This fully annotated version of Tamburlaine, with parts one and two in a single volume, is the first scholarly edition to appear in over 50 years. It takes account of the recent work on Christopher Marlowe that has significantly enriched our understanding of the dramatist and his period. The text is related to contemporary theatrical conventions and conditions, and offers a critical account of the play closely attuned to a sense of theatre. In his introduction to the volume, J.S. Cunningham discusses the plays response to "Machiavellian" ideas and the degree to which its sensational violence can provoke laughter from the audience.