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How does Tamburlaine rise from a Scythian shepherd to ruler of Persia?

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Marlowe or not Marlowe? — Christopher Marlowe Detail of a portrait thought to be of Christopher Marlowe, dated 1585, artist unknown; in the collection of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, England.

In Christopher Marlowe's play Tamburlaine the Great, the protagonist begins as an obscure Scythian shepherd who is driven by an intense desire for power, luxury, and beauty.1

He rises to become the ruler of Persia through a combination of three key traits:
* Eloquence: His ability to command through speech.1
* Bravery: His martial prowess and willingness to engage in conquest.1
* Ruthlessness: A calculated readiness to discard loyalty to achieve his ambitions.1

Once he secures the Persian crown, his rise continues through a series of brutal military campaigns, including the defeat of the emperor of Turkey and the conquest of the sultan of Egypt. Marlowe portrays this ascent as both a display of human grandeur and a manifestation of extreme, often sickening, cruelty.12