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Political Christianity in Renaissance Drama
Abstract
Examining the following selected Renaissance dramas: Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta (1585), Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (1596), Massinger’s The Renegado (1624), Daborne’s A Christian Turn'd Turk (1612), and Goffe’s The Raging Turk (1656), this research investigates Renaissance dramatists' portrayal of biased Christian standpoints that govern the relation with the non-Christian to uncover whether that dramatization represents the playwrights' participation in validating those attitudes or their critique of politicizing the Christian faith, in both ways underscoring the existence of an ideological 'political faith' issue. It turns out that the period's plays may reveal that such stereotypes are only recruited to further and validate financial gain, political dominance and racial discrimination; that is, political Christianity. However, the playwrights' attitudes remain subject to their unrevealed intentions, and it is, therefore, left to the reader/audience to take sides. Tactically, the dramatists emerge ahead of the Christian and secular politicians of their time as they assume the safe side of impartiality.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.4p.65
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