Shakespeare in Contemporary Arab Drama: A Study on Adaptation of Sulayman Al-Bassam’s Richard III: An Arab Tragedy

Abstract

         The purpose of the current study is to explain how Sulayman Al-Bassam's Richard III: An Arab Tragedy was adapted for the modern Arab world to demonstrate ways in which various human societies can communicate or engage in dialogue and the importance of building bridges of communication with other human societies. So, how Al-Bassam's adaptation helps to set one cultural moment apart from others, Using Linda Hutcheon's theory of adaptation as a background and a framework to compare Sulayman Al-Bassam’s Richard III: An Arab Tragedy with that of indigenization. The adapted play reflects a distinctive cultural imaginary—the prevailing set of fantasies, values, desires, and assumptions that distinguish one cultural moment from others that have come before or will follow. The result showed that by adding terms from Arab culture, religion, and language, the adapted play provides a full comprehension of the contemporary Arab world and paints a complete picture of an Arab tyrant who seized power and overthrew it. The play also reflects the current reality of the Arab Spring in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. 

Keywords: Arab Spring, indigenization, Richard III, intercultural adaptation, Sulayman 
Al-Bassam