How does Zenocrate influence Tamburlaine’s actions in Tamburlaine the Great?

In Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great, Zenocrate serves as a significant humanizing influence on the titular conqueror. As the daughter of the sultan of Egypt and a captive whom Tamburlaine loves, her presence introduces a rare element of restraint into his otherwise relentless pursuit of power.1

Her influence is most directly demonstrated in the first part of the play, where Tamburlaine chooses to spare the sultan of Egypt and establish a truce specifically in response to Zenocrate’s pleas. This act of mercy stands in stark contrast to his typical behavior, such as his brutal destruction of Damascus.1

While Tamburlaine is defined by his "aspiring mind" and his desire for the "sweet fruition of an earthly crown," his relationship with Zenocrate provides a brief period of stability; the play was originally intended to conclude with their marriage and his decision to make "truce with all the world". However, her death in the second part of the play removes this tempering force, leaving Tamburlaine to descend further into unchecked cruelty, arrogance, and an increasingly obsessive, futile quest for absolute power.1