''Ibrahim, the Thirteenth Emperor of the Turks'' is a

she-tragedy The term she-tragedy, also known as pathetic tragedy refers to a vogue in the late 17th and early 18th centuries for tragic plays focused on the sufferings of a woman, sometimes innocent and virtuous but often a woman who had committed some sort o ...

written by

Mary Pix Mary Pix (1666 – 17 May 1709) was an English novelist and playwright. As an admirer of Aphra Behn and colleague of Susanna Centlivre, Pix has been called "a link between women writers of the Restoration and Augustan periods". Early years ...

, first performed in 1696. Pix's first play, it purported to describe incidents in the life of Ibrahim, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The numbering is correct only if

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

is regarded as the first emperor, and the disputed reign of his son

Cem Cem Sultan (also spelled Djem or Jem) or Sultan Cem or Şehzade Cem (December 22, 1459 – February 25, 1495, ; ota, جم سلطان, Cem sulṭān; tr, Cem Sultan; french: Zizim), was a claimant to the Ottoman throne in the 15th century. Ce ...

is counted as well. The play has been called a "

proto-feminist Protofeminism is a concept that anticipates modern feminism in eras when the feminist concept as such was still unknown. This refers particularly to times before the 20th century, although the precise usage is disputed, as 18th-century feminism ...

depiction of the power-struggle between a sultan and a seraglian woman".

Plot

The play focuses on Emperor Ibrahim and his rape of Morena. Sheker Para (Ibrahim's mistress) seeks revenge after being rejected by Amurat. She encourages Ibrahim to seduce Morena, a young woman who is engaged to Amurat. Morena rejects Ibrahim's advances so he orders her to be dragged to a chamber, where he violently rapes her. Afterwards, a

Mufti A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...

describes how terribly Morena has been treated by Ibrahim. The injured Morena takes poison and dies in Amurat's arms, but not before inspiring a revolution against Ibrahim.

Reception

The play was very successful when first performed in 1696, and was also performed several times in 1704. It was also revived in 1715. Paula de Pando suggests that in the figure of Morena, Pix:

"has presented a victimized heroine who becomes, in her final hours, an emblem of the ravaged nation under an absolutist regime. ... The idea of passivity becoming active political commitment for those that survive the female victim is a significant development from
Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...
' Anna he_heroine_of_his_drama_''Virtue_Betrayed,_or,_Anna_Bullen''_(1682).html" ;"title="Virtue_Betrayed,_or,_Anna_Bullen.html" ;"title="he heroine of his drama ''Virtue Betrayed, or, Anna Bullen">he heroine of his drama ''Virtue Betrayed, or, Anna Bullen'' (1682)">Virtue_Betrayed,_or,_Anna_Bullen.html" ;"title="he heroine of his drama ''Virtue Betrayed, or, Anna Bullen">he heroine of his drama ''Virtue Betrayed, or, Anna Bullen'' (1682) who advocates quietism and trusts Providence: Morena claims the necessity of a revolution that would vindicate her name and end Ibrahim's regime.

References

{{Reflist 1696 plays Plays set in the 17th century Tragedy plays Plays by Mary Pix