Staging the Fragility of Eastern Identity in English Drama: A literary Study with Linguistic Insights

Abstract

The study examines a selection of Oriental plays performed on the English stage during the Restoration and 18^th century, focusing on the portrayal of Eastern identity. In these plays, it is a recurring theme that the Eastern characters, including males and females from different social classes, are prepared to deny their culture, and ultimately their own identities, particularly when faced with challenges. Culture is a major constituent of one’s identity and presumed to be the shield that protects an individual from external influences that might shake one’s self-esteem or a feeling of pride in one’s ancestors and heritage. Encountering or interacting with people mainly from the Western culture becomes the real test of Eastern people’s pride and their feeling of belonging to their Eastern culture. These plays make a point of highlighting the fragility of the Eastern identity by presenting Eastern characters who have no qualms about denouncing their culture, and even show willingness to embrace the Western culture. The relationship between the West and the East has long since been characterized by conflict and strife. In the minds of many Westerners over the centuries, the Islamic faith has not represented a religion of conviction that invites people to an alternative path to God and fulfills the spiritual needs of its followers. Rather, historical and literary works of the past, along with modern media, have succeeded in creating a misleading perception of Islam as a religion of violence, coercion, and invasion that inevitably leads to a clash of cultures and animosity. This article examines a number of works of drama that, although penned during the period of the Restoration and the 18^th century, were based on the earlier published accounts of sailors and European travelers to the East. As written accounts, the negative image drawn by these, often exaggerated and sometimes fabricated, portrayals of Muslim practices and beliefs was confined to a limited audience. However, the tales spun by the dramatic works were performed on stage in front of vast numbers of people, thus helping to make commonplace the misconceptions about Muslims and the doctrine that determines every sphere of their daily lives. As the vast majority of ordinary citizens in the West were very unlikely to interact with Muslims, let alone travel to the East to form their own conclusions, their opinions were easily molded.