in Magnesia in certaine woodes and caves before being captured (O2v-3r). transfrete to pass over a narrow straight or sea ( v.) Rhodes large Greek island and name for its capital city crossed thwarted Kept controlled brigantines Small vessels equipped both for sailing and rowing ( n.1). These two days … on the grass. For similar scenes of a character attempting to elude discovery, see H3r-v and E2v. in good time in the nick of time hungry small, insufficient ( adj.3a) felonians Comic form of felons. Clowns often trafficked in malaprops and neologisms. creep into kindred get intimate, get too close you are … Master Bullithrumble Bullithrumble disputes that he is simply a groom, asserting that he is a Master. Compare with : O alasse sir, ye are deceiued, I am not , I am (H2v). Elizabethan clowns frequently disputed their lower-order stations as part of their routines. Slipper, for example, in tells Sir Bartram that he is a gentleman (E4r). Mouse in claims that A Lord at the least I am (F2r). Derrick in protests, Am I a clown? Zounds, masters, do clowns go in silk apparel? (146). Ralph in declares his own superiority because he is a king’s clown. Aside Bullithrumble clearly speaks the next sentence to himself. cozening conicatching crossbiter All terms in Robert Greene’s conicatching pamphlets, the first of which was his published in 1591. Conicatchers were mostly urban criminals that used card scams to steal from conies (rabbits, i.,e. prey). Crossbiters were essentially pimps who used sex workers to blackmail customers. Compare with : Take heede signior Baptista, least you be conicatcht in this business: I dare sweare this is the right Vincentio (T6r). ’tence pretence uncle to cheat, deceive, defraud ( v.1a), with a pun on cousin (i.e. cozen)(Vitkus 123) victuals food godfathers and godmothers Godfathers and godmothers are traditionally present at christenings where the name of a baby is announced. BULLITHRUMBLE In the 1594 quarto, the Bullithrumble speech prefix recurs redundantly at the top of H2v before Mass. Riad has argued that there may be a Corcut speech that is missing here, but because the unnecessary prefix occurs at the top of a page, this was in all likelihood a compositor’s mistake. Aside Bullithrumble’s next two sentences here are clearly self-directed. church book the parish register where christenings, marriages, and deaths were recorded Mass by the mass, an oath ad quorum and omnium populorum Latin phrases used in commissioning a Justice of the Peace to do his work (Vitkus 123). How he famines me. Bullithrumble complains that Corcut is making him hungry by keeping him from his meat. Ironically, Bullithrumble is the one who is doing most of the talking here. an it please you an if it please you do believe have faith in god and it please you if it please you catechism An elementary treatise for instruction in the principles of the Christian religion, in the form of question and answer ( n.2). Bullithrumble comically describes his so-far short interaction with Corcut as a kind of catechism. sovereign supreme O lord … and goblins. Listening to the language of Corcut’s oath, Bullithrumble comically confuses it with a demonic invocation. This is reminiscent of the clowns’ fear in that Mephistophilis will have him torn to pieces. Aside Bullithrumble clearly speaks the next sentence to himself. stately princely, noble, majestic ( adj.1) Maister Pigwiggen Maister (i.e. Master). Maister Pigwiggen is a comic name for a rural justice of the peace entertain Provide for ( v.1c). Bullithrumble thinks that Corcut and his page are asking to be taken into his service as servants. Around this time, there were a number of plays with such comic recruitment scenes. See, for example, , , , and . A good … Maister Compare with : I wil tell you what I can doe, I can keepe my tougue from picking and stealing, and my hands from lying and slaundering, I warrant you (B2v). nutrimented Well bred ( adj.). Compare with : come hether my well nutrimented Knaue (C1r). keep watch keeping … stealing Bullithrumble confuses the actions of hands and tongues here. picking pickpocketing servitures servants tripes intestines society A group, collective. The joke here and below seems to be that society is anything but a well-used metaphor, nor is company. The brethren Hali Bassa and Cali Bassa portagues Portuguese gold coins Enter Selimus Compare with Ashton which recounts Selimus hiring a greate route of mourners, with all pompe and solempnitie in order to cloke his murder of Bajazeth (I3r). corses corpses [Bajazeth] The 1594 quarto mistakenly substitutes Mustaffa. It is clearly the corpse of Bajazeth with that of Aga that is being carried in here. with funeral pomp a public procession involving mourning figures, costumes, and music (Dessen and Thomson) [Aside] The large processional entrance here is used to signify the stakes of Selimus’s actions at this point. That the entrance is immediately followed by an aside underscores its symbolic importance. Selimus’s speech here is clearly self-directed. I made of him away Metrically, the addition of of regularizes the pentameter line. Why an interjection thus must Selim blind his subjects’ eyes. Similarly, Ashton describes Bayezid II’s grand funeral as an underhanded attempt by Selim to cloke the most cruel & manyfest murther of his father (I3r). Richard III in deploys comparable strategies in 3.7. made of him away killed him pomp ceremony mortuary a funeral, obsequies ( n.2) dram bit Phoenix See . pavilion a large, stately, or ornamental tent ( n.1a) in this ancient monument The Temple of Mahomet. [Bajazeth placed in] The original stage direction dictates Suppose the Temple of Mahomet. This is apparently a direction for the actors, intended to cue them to treat the space as if it were a pagan temple, one dedicated to Muhammed. Vitkus (146) points out that it was common for English texts to mistake mosques for temples. According to Dessen and Thomson, this is the only instance of suppose used as an imperative in a stage direction. Thou wert … of ours Selimus is setting himself up as the reborn Phoenix, born from his father’s ashes. And didst thou die Metrically, the substitution of didst thou die regularizes the pentameter line. magnific renowned, glorious ( adj.) Mounteth highest heaven Metrically, the removal of to regularizes the pentameter line. Princes rulers commanders, governors ( n.3a) Macedonia a kingdom of ancient Greece one or two soldiers Another permissive stage direction. See , , and . reward See . high exalted Honored. The ironic implication here is that the page will end up being hanged for his labor. That same his master Corcut The sweet … affords Compare with : Whether it was the countries sweete content (1.19). there the life of a king harborèd lodged within from Bullithrumble ironically makes the excuse of his familial responsibilities here. sure an expression of certainty ( int.P1) Ay me a spontaneous expression of regret ( int.1) the governor of Magnesia In the tenth Scene, a messenger calls Corcut the Soldan of Magnesia. Nowhere in the play do we see Hali Bassa having this governor position being conferred upon him. wrath angry Thus I … as she. Amphiaraus was a seer and warrior beloved of Zeus and Apollo. His wife Eriphyle, bribed with a gold necklace, convinced him to join a disastrous expedition of the seven against Thebes. Eriphyle was ultimately murdered in revenge by one of her sons at the bidding of Amphiaraus. No one has yet identified the source of Corcut’s allusion to Amphiaraus’s disguise. sorrowst Metrically, sorrowst regularizes the pentameter line. profession occupation charge responsibility stealing from them closely away moving stealthily, secretly away (Dessen and Thomson) closely secretly, covertly ( adj.3) The more’s the pity. expression of regret about a statement just made preferment Bullithrumble ironically calls his punishment a preferment in that he would be raised up by the gallows. down Holburn up Tyburn Bullithrumble refers to the infamous path of criminals to execution in London. They first passed down Holburn street to the village of Tyburn, just north of London where the gallows were located. Of course, a Turkish shepherd would not be talking about London here. Compare with : Tyborn stand fast, I feare you will be loden ere it be long (B1v). my best joint his head strappado The strappado was a form of torture in which the victim was raised on a pulley by his hands that were tied behind his back. Bullithrumble imagines the strappado as equivalent to the gallows here. running away Bullithrumble exits with the same energy that he first entered the play. His running away also enacts his escape strategy outlined at above. Such exits and entrances were part of the conventional routines of Elizabethan clowns. Persian Ismael … our chief foes. Historically, Ahmed, like his father and unlike his brother Selim, had sympathy with Ismael’s Shia cause. See also and . succor assistance potentates Monarchs, princes, rulers, especially autocratic ones ( n.1). down An elevated stretch of open, uncultivated land with gently rolling hills ( n.2). Compare with : Thus feedes the Lambe securely on the downe (D3v). bold brave condign Fitting, appropriate ( adj.3a, b). Starvation is fitting presumably because the Page betrayed Corcut while he was feeding his sheep. your philosophy See . Old Gyges’ wond’rous ring Gyges was an old shepherd living in what is now western Turkey who discovered a magical ring that rendered its wearers invisible. He used the ring to depose a king and marry his widow (Vitkus 128). In comparing Corcut to Gyges, Selimus subtly accuses Corcut of having designs on the throne. jest joke Upbraidst to bring forward, adduce as a ground for reproach ( v.1) whit not in the least ( adj.1b) no otherwise not any differently leave permission Ay Acomat agrees to let Corcut speak here, so Ay makes more sense here than Q1’s Nay. divine predict I have conversed with Christians Corcut’s spiritual conversion to Christianity as he will describe in this speech is not to be found Ashton or Shute and was likely added for the benefit of the play’s Christian audiences. please gratify, satisfy ( v2a) crystalline vault a sphere in the Ptolemaic system located beyond the stars ( chrystalline adj.1) treads Beats down. Corcut seems to be suggesting something to the effect that god minimizes our sins while we are still alive on earth. wink turn a blind eye to But it is Metrically, the addition of it regularizes the pentameter line. hearken listen give us over to our wicked choice damn us offences sins Chiurlu A city in northwest Turkey, near Byzantium (i.e. Istanbul). See Scene 5 to Scene 8. Selim died on the road from Edirne to Istanbul in September, 1520, not in Chiurlu. Corcut’s prediction could be taken as further evidence of a planned sequel. See Conclusion. In Chiurlu … death. Corcut’s prediction is prophetic. Selim died near the city of Chiurlu in 1520. [Selimus] strangles him. The original stage direction does not identify who strangles Corcut, but because no command is given, it is most likely Selimus who was meant to carry out the deed. In Ashton, Korkud is executed by Selim by being trussed up in a bowstryng (I5v). Shute does not specify how Korkud was killed (O2r). Corcut’s body will somehow need to be removed before the next scene. corrivals One of several competitors having equal claims ( n.1). As Selimus explains below, Acomat is not a corrival because he is too weak to resist Selimus. Persian aid See . immures herself shuts herself up in girt surround They say … girt Amasya. Similarly, Ashton describes how Selim resolved to murder both of Ahmed’s sons (I3v-I4r). Selimus’s attack on Solyma is apparently an invention of the play. bastard Selimus suggests that Amurath and Aladin are not the true children of Acomat (i.e. the products of adultery) and thus not legitimate rivals to the Ottoman throne. officiousness Readiness in doing good offices, performing one’s duty ( n1). Though not listed, this would be, according to the , the earliest use of the term in this sense. souls Selimus is referring to the plural souls of Amurath and Aladin here. keep govern Mustaffa [and a Janissary] Q1 indicates that only Mustaffa remains on stage even while he sends one with a message to Amurath and Aladin below. It grieves my soul Mustaffa’s worry about the Ottoman line can also be found in Ashton (I4r). eclipsèd cast a shadow upon, obscured ( v.3a) Ottoman’s fair race the heirs of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire Yet for because dear dearly sirrah a term of address expressing authority ( int.1) post ride, run, or travel with haste ( v.2a) Go, sirrah … Amasya. This is an example of what McMillin and MacLean describe as the Queen’s Men’s dramaturgical strategy of narrative overdetermination, Mustaffa here predicting the action of a scene to come. do put them Metrically, the addition of do regularizes the pentameter line. put them to the sword kill them crabbèd cross, ill tempered ( adj.2b) repine grumble, complain ( v.1a) To be the brother of their emperor Mustaffa was offered the hand of Bajazeth’s sister, Solyma, in marriage. Enter Solyma Solyma is neither in Ashton nor Shute and is thus likely an invention. She is the second of three female characters to appear in the play. grace kindly regard ( n.2b) This night … to me Compare with where prophetic dreams occur in a number of scenes. Lucinae’s shining wain The chariot of the moon. Lucina was the goddess of childbirth and often linked to the moon (Riad 181). Cassiopeia This is a constellation named after Cassiopeia, the mother of Andromeda, who boasted of her and her daughter’s unrivaled beauty and who for her arrogance was punished by being exiled to the sky. The stars in the constellation form the shape of a chair. a fearful vision A number of plays during the period like Shakepeare’s and the anonymous include such prophetic dreams. of bassa’s fair degree of the bassas’ elite status halter noose A greedy lion … all to nought. Solyma has a premonition of her coming death at the hands of her brother Selimus. nought nothing vain idle, unprofitable, useless ( adj.1a) disjoin separate bounds boundaries this Amurath gives the messengers some coins. let us depart Compare the following with Ashton which has the brothers fleeing together to the mountains (I4r). the windows of the morn be ope morning ope open Aegyptus Latin for Egypt I’ll to Aegyptus … I to Persia. In Shute (O4r-v), Acomat’s sons fight in their father’s last battle against Selimus, fleeing at its conclusion. they Amurath and Aladin did move them Metrically, the addition of did regularizes the pentameter line. him Hali Bassa only meets with one messenger. certified informed abye pay the penalty for ( v.2) pitiful merciful, also pathetic him Mustaffa mean means secrecies secrets So help me God and holy Mahomet. One of the rare religious oaths in the play. See . for because famous stock royal line of the Ottomans battle of Chiurlu … by flight See Scene 5 to Scene 8. Mustaffa gives specific details of the battle here that are not actually staged or discussed in these scenes. hedged surrounded danger vulnerability ’scape escape dignity high estate, position, or estimation ( n.2) sons Hali Bassa and Cali Bassa bend their brows frown Janissars do mourn Metrically, addition of do regularizes the pentameter line. ever subject ever any subject has been holy protestation Selimus refers to Mustaffa’s vow, So help me God and holy Mahomet, above. merchantman merchant ware merchandise gracious generous ( adj.2a) be in the selfsame be guilty of the same he made thee emperor See . Though we do not actually see him support Selimus’s usurpation of the throne, Mustaffa is apparently present when the Janissaries crown Selimus offstage. benefits kind deeds, kindnesses, favors ( n.2a) after live live after ’Twere pity … husband. Selimus sarcastically suggests that the lonely Solyma should join Mustaffa in the afterlife. unmanly Lacking fortitude and courage. Selimus ironically suggests that Solyma’s forces are unmanly because led by a woman. Exeunt Mustaffa’s and Solyma’s bodies will somehow have to been removed from the stage before the start of the next scene. my native soil Turkey by right Acomat refers to the fact that now, after his killing of Corcut, he is the eldest son of Bajazeth. He was … bassas’ will See Scene 18. enthronized Enthroned. Compare with : Right noble father, we will rule the land, / Enthronized in seates of stones, / That Locrine and his brethren all may know (C3r). made good Bajazeth to die See Scene 19. strangled Corcut See Scene 22. exiled me We never see Selimus formally do this in the play. raise remove Nilus Latin for the Nile river Usumcasane Usumcasane is a supporter of Tamburlaine in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine plays. During the course of these plays, Tamburlaine crowns him king of Morocco. The historical Usumcasane, Uzun Hasan, was a Persian King who lived decades after Timur the Lame, the historical source of Marlowe’s (Vitkus 147). The historic record is unclear as to whether Uzun Hasan was related to Tuman Bey (the historic namesake of the play’s Tonombey). Ashton, though, records that the Persian leader Ismael was the grandson of Uzun Hasan (G2v). From whom my father lineally descends This appears to be a fictional lineage. Fortune shall show even if Fortune shall show too cross opposed revest reinvest uncontrollèd not to be controlled policy course of action ( n.4) mushrooms contemptible persons ( n.2a), also upstarts ( n.2b) because mushrooms proverbially grow overnight walls This is the second scene to make use of a platform above the main stage. See . parricide murderer of his own father lukewarm blood This was a common phrase in professional plays of the period. Compare with (Were bathed in our enemies lukewarme blood [D2r]) and (Now glut thy greedie guts with luke warme blood! [D2r]). your robberies Metrically, the addition of your regularizes the pentameter line. equal just Euripus of swift Euboea Euripus is a strait between the Greek island of Euboea and the Boeotian peninsula known for its swift current Phoeb’s Phoebus’s, the sun’s bring the day … Eastern sea. rise in the west and set in the east Thy bloody … What security? Solyma sarcastically asks Selimus what hope of mercy can she have given the violent past actions of him and his soldiers. ungracious wicked, possibly low born (as an insult) of all thy dearest friends Metrically, the addition of all regularizes the pentameter line. Fleshing gratifying (in lust or rage), the earliest instance cited in the ( 3c) death forms of death sturdy rebellious, disobedient ( adj.5a) Though you braved us Metrically, the addition of you regularizes the pentameter line. braved challenged, defied ( v.1) Melanippe … great Hercules Daughter of the Greek god of war Ares, Melanippe (in Q1 Menalip) was an Amazonian queen, sister to Hippolyta who appears in as captive to Theseus. Hercules fought Melanippe and the Amazons along the river Thermodon while retrieving Hippolyta’s girdle, one of his twelve labors. haughty plumes prideful feathers take capture concubine whore, prostitute See and . Thou hast not Fortune tièd in a chain You do not control Fortune. Compare with (I hold the Fates bound fast in yron chaines, / And with my hand turne Fortunes wheel about [B1r]) and (Leades fortune tied in a chaine of gold, / Contraining her to yeeld vnto his will [C3r]). wary pilot cautious sea captain this all containing barge earth scold to behave as a scold; to quarrel noisily, to brawl said chiefly of women ( v.1) bug a self-important, conceited, or pompous person ( n.2) Usumcasane’s See above. tempered brought to the required degree of hardness ( adj.3) burgonets helmets with visors ( n.1) Were they … Minerva’s shield. Compare with (Or shouldst as Briareus shake at once, / A hundred bloudie swordes, with bloudie hands,) and (How brauely this yoong Brittain Albanact / Darteth abroad the thunderbolts of warre, / Beating downe millions with his furious moode; / And in his glorie triumphs ouer all, / Mouing the massie squadrants of the ground; / Heape hills on hills, to scale the starrie sky, / When Briareus armed with an hundreth hands / Floong forth an hundreth mountains at great Ioue, / And when the monstrous giant Monichus / Hurld mount Olympus at great Mars his targe, / And shot huge caedars at Mineruas shield [D4v]). fell treacherous, deceitful, false ( adj.1d) earth-bred brethren The giants. In the classical tradition, the giants were children of Gaia, earth. Here, Selimus refers to the revolt of the giants against the gods (Riad 189). Heaped hill on hill to scale the starry sky Compare with : Heape hills on hills, to scale the starrie sky (D4v). Briareus Briareus was one of titans, children of Gaia (earth), who was said to have a hundred arms or hands. In one tradition, Briareus fought with the titans against the gods. Monichus Monichus was a centaur and a giant (Riad 190). Mars his targe Mars’s shield darted hurled Minerva Roman goddess associated with wisdom and war urchins hedgehogs porcupine Selimus, in calling Acomat a porcupine, accuses him of being prickly and difficult to deal with. masketh in our looks Selimus tells Acomat that courage makes masks of his soldiers’ faces, suggesting that all of his men look courageous. white-winged morally pure, right Victory sits on our swords Compare with : Behold my sword, what see you at the point? / / For there sits Death, there sits imperious Death (E3r). See . Captain of Egypt Tonombey vauntst boasts Sprung … Scythian thief, Compare with : Of Tamburlaine, that sturdie Scythian thiefe (A3v). For other allusions to Tamburlaine, see and . As Riad suggests (191), this new account of Tonombey’s lineage is seemingly an error on the part of the playwright(s). bade thee enterprise encouraged you to pursue Trebisond See . squarèd elusive, meaning possibly carefully chosen (Hopkinson 122) or ready to fight (Vitkus 139) broad-mouthed insolent ( broad n.C2) detain keep crest head I dare and chellenge thee. Selimus challenges his brother to single combat. unripe immature Phaeton In his adolescence, Phaeton asked his father to let him drive his sun chariot across the sky. After receiving permission to do so, he lost control of the horses, and because he then came too close to earth, threatening it with destruction, Zeus struck the boy down with a thunderbolt. In classical mythology, Phaeton was the son of Helios, the sun. t’undertake to undertake, to take in hand resolv’st resolves, decides peremptory decisive cope with face bragging Boastful, swaggering ( adj.). Compare with : And but thou better vse thy bragging blade, / Then thou doest rule thy ouerflowing toong, /Superbious Brittaine, thou shalt know too soone / The force of Humber and his Scithians (D4r). overflowing too loquacious, talkative Exeunt all but Tonombey. There are soldiers from both sides still on the stage when Tonombey reenters. His final speech, however, is delivered with only him on stage, and as such an added stage direction is needed here. Thy victorious sire. Usumcasane’s son, the Soldan of Egypt See . Dings knocks Persians The Persians were also Acomat’s allies. occision killing, slaughter ( n.) Sinam Bassa with Acomat prisoner Ashton (I6r-v) gives a longer description of Ahmed’s escape from the battle and capture. Ashton’s account has him, like Korkud, hanged in a bowestryng. In Shute, Ahmed is strangled by Selimus’s men after being defeated in battle and captured (O4r). Thus, when … of Troy. Selimus compares his victory over Acomat to a victory in the of the Trojan Hector, son of King Priamus, over the Greeks in the Trojan War. Eventually, of course, the Greeks would kill Hector and win the war, and as such, this is an ironic allusion. For an earlier reference to the Trojan War, see . gallant excellent, splendid ( adj.4a) never-foilèd never-beaten raving for wandering in search of (Vitkus 141), or deleriously, madly ( v.1c) drove herd ( n.2a) Or Mars … of blood. In a second epic simile in this speech, Selimus cites an elusive myth involving the Roman god of war fighting with the Thracians, a group of Indo-European tribes occupying southeastern Europe. The Hebros is a river running through Greece and emptying into the Aegean Sea. adamantine made of a hard rock or mineral, unbreakable ( adj.1a) wain See and above. Beylerbey of fair Natolia The previous beylerbey died in scene 14 above. rev’rence Metrically, this abbreviated form of reverence regularizes the pentameter line. contentation satisfaction them the assembled bassas who fought for Selimus Thou slewst … own good name. Slewst, murdered. See Scene 28. wanted lacked Now, as … to crowns. Monster-gardens may be a reference to the Garden of Hesperides or to the Garden of Eden (Riad 194). Selimus delivers his third epic simile in this scene, here comparing himself to the many classical heroes like Hercules and Odysseus who had successfully completed challenging tasks and journeys. Ind India trod walked Like the … territories. In his fourth and longest epic simile in this scene, Selimus compares his history to the myth of Egyptian Ibis. sweltring sweltering, oppressively hot earth’s green children plantlife, possibly young animals band to join or form together ( v.4) array an arrangement in lines or ranks ( n.1a) them the ibises basilisk A mythological serpant whose look and breath was fatal. lifted ungracious hands Metrically, the removal of his regularizes the pentameter line. rid gotten rid of cockatrice another word for basilisk consumèd destroyed And now … emperors Tonombey and Ismael among others. Here again, the play suggests a coming sequel. See and the Conclusion below. those soldans … hell Selim I attacked and defeated the Persians and their leader Ismael in 1514. He defeated the Egyptians and their leader Tuman Bey in 1517. These encounters presumably would have been the subject of ’s sequel if it had been written. As Vitkus has pointed out (22), Selimus’s reference here to a lowest hell is ironic given his rejection of either a heaven or a hell in his long opening speech in the play’s second scene. quell kill, put to death ( v.1) Zephyrus the west wind, indicating the arrival of Spring blast a strong gust of wind ( n.1) meads meadows fling attack ( n.2) Enter Conclusion. Like the Prologue, the following choral speech would have been delivered by one of the actors to the audience. Dessen and Thomson list no other instance of a Conclusion speaking part in an early modern English professional play. Arabia In fact, Selimus has become the undisputed Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He actually does not wear the crown of Arabia. Next Here is famously promised a sequel, like the second part of . As far as we know, this sequel was never written and therefore never staged. warlike Naturally disposed to warfare ( adj.1). Compare with : Wel, here is now to the Souldan of Egypt the King of Arabia, and the Gouernour of Damascus. Now take these three crownes, and pledge me, my contributorie Kings. / I crown you here (Theridamas) King of Argier: Techelles, king of Feste, and Vsummeasane King of Morocus (D8v). Giving The form Giving is parallel with Dividing in the preceding line and also makes the lines here clearer in meaning. do like you well you do like well