English Representations of Muslim Characters in the Drama of the Renaissance

Author

Adel Alshammari, University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleFollow

Date of Award

8-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

English

Major Professor

Heather Hirschfeld

Committee Members

Anthony Welch, Mary Dzon, Emma Snowden

Abstract

This dissertation examines how Muslim characters are portrayed in English literature from the medieval to the Renaissance period, focusing on early modern drama. It traces the shift from the stereotypical Saracen villain in crusading literature to the more complex figures of the Turk and the Moor. The study explores how English playwrights used these characters to express anxieties and address questions of identity, empire, and religious difference.

Focusing on Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great and William Shakespeare’s Othello, this research argues that Renaissance drama moves beyond the simple negative depictions of Muslims found in earlier works, offering more nuanced and complex portrayals that still reflect ideological tensions. These plays use storytelling to engage with power, race, religion, and cultural difference. Drawing on historical context, theology, and recent scholarship in medieval and early modern studies, this study shows how Muslim characters act as both reflections and contrasts to English concerns about power, morality, and cultural identity.

Recommended Citation

Alshammari, Adel, "English Representations of Muslim Characters in the Drama of the Renaissance. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2025.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12678