Vom Barbaren zum aufgeklaerten Herrscher: Zur Entwicklung des Tuerkenbildes im deutschsprachigen Drama des 17. Jahrhunderts (German text)

This dissertation investigates the question: “How Turkish are the Turkish plays?” written in German throughout the 17th century. I argue that the plays present “history lessons” that aim to educate the audience while at the same time the factual material is used to explore new venues regarding immediate issues relating to the German culture only. The “history lessons” of the four plays which I am analyzing (by J. J. Ayrer, D. C. v. Lohenstein and A. A. v. Haugwitz) rally support for the fight against the feared neighbors. Their images of the Ottoman Turks closely follow the historical events that develop over the course of the century. To show this correspondence, I will use travel reports written by members of imperial embassies sent from Vienna to Constantinople; such reports were an important source of knowledge for the playwrights. The Turks dominated Hungary and the Balkans throughout most of the 17th century. After the Turks were turned back from the gates of Vienna in 1683 the balance of powers shifted in favor of the Habsburg empire. The representation of the Turks shifts accordingly: the earliest of the plays presents the Turks as an altogether barbaric society, whereas after the victory in 1683, Haugwitz produces the first depiction of the Turkish sultan as an enlightened ruler.; However, it appears that despite the accuracy of the historical details, the Turks function as a mere backdrop on which acute problems within German society can be projected. I demonstrate that the more important issues addressed in the plays are problems within German society: e.g. (a) the competition between the Catholic and Protestant church, (b) the divine right of kings and the question of responsibility of a ruler, and (c) the struggle between passion and reason, with the triumph of reason. All of these topics are imbedded in the Turkish plays and reflect sensitive political and cultural questions of their time.