Introduction:
The period of the Muslim rulers in India had never been from interior unrest, revolt, conspiracy and intrigue. Not only the nobles and the Amirs but also the member of the family of the rulers hatched conspiracies to dethrone the King. The period of Muhammad Tughlaq was also full of intrigues. Even the trusted friend of the Sultan turned against him and plotted to put him to death. But Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq was more powerful and more crafty than his opponents. He could hold his own against the nobles and punish them when they were exposed. The nobles too hatched conspiracies against each other to settle old scores. Thus, there were intrigues and counter intrigue and even the most shrewd and crafty could not survive long. The present play "Tughlaq deals with the life and regime of Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq. It is called a great tragedy of intrigue.
Three Types of Intrigues:
In Tughlaq' there are three types of intrigues: (i) The intrigues of the Sultan-against his nobles and even against his royal family (ii) The intrigues of even trusted countries and Amirs against the Sultan. (iii) The intrigues of the nobles against one another. One is suspicious of one trusted friends.
1. Intrigues of the Sultan:
Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq intrigues against his father and brother. He succeeds in getting them killed and thus becomes the Sultan of Delhi. It so happens that an elephant goes must exactly at prayer time when his father, brother and Muhammad's father and brother are killed. He comes to the throne. It is said that Muhammad had a hand behind elephant's going must. He is thus a patricide and fratricide. Since then his mother has estranged from him though he is a favourite of his step mother who is always full of solicitude about his welfare.
Sheikh Imamuddin is highly revered as a saint. He is against the liberal policies of the Sultan. He exploits the tragic episode (of killing his father and brother) against the Sultan. He calls him a disgrace to Islam for drifting away from the teachings of the holy Koran and for killing his father and brother at prayer time. The Sheikh excites people to revolt against the Sultan. The result is that there are widespread riots in Kanpur and we are informed that half of the city was burning.
The Sheikh goes on exciting people against the Sultan. Then the Sultan chalks out a programme to entrap the Sheikh. The Sheikh is invited to Delhi to address a public meeting. The Sultan's vizier Najib points out the striking similarity between the Sheikh and the Sultan. The Sultan exploits this resemblance to the full. At first a public meeting is organised which is to be addressed by the Sheikh. But nobody turns up to hear the Sheikh as the Sultan's soldiers go from door to door forbidding people to attend the meeting. The result is that the Sheikh loses his credibility and is considered a spy. Then the Sultan uses the Sheikh with a view to killing two birds with one stone. He sends him as a royal envoy in gorgeous royal robes to dissuade Ainul Mulk from the folly of invading Delhi. As the Sheikh stands up on the royal elephant to talk to the enemy, the Sultan's soldiers sound the charge and there is a massacre and bloodshed on a large scale. The Sheikh is killed at the spot. The Sultan and his soldiers hiding behind hills came out and crushed the army of Ainul-Mulk. The Sultan pardons Ainul-Mulk and sends him back killing two birds with one stone. He emerges more powerful than before.
2. The Intrigue of the Courtiers and the Amirs:
The trusted courtiers and Amirs enjoy royal life and get benefits and advantages of courtiers but plot against the Sultan and try to kill him, Shihabuddin is a trusted friend and courtier of the Sultan. The Sultan invites him to Delhi to look after the affairs of the state in his absence. He is misguided by his adopted brother Ratan Singh who has a personal grudge against him. On Ratan Singh's instance Shihabuddin joins the company of Amirs, Sheikhs and Sayyids who want to dethrone the Sultan. On Ratan Singh's suggestion it is settled that they will jointly kill the Sultan at prayer time. Ratan acts as a spy and informs the Sultan of the conspiracy through a letter. The Sultan takes necessary precautions and E the intrigue is easily frustrated. The Sultan himself kills Shihabuddin. The Amirs are executed and their bodies are stuffed with straw. The intrigue ends in fiasco.
The step mother is displeased with Najib the vizier of the Sultan and thinks that he is leading the Sultan astray. Ultimately she gets him poisoned. When the Sultan comes to know of it, he gets her arrested and orders to stone her as an adulterous. All her pleadings against this cruel punishment fall on the deaf ear of the Sultan.
3. The Intrigues of the Nobles against one another:
The nobles too hatch conspiracy against one another and settle their old scores. Ratan Singh's father was killed by Shihabuddin's father. Ratan Singh wants to take revenge of s father's murder. He, therefore, develops intimacy with Shihabuddin, wins his confidence and becomes his adopted brother. He receives many benefits from Shihabuddin. But as soon as he gets a chance, he takes his revenge. On the one hand, he inspires Shihabuddin to join the rebel Amirs, while on the other he informs the Sultan that Shihabuddin and the Amirs are planning to kill him. Thus, Ratan Singh gets Shihabuddin killed and settles his old account.
The Intrigues Parodied in the Sub-plot:
The sub-plot of the play is not without intrigue. In it we find the parody of these intrigues and counter intrigues. Aziz and Aazam are fast friends but in the end they too work at cross purposes. Finally Aazam decides to abandon the company of Aziz and makes his escape through a tunnel in the fort. As soon as he steps out of the tunnel, he is killed by Aziz's men. Aziz in his turn is arrested by the Sultan who pardons him and sends him to the Deccan from where he is to go to Arabia and disappear on the way.
Thus, Tughlaq is a great tragedy of intrigue and so its cathartic effect is not profound like that of a tragedy. The hero does not die in the end. Tughlaq is seen reclining on the throne confused, exhausted and bewildered.
