Islamic literature Ibn Arabi. The Moors also had a noticeable influence on the works of George Peele and William Shakespeare. Some of their works featured Moorish characters, such as Peele's "The Battle of Alcazar" and Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", "Titus Andronicus", and "Othello", whose title character is a Moor. These works are said to have been inspired by several Moorish delegations from Morocco to Elizabethan England at the beginning of the 17th century. Islamic literature Islamic literature is literature written with an Islamic perspective, in any language. One term for this is "adab". Although today "adab" denotes literature generally, 'in earlier
Bianca (Othello) "Gli Hecatommithi" by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio. While no English translation of Cinthio was available in Shakespeare's lifetime, it is probable that Shakespeare knew both the Italian original and Gabriel Chappuy's 1584 French translation. Cinthio's tale may have been based on an actual incident occurring in Venice about 1508. Bianca is based upon a character in Cinthio's tale who, apparently of her own volition, copies the work in the handkerchief after finding it in the Cassio counterpart's house. While the woman sits with the handkerchief at a window, the ensign makes certain the Moor sees her with it. The Moor