[1] The play was published anonymously, though the attribution to Peele rests on both internal stylistic evidence and an assignment of authorship of a quoted passage in the anthology England's Parnassus (1600).
Like Shakespeare's Henry V (1599), it is narrated by a Chorus who describes the action in terms far more heroic than it warrants: King Sebastian of Portugal is referred to as "an honourable and courageous prince", but is in fact shown to be foolish in invading Morocco, having been duped by Mulai Mohammed.
The play's portrayal of the Moroccan leader has been singled out as "the first full dramatic treatment of a black Moor on the English Stage...."[5] The "plot"[6] or plan for the Admiral's Men's production still exists, as MS. Add.
As the play begins, Abdelemec returns to Morocco after a period of exile in Turkey, where he had been hiding since his eldest brother (Muly Mahamet’s father) became King.
As the battle continues, Abdelemec’s army (now led by a dead body) gains the upper hand and wins—a turnabout due in large part to some very poor military decisions made by the Portuguese King.
Act 2, Prologue Act Two begins with a dumbshow wherein the ghosts of Muly Mahamet’s slain victims (his uncle Abdelmunen and his two younger brothers) cry out for vengeance, a petition that summons three Furies: “Alecto with her brand and bloody torch,” “Megaera with her whip and snaky hair,” and “Tisiphone with her fatal murdering iron.” The Presenter announces that, with the Furies’ assistance, Abdelemec’s army has triumphed, and Muly Mahamet has retreated to the wilderness.
He offers to share the catch with Calipolis, who politely declines, protesting that her stomach is “too queasy to digest such bloody meat.” Act 2, Scene 4: Lisbon, the Royal Palace King Sebastien of Portugal meets with Muly Mahamet’s ambassadors, who offer a deal: Muly Mahamet will make Morocco a Portuguese tributary if Sebastien will provide support for his insurgency.
In a spectacular act of self-mutilation, the ambassadors take turns holding a hand over a torch, willfully burning themselves in order certify the sincerity of Muly Mahamet’s proposal.
In response, Sebastien dismisses Stukley’s chances against the English as hopeless, and launches into a lengthy (and conspicuously jingoistic) speech in praise of England’s unquestionable moral and military superiority.
Unwilling to take 'no' for an answer, the King promptly ends the negotiation by declaring that the Stukley does not have a choice: he will be pressed into service by force.
One by one, the Furies bring in ghosts representing King Sebastien of Portugal, Thomas Stukley, and Muly Mahamet (three figures who will eventually die as a result of their aggression against Abdelemec).
The inclusion of this prop suggests that the plan was for the Furies to disembowel at least one of the ghosts on stage (the gather could be concealed beneath a shirt and then sliced open so that the viscera contained therein spills forth).
Act 3, Scene 2: Fez, the Moroccan capital In a conversation with his followers, Abdelemec expresses his confidence that Spain will double-cross Portugal and come to his aid.
It seems to describe some sort of a pantomimed banquet wherein the Furies, accompanied by an allegorical figure named Death, subject the leaders of the invasion to tortures portending their imminent doom.
In an effort to inspire greater zeal, Muly Mahamet offers a misleading account of the opposing army’s tepid allegiance to Abdelemec, claiming that they are likely to switch sides as soon as they see the great forces Sebastien has brought to meet them.
As soon as Sebastien and the other characters exit, however, Muly Mahamet delivers a soliloquy that reveals his cynical disregard for Portuguese lives, and his willingness to bet everything on this final, decisive confrontation.
Act 5, Scene 1: The battlefield at Alcazar As the battle begins, Abdelemec dies (apparently of grief) after receiving news that his army will likely lose.
In a short closing speech, the new King gives orders to flay Muly Mahamet’s corpse and stuff the skin with straw, thereby fashioning a ghastly reminder of the consequences for iniquity.