Cartographic Demonization in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great through the Lenses of Religious and Colonial Cartography

Abstract

Previous studies mostly have not paid attention to the complex connection between cartographic demonization and colonialism in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great. Therefore, we aim through this study to fill this gap by looking at how Marlowe’s use of cartographic demonization reflects both colonial and religious notions. The paper examines how Marlowe generates racial, moral, and imperial frontiers by means of geographical metaphors and cartographic imagery utilizing literary mapping and postcolonial theory. The results reveal Marlowe’s portrayal of Tamburlaine’s conquests as a case study of cartographic demonization in which Marlowe utilizes maps and religious symbols to declare Western superiority while concurrently denouncing the East. It also illustrates how ideas of identity, and power are shaped by ideological tools based on geographical depictions. Overall, it offers novel insights into how mapping methods were used to reinforce narratives of colonial and religious supremacy therefore enhancing awareness of how cartographic demonization operates in early modern literary works.