International Journal of Language & Literature

Performing Conversion in Early Modern English Drama: Interpretations and Limitations
Dr. Met'eb A. Alnwairan

Abstract
This study attempts to offer a glimpse into the trope of conversion to Islam on the early modern English stage and pays particular attention to the different interpretations of conversion/turning Turk. The study situates conversion in its historical context and explains the cultural anxiety in Britain regarding the possibility of British subjects converting to other belief systems. Unlike what critics such as Bergeron, Burton, and Vitkus argue, the study clarifies that conversion/turning Turk does not always reflect fear and anxiety about Islam. It is more reflective of domestic concerns rather than historical enmity towards Islam. In a way, the anxieties that surround any discussion about conversion in the plays under discussion can be indicative of the domestic sensitivity towards conversion as an idea. When discussing conversions in plays like Shakespeare's Othello, Christianity, but not Islam, is the specific concern of the discussion. In Othello and Iago's comments about conversion, they aim to stress the moral and theological superiority of the Christian faith over other religions. In plays like Massinger's The Renegado and Daborne's A Christian Turn'd Turk, conversion happens due to apparent personal defects in Christian characters. Furthermore, anxiety over conversion stems from the established relationship between sexual misbehaviour and conversions. The study concludes by examining the complexity of dramatizing conversion in the early modern period, especially when compared with conversion in prose texts.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v9n2a5