Tamburlaine

by

Christopher Marlowe

Olympia Character Analysis

Olympia is the beautiful wife of the Captain of Balsera. When he’s killed in Theridamas’s siege, she kills her son and tries to kill herself, but Theridamas, overcome by her beauty, snatches her away. He tries to win her heart, but she tricks him into killing her. Theridamas’s scenes with her provide essentially the only splash of romance, foolhardy and hopeless as it is, in the play after Zenocrate dies.
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Olympia Character Timeline in Tamburlaine

The timeline below shows where the character Olympia appears in Tamburlaine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2
Honor Theme Icon
Beauty and Violence Theme Icon
...to surrender and thus commence laying deadly siege. Inside, the Captain dies, and his wife Olympia kills their son and plans to kill herself to save them from enemy hands. Before... (full context)
Honor Theme Icon
Beauty and Violence Theme Icon
Act 4, Scene 2. In the camp, Olympia tries to find a way to kill herself and settles on a vial, presumably of... (full context)