Book

Description

This thought-provoking book examines Marlowe's renowned play, "Tamburlaine the Great," through an Orientalist lens, revealing its deliberate distortion of Muslim imagery. This Western-oriented work from the Elizabethan era aimed to portray Islam as a faith steeped in cruelty, offensiveness, and barbarity, perpetuating repulsive stereotypes that emerged in Western literature after the Crusades. Drawing on Edward Said's postcolonial theory of Orientalism, the book delves into three critical chapters: “Christianization in Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great” uncovers how Marlowe constructed a narrative that presented Islam as a distorted version of Christianity. The author examines the misrepresentations of Islamic beliefs and practices, portraying Islam as a chaotic departure from Christianity. Marlowe exploits internal conflicts between Persians and Ottomans to emphasize the superiority of Christianity over Islam. "Marlowe’s Irony of Islam in Tamburlaine the Great" exposes how Marlowe used sarcasm to mock the Prophet Muhammad and challenge the Islamic faith. Characters in the play engage in ironic dialogues, suggesting that Muslims curse their Prophet and reject their religion. The Holy Quran is portrayed as a superstitious book, symbolically burned on stage, reinforcing the perception of Muslims as disbelievers. "The Greek Depiction for Islam in Tamburlaine the Great" explores how Marlowe leveraged Greek history to demonize the Muslim army and culture. Muslim soldiers are metaphorically compared to monsters from Greek mythology, and Islamic culture is depicted as a derivative of Greek history, filled with ambiguity and falsifications, further establishing the West's perceived superiority. This groundbreaking analysis sheds light on the enduring impact of "Tamburlaine the Great" and its role in perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes about Islam during the Elizabethan era.