Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: An epilogue is the most significant part of a play; it is the last scene audiences leave theatre with and the moregood-quality an epilogue is, the longer it dwells in the viewer's memory. Hence, it's typical to find that some renownedplays have reached such level of fame because of their epilogues, such as: Ibsen's "A Doll's House" or Shakespeare's"Macbeth". Good-quality and proper epilogues have been a common characteristic of our author's, Tawfiq Al-Hakim,work as the case in his plays "Al Sultan Al Ha'er - A Sultan At A Loss", "Alsafqa-The Deal" and "Ughniat Al Mawt- TheDeath Song". However, some of Al-Hakim other play epilogues have met some level of imperfection. In the study inhand I have enlisted such imperfections as follows: First, epilogues that meet Al-Hakim's approach, yet fail to meet thestructure of the play; in such respect I have found that five of Al-Hakim's plays do have imprecise epilogues. I have alsofound that he had to retreat to such strategy out of his concern that such endings express the intellectual causes theytackle as such endings seemed inconsistent with the dramatic structure of these plays which are "Ahl Al-Kahf- ThePeople of The Cave ","Shahrazad- Scheherazade", "Al-Malek Audeib – King Oedipus", "Al-Nae'ba Al-Mohtarama-TheRespectful Member of Parliament" and "Shams Al-Nahar- The Daytime Sun". Second, unforeseen and dramaticallyunjustified epilogues through which six more plays ended in a surprising unjustified manner. Al-Hakim had to retreatto such strategy not to satisfy his desire to point out his approach as tackled in such plays but to create an end thatleaves a reader or a viewer at ease even though such endings do not follow the acceleration of events and thecharacters sketched in such plays. These six plays are "Isis", "Le'bat Al Mawt- Death Game", "Sahera-A Witch", "Al-Kanz-The Treasure", "Sahebat Al-Jalalah –Her Majesty" and "Masir Sorsar – The Fate of A Cockroach". Third, open-endedirrational epilogues through which we see some of Al-Hakim's open-ended plays whose endings were applicable asthey open a door for interpretations and analyses as the case in the plays of "Nahr Al-Jonoun – River of Madness" and"Tale' Al-Shajarah – The Tree Climber". However, three of Al-Hakim's open-ended plays have followed a differentscheme as their endings were irrational such as: "Rasasah Fi Al-Qalb – A Bullet In The Heart", "Al-Warta – TheDilemma" and "Ehtefal Abou Sinbel – Abu Simbel Celebration". Fourth: long uninteresting epilogue; a good epilogue ofa play should conform to the events of the play while, at the same time, go beyond the expectations of the reader or theviewer, it should be also of a fast rhythm. I have found two long- epilogue plays of Al-Hakim that bring the reader orthe viewer to monotony which are "Al-Malek Audeib – King Oedipus" and "Al- Aidi Al-Nae'ma- Delicate Hands".In conclusion, I can argue that in the study in hand I have enlisted Al-Hakim's Plays that have problematicepilogues.
Source: سياقات اللغة والدراسات البينية
Author: Ali Mohamed Khalifa
Institution: Arish University
Language: Arabic
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4383851005