Conflict of Art and Power in Two Plays Related to Murat the Fourth

Historical plays have an important place in Turkish theatre. Especially, the resolution age cherishes the drama through both factor of conflicting it employs and a rich accumulation which it presents to the authors who are directed towards establishing the future. Murat the Fourth is a “sharp sword” who came to the throne during the resolution age of Ottoman Empire and left an indelible imprint in our history through both his personality and his mentality of management. Since his life crosses with a “sharp pen” called Nef’î, this crossing provides a theatrically convenient material. Turan Oflazoğlu discussed the topic in his play called “Murat the Fourth” (1988) and Savaş Aykılıç mentioned about the issue in his play called “A Pen, a sword, a heart” (2003). The article aims to analyze the aforementioned plays and reveal the different forms of the same historical topic in different works of art, the infinity of art, to emphasize that history provides huge opportunities to theatre and also reveal the overlapping and diverging aspects of the aforementioned two plays. The article is based on the method of analyzing the plays in terms of dramatic elements. The play by Turan Oflazoğlu is a bulky work (170 pages) consisting of three act stages. In the heart of it, there is Murat the Fourth as the character of Sultan. The process of time between the ascending of Murat the Fourth and his overthrowing is given in the play from panoramic and chronological perspectives. The relationships between the Sultan and Nef’î the poet are discussed through the metaphors of pen and sword. Murat the Fourth is presented as a character who shifted to a tyrant from a coward one. At the end of the game, he is described as a figure who prepared his own end in the mood of insanity and held on his throne like a grim death. The play of Savaş Aykılıç which consists of two act stages and 38 pages is has a simple structure in terms of events and characters. In the play, Nef’î is presented with the character of the spokesman of the society. However, the characters of Murat the Fourth, Nef’i and Kösem Sultan were presented equally. The author revealed the conflicts between the people rather than a general domestic conflict and protected the rights of a historical play. The conflict is based on the hatred of Kösem Sultan towards Nef’i but this conflict is led to the secret love of Nef’î for Kösem Sultan at the end of the play. At the end of the play, there is regret of both Kösem Sultan and Murat the Fourth.In conclusion, both plays which is based on the metaphors of pen and sword and examine the effects of art on power/government are the works which both complete each other but diverge from each other in terms of discussion of the topic.