Durham E-Theses The roots of Arabic theatre. Al-Sheddi, Baker How to cite: Al-Sheddi, Baker (1997) The roots of Arabic theatre., Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1647/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk THE ROOTS OF ARABIC THEATRE SUBMITTED BY: BAKER Al-SHEDDI A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the written consent of the author and information derived from it should be acknowledged. THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM C. M. E. L S. JULY, 1997 t' ý. ý ýý. ýýý'i - ..? ý . k,; 19 FEB1998 ?l 07wý ýý 40 2p ,-10 110 W-WWM% MJ amammm * .wo, ýoe /r/ t - I, the writer of this thesis, declare that none of the material offered in this thesis has previously been submitted by me for a degree in this or any other university. Copyright 1997 "The copyright of this thesis rests with the writer. No quotations from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. " b Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Paul Starkey, the director of my thesis, for his personal assistance to me while I was preparing this study. He showed me great encouragement and taught me not only how to meet the challenge, but also how to defeat and maintain my opinions and ideas with freedom. I must mention with gratitude Dr. Philip Sadgrove and Dr. Fadia Faqir who agreed to be examiners offering their most invaluable help. My friend Abdulla al-Negaimshi deserves a special mention. His moral and practical support, encouragement and sincere advice have all contributed greatly to the completion of this work. Thanks and regards are also extended to all my friends in Durham for their helpful suggestions and encouragement during the period of my study. Among them I would like to deeply thank Abdulla al-Azraqi, Z. al-Fifi, Mubarak al-Shahrani, M. Al-Shahrani, Khalid al-Amri, F. Al-Lehiebi... etc. I wish to record my deep gratitude to Mr. Abdulla al-Athel, Muhammad al-Sheddi, Abdulla al-Nasser, Ahmad Khojali, Madi al-Madi and Hasan Abu Hasnah for their assistance, expert advice and encouragement over the course of the prolonged period it has taken to complete this study. I am also grateful to the General Presidency of Youth Welfare for providing me with the full scholarship which made it possible for me to continue my graduate studies and complete this work. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and thanks to my beloved wife, Mrs. Latifa al-Meshari, who shared all the problems I faced during my work with infinitive patience and understanding. She has worked hard to make the years we have spent in Durham as enjoyable as possible. Her support and care have helped me immeasurably throughout my life with her and without her this work would never have been possible. a To my belovedwife, Latifa As a token and a remembrance for her love and support. To the future, my sons: Faisal and Mo'taz. Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. .. a Contents ................................................................................................................... .. C Abstract ..................................................................................................................... g Transliteration h .......................................................................................................... .. Introduction 1 ............................................................................................................... Chapter One HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE ARABS 6 : .................... 1.1 The Jähiliyya 6 .................................................................................................. .. 1.1.1. The Structure Society 7 of .............................................................................. .. 1.1.2. Religion 8 ......................................................................................................... .. 1.2. The Rise Islam 10 of ............................................................................................ 1.2.1. The Islamic State After the Prophet 11 ............................................................... 1.3. The Muslim Contribution To Civilization 13 .................................................... 1.4 The Islamic Contribution to the Fine Arts 14 .................................................... 1.4.1. Architecture Painting 15 and .............................................................................. 1.4.3 The Auditive Arts 17 .......................................................................................... 1.4.4 Poetry 18 . ........................................................................................................... 1.4.5 T 20 rose ............................................................................................................. Chapter Two ISLAM AND THE FINE ARTS 25 : .............................................. 2.1. Introduction 25 ................................................................................................... 2.2. Islamic Attitudes Toward The Fine Arts 28 ....................................................... 2.2.1 Poetry 29 . ........................................................................................................... 2.2.2 Painting 31 . ......................................................................................................... 2.2.2.1 The View Traditionalists 31 of ......................................................................... 2.2.2.2 The View ShaykhMuhammad `Abduh 33 of ................................................... 2.2.3 Music 35 . ........................................................................................................... 2.2.4 Theatrical Arts 37 ............................................................................................... 2.2.4.2. The Positive Attitude 39 ................................................................................. Chapter Three THE ORIGIN OF DRAMA 45 : ................................................... 3.1 Thespis ............................................................................................................ 45 3.2 The Great Dionysia Festivals ......................................................................... 47 3.3 European Dramatic Conventions . ................................................................... 48 3.3.1. Aristotle's Definition Drama 48 of ...................................................................... 3.3.2. Dramatic Action 48 ........................................................................................... 3.3.2.1 Plot 49 . ............................................................................................................ 3.3.2.2 Character 49 . ................................................................................................... 3.3.2.3. Thought ..................................................................................................... 50 3.3.2.4 Language 50 .................................................................................................... 3.3.2.5. Music ......................................................................................................... 51 3.3.2.6. Spectacle .................................................................................................... 51 3.4 Development of the Theatrical Conventions 52 . ................................................ 3.4.1. The Greek Theatre 52 ........................................................................................ 3.4.2 The Roman Theatre 54 ....................................................................................... C 3.4.3. The Medieval Theatre 57 .................................................................................... 3.4.4 The Elizabethan Theatre 59 ................................................................................ 3.4.5 Restoration Theatre 60 . ....................................................................................... 3.4.6 Modern Times 61 ............................................................................................... 3.5. Confusion the Term 63 of ...................................................................................... Chapter ARABS AND DRAMA 71 Four : .......................................................... 4.1 The Negative Attitude 71 ..................................................................................... 4.1.1. The Religious Conflict 71 ................................................................................... 4.1.2. Poetry,