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Political Themes in Modern and Early Literary Arabic Theatre Research Paper
Examples of the origin of modern Arabic theater are the works by Tawfiq Al-Hakim. The famous Egyptian playwright started his career when the drama in his country had been practically destroyed. He began with creating diverse plays that could attract many different viewers. However, the political context could be observed, whether in an implicit or explicit form, in any of his works. For example, Hayat Tahattamat (A wrecked life) is a comedy of social criticism. Along with the psychological exploration of its protagonist, the play addressed current political issues and the environment, in which it was hard to preserve humanity.
Another example is Mahmud Taymur’s Haflat Shay (A tea party), which ridiculed the attempts to imitate Western manners. What these two works have in common is that both demonstrate the tensions of a transitional period. Arabic drama at that time reflected how the society was torn between the legacy of traditions and the influences from the West. Modernity was emerging, and drama became a platform for discussion. Under these conditions, politics became a predominant theme and speculations on humanity accumulated importance. Even plays on serious subjects adopted irony and comedy, while plays of unserious genres inevitably addressed serious political issues.
