Monodrama and Self- Reconstruction: Exploration of Form in Selected Arab Plays

Abstract

This research attempts to explore the importance of monodrama as an extended monologue that opens a discovery journey of a man’s solitary existence in the twenty-first century. The form offers subsequent polyvocal variations, which explores a set of questions inherent in estrangement, isolationism, and failure to articulate one’s thoughts. Hence, those themes are usually projected in, seemingly, fragmented forms. Dramatic episodes characterized by fragmentation, yet ironically laden with symbolic meanings, draw on mythical, historical and imaginary figures. The resulting combination demonstrates more than just a private experience, but a universal dilemma of alienation and confusion. Inspired by Hamlet’s debate of man’s inner struggle between “What the flesh is heir to” and “of what we suffer” internally, the paper attempts to investigate the selected Arab dramatist’s use of monodrama. The inner struggle in each monologue resembles core thematic trends, which extend to the twenty-first century, performed by actors who open a series of multi-roles that reflect on life, history, culture and other identity factors. Therefore, the paper will be paying extra attention to the weaving of multi-voices and consciousness within a monologue of a single character that embodies all. The main goal is to convey an internal conflict, or a journey to self-discovery, representing the ‘everyman’ reflection on his use of theatrical devices. By intermixing reality and the subconscious, the performer and the audience become pulled into inner realms of the unconscious, giving self- evaluation a more interesting dimension. This will further help reveal the monologue’s significance in treating psychological and social complexities through a concentrated dose of self-reflection in a dream-like framework.