The Misrepresentation of The Druse Community in Browning’s Unsuccessful Tragedy “The Return of the Druses” (1843): An Analytical Study

Abstract

There are a number of literary texts which earn their raison d’etre from the exotic nature or unfamiliar features in the subject matter of the creative work. One of the brilliant and of standing poets of all ages is Robert Browning. Robert Browning (1812-1889) chose a literary genre alien to his powers as a poet, and a topic beyond the range of a man who had little firsthand knowledge of the Levant. Since he had the power to transfer historical stories magically to forever recited and read poems all over the world and through all ages till the recent one. This poet composed a tragic play entitled The return of the Druses (1843). Literary histories tell us that it was a failure on all accounts. One of the logical reasons for this failure was presumably Browning’s ignorance of the culture he wished to depict in this work. This article is an analysis of the play, to which very little attention was paid even by the specialists in Browning studies. The conclusion is that Browning provided for the readers and spectators a rather weak image of the Druses as individuals and as a community. They are shown to be gullible and misguided as a community. Their leadership is shown as cunning, dishonest, and Machiavellian.