Thomas Southerne’s Muslim Settings and the Politics of the Succession Crisis: A Critical Study of The Loyal Brother

Abstract

This paper argues that Thomas Southerne used Muslim characters and settings in his play The Loyal Brother (1682) as an allegory for the Succession Crisis of the Restoration period in England. As Southerne’s play was published during a time of extreme political tension and controversy, the political discourse the playwright presents in his work reflects the increasing partisanship in the English political nation. In a sense, the representations of Muslim characters in Southerne’s play were heavily influenced by the contemporary politics of Restoration England. Obviously, a Tory writer like Southerne employed the image of the Muslim character to emphasize pro-Stuarts political ideas.