Five Allusions in Hamlet to Islam
ALLUSIONS TO ISLAM IN HAMLET: BACKGROUND: Some Protestants like Luther viewed Islam with concern and envy as a false religion but admiring the unity of the Ottoman Empire compared to Christianity. Luther compared discipline in Islam to Catholic admiration for works (not "faith alone") for salvation. Luther aided in the publication of a German translation of the Qur’an. The Ottoman Empire was a geopolitical threat; Turkish pirates in the Mediterranean had captured Christians, and some of these converted to Islam. There are three relatively direct references in Hamlet to Islam or its adherents, plus two more indirect references: A. Hamlet refers to Termagant [1] in 3.2.14, with Termagant as a fictional god, in Christian propaganda, falsely attributed and used to discredit Islam [2]. B. Hamlet’s fortunes may “turn Turk” (3.2.302, may betray him like a Christian converting to Islam); but this may be ironic given Shakespeare’s later play about Othello the Moor, and th...