Comparative Analysis of the Image of Timur, Researched in English Literature

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of the literary representations of Timur (Tamerlane) in Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great (1587) and Abdullah Oripov's Sahibkiran (1996). Through close textual analysis and historical contextualization, the paper examines how these two seminal works from radically different cultural traditions - Elizabethan England and post-Soviet Uzbekistan - construct divergent yet equally compelling portraits of the same historical conqueror. The analysis reveals Marlowe's Timur as a complex embodiment of Renaissance humanist ideals, simultaneously charismatic and terrifying, while Oripov's Sahibkiran emerges as a national hero and cultural icon. By employing methodologies from comparative literature and cultural studies, this research demonstrates how literary portrayals of historical figures serve as contested sites of cultural memory, reflecting and shaping national identities. The study makes significant contributions to our understanding of cross-cultural reception history, the politics of historical representation, and the enduring legacy of Timur in both Western and Eastern literary imaginations. The findings highlight the crucial role of historical context in shaping literary interpretations, while also revealing surprising thematic continuities in how different cultures grapple with the paradoxes of power and leadership.This article provides a comparative analysis of the Eastern influences on Christopher Marlowe’s tragedy Tamburlaine the Great, a key work of the 16th-century English playwright. The study investigates how Timur is portrayed in Marlowe’s drama, examining its historical and literary interpretations. Additionally, it explores Timur’s representation in Abdullah Oripov’s drama Sahibkiran, tracing how the figure of Timur has been reimagined across Western and Eastern literary traditions by various writers, poets, and scholars.