Intersecting Identities: Cultural Resistance and Dialogism in the Selected Poetry of Al-Mutanabbi and Shakespeare

Abstract

The current comparative study looks at how language strategies in the poetry of Al-Mutanabbi and William Shakespeare explore cultural identity through linguistic devices. The study draws on the theories of Mikhail Bakhtin and Edward Said and focuses on how language reflects and forms the cultural identities of these two great poets. Through the lens of Said's idea of Orientalism and Bakhtin's dialogic theory, the English Renaissance background of Shakespeare and Al-Mutanabbi's classical Arabic tradition is analyzed, revealing how language tactics build and contradict cultural views. By comparing these viewpoints, the present study intends to deepen our understanding of how language affects cultural identities across literary styles. Results showed how their poetry mediated cultural identities and provided a cross-cultural conversation that extended over time and space. The comparative analysis ultimately highlights the universal power of poetic language to both mirror and mold the intricate relationship between individual expression and collective cultural narratives. Moreover, their poetry obtained insights into the intricacies of cultural representation and the persistent influence of language on human cognition.