Whilst Jonathan Burton—deactivating or mincing matters with Said's Orientalism—coined the word ‘trafficking' for the repercussions of Eastern/Islamic/Ottomanic characterization of Western authors, Linda McJannet, on the other hand—backing Said's Orientalism—went into Bakhtin's ‘heteroglossia', and stressed the polyphonic representation of dramatic works through the word ‘pragmatic ambivalence', a characterization of English authors toward the Islamic politics. Both Burton and McJannet touched pre-eminently on the Renaissance writers to define their literariness. The present chapter aims to shed light on the historical background and dramatic representation regarding Mustapha's tragic death through majoring Anglo-Ottoman diplomacy and producing a base for Machiavellian point of view. The study is based on a dramatic work of an English Renaissance playwright, Fulke Greville, who adapted Prince Mustapha's death for the stage.
And, but that all my ioes haue Sorrowe’s image,
I could say, I take pride in thine affection;
For Power may be fear’d; Empire ador’d;
Good fortune wooed, and followed for ambition:
Rewards may make knees bow; and selfe-loue humble:
But Loue is onely that which princes couet;
And for they haue it least, they most doe loue it. (Greville, Mustapha, 208)
TopIntroduction
Recently, there have been several books which attempt an overview of Islamic and Ottomanic theories in early modern British literary studies. Copious numbers of studies have been based chiefly upon Islamic, Oriental or Eastern portrayal of numerous characters in early British literature. Whilst Jonathan Burton—deactivating or mincing matters with Said’s Orientalism—coined the word ‘trafficking’ for the repercussions of Eastern/Islamic/Ottomanic characterization of Western authors, Linda McJannet, on the other hand—backing Said’s Orientalism—went into Bakhtin’s ‘heteroglossia’, and stressed the polyphonic representation of dramatic works through the word ‘pragmatic ambivalence’, a characterization of English authors toward the Islamic politics. Both Burton and McJannet touched pre-eminently on the Renaissance writers to define their literariness. Andrei Pippidi, then again, generating a universal market of notes on the Ottoman construction of a great threat to the Europeans, tackled the orientalised views of Europeans regarding the rapid expansion of the Ottoman Empire. However, except that of Pippidi’s analysis, there has been almost no link between Anglo-Ottoman, and merely Ottoman politics and Machiavellian perspectives, though Machiavelli had a prominent touch on the route to political science during the Renaissance. For that reason, the analysis presented in this paper is meant to serve as a theoretical basis for the implication of Prince Mustapha’s death within literary studies, specifically in those of dramatic works. That’s why; the present chapter aims to shed light on the historical background and dramatic representation regarding Mustapha’s tragic death through majoring Anglo-Ottoman diplomacy and producing a base for Machiavellian point of view. The study is based on a dramatic work of an English Renaissance playwright, Fulke Greville, who adapted Prince Mustapha’s death for the stage.
There are various tragic occurrences in the history of the Ottoman Empire. Deaths, executions, capital punishments are the most catastrophic ones. Of all, the most pathetic ones appeared during the reign of Sultan Suleiman I (1494-1566). Being a distinguished ruler of the era, Sultan Suleiman governed the Ottoman Empire for about 46 years, and several people were executed upon his wish including his sons Prince Mustapha and Prince Bayezid, his grandsons, and his viziers Ibrahim Pasha and Black Ahmed Pasha (Kara Ahmet Paşa).