The Construction of Muslim Women Characters in Early English Drama

This article examines the portrayal of Islam and Muslim women in Renaissance England by considering the historical framework and the changes in the attitudes towards Islam at that time. It contends that Renaissance drama has presented Islam as the Other and the Muslim world as antithetical to Christendom. This article examines two specific Muslim women characters in two early English plays, Queen Tota in Thomas Heywood's The Fair Maid of the West Parts I and II, and the Turkish queen in George Peele's The Battle of Alcazar. The work relies on the ideas of several critics, historians and theorists in its analysis of these dramatic works. The two texts are read from a New Historicist perspective. Historical, socio-political and economic factors prevalent during the time are brought back to life and the plays will be explored in light of these.