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Kublai Khan
Rats
Beginning in the city of Esmeralda, Marco Polo begins to describe a struggle between rats and swallows. As they reappear in later cities, the rats become symbolic of corruption, nastiness, and in general, the…
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Birds (Swallows)
Birds, and specifically swallows, often appear in opposition to rats—thus, while the rats symbolize corruption and doom, the birds represent hope for a better future. Some cities, such as Marozia, use the dichotomy of…
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The Atlas
In his atlas, Kublai Khan wants to record every city in his empire—and in the world—so that he can figure out how to get there and ultimately, how to (or if he can) conquer them…
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Chess
As Kublai Khan becomes increasingly frustrated with Marco Polo’s fantastical descriptions of cities (and Marco’s inability to speak Kublai’s language), Kublai decides to both ask Marco to describe cities using chess pieces and to…
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