European Women and the Matter of “Chastity” in Tanzimat Theatre

Abstract

Some theater plays that were written in Tanzimat period, take place in Europe and between Europeans. Heroines in these plays do not exhibit different properties from Ottoman or Muslim women. During Tanzimat period, the subject of impossible love had been one of the frequently handled topics. Heroines are chaste and faithful. The authors take care that heroines are exemplary for the reader and the viewer. Therefore, the European women in these plays are heroines which constitute a sample proving that the authors of Tanzimat period do not perceive the cultural identity of Europe and Europeans differently. That is visible in Ahmet Mithat Efendi's Hükm-i Dil, Recâ-izade Mahmut Ekrem's Afîfe Anjelik, and Abdülhâk Hâmid Tarhan's Cünûn-ı Aşk.