CHAPMAN’S REVENGE FOR HONOUR (1603): A SUBJUGATION PORTRAYAL OF ARAB WOMAN (Published)
The Renaissance was a period that witnessed important changes that greatly affected the relations between the Orient and the West. The view of the West regarding Arabia falls within the domain of Oriental exotica. AsEnglishmen traveled in the Arab World recording observations about Arabian religion, culture and social custom, they noted the differences between Englishmen and the Arabs in the status and role of women.They saw among the Arabs a subjugation of women which differed widely from the libertinism among English women. This study aims at foregrounding some of the images which dealt with the Arabian royal harem of the Caliph Almanzor.The Renaissance dramatist George Chapman’s (1559–1634)Revenge for Honour depicts Arabs as weak caliphs, lustful princes, medieval Saracens, mysterious lords, and immoral men and women. Chapman explored the Oriental jealousy over the Arabian practice in killing for honour which was against the Western values.
Keywords: Arabia, Caliph Almanzor, Dishonour, Murder, Revenge, honour
