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Taiwon:
 
It has always been my impression that the references to "Mahound" are
simply a device used by the medieval playwrights to conjur up an image of all
that was considered evil (read anti-Christian) in the minds of the audience.
Remember, there were no Muslims (or Jews for that matter) in England at the
time, so most medieval Englishmen have no personal experience with these other
faiths.  Like the various "oaths" repeated throughout the plays, I think the
reference to "Mahound" is a rather formulaic way of portraying someone as evil.
 
-Tom Papeika
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