Mogul Tale, The by Elizabeth Inchbald

Elizabeth Inchbald’s (1753–1821) debut play, The Mogul Tale (1784), intertwines humor with sharp social commentary. Set in India, the two-act farce follows a band of unwitting English travelers who mistakenly land their hot air balloon—an invention of the late eighteenth century—in the harem of a great Mogul. Comedy ensues when the xenophobic travelers assume the Mogul is a violent tyrant and attempt to lie and scheme their way back to England. The Mogul, a rational and generous ruler, exposes the travelers’ prejudice and eventually allows them to return home unharmed. Inchbald skillfully exploits English fascination with the exotic East, juxtaposing it with criticism of voyeuristic attitudes. The play exposes the sexual rapacity and dishonesty of English men while paralleling the objectification of English and harem women. Despite its brevity, The Mogul Tale deftly explores themes of imperialism and gender politics, themes that Inchbald would continue to explore throughout the remainder of her prolific career as England’s premier woman playwright.