Süleyman's life is representative of the typical Renaissance tragic characters of the period. The story of Süleyman and Hürrem (Roxelana) was widely known in Europe and many plays have been written about their tragic story. Having executed two of his sons weighed heavily on his conscience. As the ruler of one of the largest empires of the early modern period, the tragedy of the great Ottoman sultan is here portrayed in this play by the Ottoman Renaissance historian, Dr Metin Mustafa.