Hasan Character Analysis in My Name is Red

Hasan is the brother of Shekure’s first husband. He is desperately in love with Shekure and hopes to marry her, since his brother has disappeared. However, while Shekure is living in Hasan’s house and waiting for her husband to return from war, Hasan attempts to rape her, which Shekure uses as an excuse to go back to Enishte’s house. Perhaps surprisingly, Shekure does feel some level of affection for Hasan, who reminds her of her missing husband. At times it seems as if Hasan is well-intentioned and genuinely cares for Shekure; however, he also becomes frustrated and loses his temper easily, causing him to behave in an erratic and violent manner. A key example of this is when he beheads Olive at the end of the novel, thinking Olive is in league with Black. Hasan thus performs a heroic deed without intending to. After the beheading, he disappears and is never heard from again.

Hasan Character Timeline in My Name is Red

The timeline below shows where the character Hasan appears in My Name is Red. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...declares that when his father comes back, they will all go to live with “Uncle Hasan” again. This infuriates Shekure, who forces both her sons into a dark cupboard, before instructing... (full context)

...was given a letter by Hayriye, and was shocked because she assumed it was for Hasan. She notes that Hasan is Shekure’s husband’s brother, who is also in love with Shekure.... (full context)

...that their father was coming home. They lived with the soldier’s father and his brother, Hasan, who were poor and were forced to sell their slave, leaving Shekure to do the... (full context)

...if she left. Eventually her husband’s father decided it was time for Shekure to marry Hasan, which would require convincing a judge that Shekure’s husband had died. Shekure realized that if... (full context)

...this woman, now pregnant, gives her money in gratitude. Esther then takes Black’s letter to Hasan’s house and gives it to Hasan, who reads it aloud. In the letter, Black says... (full context)

Esther comments that Black has written well, but Hasan responds that he has stolen lines from another writer. Hasan asks Esther to deliver his... (full context)

...home and comments that Shekure is “out of her mind” with love. Esther goes to Hasan’s house, where Hasan's father informs her that Hasan has been up all night waiting for... (full context)

...one will find them. Esther comments that Black is “genuinely in love with Shekure,” and Hasan responds that this proves she’s on Black’s side. Hasan begins writing his own letter, and... (full context)

...Enishte. Shekure snatches the letters from Esther’s hand and reads Black’s first. She then reads Hasan’s letter, which she feels confirms that he’s gone mad. Hasan tells her he’s heard about... (full context)

...she will meet him at the house of the Hanged Jew. She doesn’t respond to Hasan’s letter, though she admits that she loves him as well, particularly after learning that he... (full context)

...scold Shevket for telling Orhan that Black killed their father. Shevket cries that he’d prefer Hasan to become their new father, and Shekure slaps him again. They all cry and embrace... (full context)

...Black admits that Shevket does not like him, but Orhan does. Shekure tells him about Hasan’s plan to go to the judge, and asks him if he would agree to live... (full context)

...book. She explains that, with Enishte dead, she will be legally required to return to Hasan’s house and that this is why she is hiding her father’s death. Immediately, she begins... (full context)

...presence in the house is upsetting him. Shekure then hears that Black is speaking with Hasan in the street, and part of her feels sympathy for Hasan, who is telling Black... (full context)

As Hasan continues to accuse Black of killing Enishte, Black concedes that Enishte was murdered, but suggests... (full context)

...Shekure’s first husband is back and that they are at “their” house. She says that Hasan visited Enishte’s house and told Shevket that his father was coming back from war, so... (full context)

Esther fears for her safety and regrets getting involved in Black’s business. She enters Hasan’s house and announces that Black is waiting outside, before giving Shekure the note. Shekure manages... (full context)

As the sounds of the attack echo through the house, Hasan’s father says that if Shekure wants to leave, she can go. The children cry, and... (full context)

...the workshop, and there hears the strange voice of someone claiming to be Shevket’s uncle (Hasan). Hasan assumes that the murderer is one of Black’s men, and before the murderer can... (full context)

...European style, the tradition of painting in Istanbul dies altogether. Enishte’s book is never finished; Hasan flees and is never heard from again. Master Osman dies two years after going blind,... (full context)

...she has told this story to Orhan and given him the letters she exchanged with Hasan and Black, as well as the illustrations that remain from Enishte’s book. However, she warns... (full context)