shakespeare's views on islam have been described by "the economist" as "complex" and "multifaceted", and he "was ahead of his time in his sensitivity to the islamic world and its inhabitants." according to the conclusion of prof matthew dimmock, shakespeare's depiction of islam and muslims "denied either scriptural congruence or religious coherence, embodied in the martially aggressive male." shakespeare's works included several muslim characters, including aaron the moor in "titus andronicus", the prince of morocco in "the merchant of venice" and othello in the eponymous play. these works are said to have been inspired by several moorish delegations from morocco to elizabethan england around 1600, such as that of abd el-ouahed ben messaoud. shakespeare also makes one explicit reference to muhammad, in "henry vi".