Topicality and Representation: Islam and Muslims in Two Renaissance Plays (Electronic book text)


This book focuses on the importance of topical reading in understanding Islamic figures and themes, and applies this approach to two landmark Elizabethan plays: George Peeles Battle of Alcazar and William Percys Mahomet and his Heaven. The former is the first English play to present a Moor as a major character, while the latter is the first English play to be based on Quranic material and feature the Prophet of Islam as a major character. In both plays, the book argues, topical concerns played a major role in the formation of Islamic characters and themes, rendering the term representation highly debatable. The book also briefly covers other Elizabethan plays that contained Islamic elements, such as Shakespeares Titus Andronicus and The Merchant of Venice, and Marlowes Tamburlaine and Doctor Faustus. Topical issues covered in the work include British-Muslim relations, the Spanish Armada, Elizabethan patriotism in literature, Catholic-Protestant tensions in the late 16th century, the gynaecocracy debate, and Elizabethan alchemy and magic.

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Product Description

This book focuses on the importance of topical reading in understanding Islamic figures and themes, and applies this approach to two landmark Elizabethan plays: George Peeles Battle of Alcazar and William Percys Mahomet and his Heaven. The former is the first English play to present a Moor as a major character, while the latter is the first English play to be based on Quranic material and feature the Prophet of Islam as a major character. In both plays, the book argues, topical concerns played a major role in the formation of Islamic characters and themes, rendering the term representation highly debatable. The book also briefly covers other Elizabethan plays that contained Islamic elements, such as Shakespeares Titus Andronicus and The Merchant of Venice, and Marlowes Tamburlaine and Doctor Faustus. Topical issues covered in the work include British-Muslim relations, the Spanish Armada, Elizabethan patriotism in literature, Catholic-Protestant tensions in the late 16th century, the gynaecocracy debate, and Elizabethan alchemy and magic.

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Product Details

General

Imprint

Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Country of origin

United States

Release date

2013

Availability

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Authors

Format

Electronic book text

Pages

270

ISBN-13

978-1-306-30918-9

Barcode

9781306309189

Categories

LSN

1-306-30918-2



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