The Time and the Search for Self in Samuel Beckett’s Play Called Krapp’s Last Tape and Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Play Named Rihletu’s-Sayd
The aim of this study is to comparatively examine Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett and the play Rihletu’s-Sayd by Tawfiq al-Hakim in terms of element of time and theme of search for self. For this aim, answers were sought to the questions of whether there are similarities and differences between these two plays, and if so, what are the similarities and differences between them. Additionally, the effect of the absurd theater on Arabic literature and its reflections in Tawfiq al-Hakim’s play were investigated. This study is important because it examines the two plays mentioned above, in a comparative manner for the first time and will thus contribute to the studies of comparative literature. In this study, two plays depicting what the characters experienced when faced with death are discussed using a qualitative, inductive, and comparative method. Because it is based on what Albert Camus talked about time and the absurd, a philosophical review was also conducted. Considering the examinations, it has been seen that there are many similarities but also differences between the plays. From all this, it can be concluded that Tawfiq al-Hakim may have been influenced by absurd theater writers, especially Samuel Beckett, but he created an original work by adding his own interpretation to his plays.
Samuel Beckett’in Krapp’s Last Tape Adlı Oyunu ile Tevfîk El-Hakîm’in Rihletu’s-Sayd Adlı Oyununda Zaman ve Benlik Arayışı
Bu çalışmanın amacı, Samuel Beckett’in Krapp’s Last Tape adlı oyunu ile Tevfîk el-Hakîm’in Rihletu’s-Sayd oyununu zaman unsuru ve benlik arayışı teması bakımından karşılaştırmalı olarak incelemektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, çok farklı coğrafyalarda ve farklı şartlar altında yazılan bu iki oyun arasında benzerlik ve farklılık var mıdır, varsa aralarındaki benzerlik ve farklılıklar nelerdir sorularına cevap aranmış, Batı’da ortaya çıkan absürt tiyatro türünün Arap edebiyatındaki etkisinin Tevfîk el-Hakîm’in sözü edilen oyunundaki yansımaları ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu makale, Krapp’s Last Tape ve hakkında pek fazla bilgi bulunmayan Rihletu’s-Sayd oyunlarını ilk kez karşılaştırmalı bir şekilde ele alarak karşılaştırmalı edebiyat bilimi çalışmalarına katkı sağlayacak olması nedeniyle önem arz etmektedir. Geleceği düşünerek yaşayan ve bu nedenle şimdiki zamanın tadını çıkaramayan karakterlerin, ölüm gerçeğiyle yüzleşme durumunda yaşadıklarını anlatan iki oyunun nitel, tümevarım ve karşılaştırmalı bir yöntemle ele alındığı bu çalışmada, varoluşçuluk akımının temsilcilerinden biri olan Albert Camus’nün zaman ve absürt konusunda söyledikleri temel alındığından felsefeye dayalı bir inceleme de yapılmıştır. Yapılan incelemeler ışığında, oyunlar arasında pek çok yönden benzerlik bulunduğu, bununla birlikte farklılıkların da olduğu görülmüştür. Bütün bunlardan, Tevfîk el-Hakîm’in bir süre Fransa’da kaldığı zaman tanıştığı absürt tiyatro yazarlarından özellikle de Samuel Beckett’ten etkilenmiş olabileceği ancak yazdığı oyunlara kendi yorumunu katarak özgün bir eser ortaya koyduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.
The aim of this study is to comparatively examine the play Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett, one of the first names that come to mind when it comes to absurd theater, and the play Rihletu’s-Sayd by Tawfiq al-Hakim, one of the leading names of the theater in Arabic literature, in terms of element of time and theme of search for self. For this aim, answers were sought to the questions of whether there are similarities and differences between these two plays, written in very different geographies and under different conditions, and if so, what are the similarities and differences between them. Additionally, the effect of the absurd theater that emerged in the West on Arabic literature and its reflections in Tawfiq al-Hakim’s play were investigated.
This study is important because it examines the plays Krapp’s Last Tape and Rihletu’s-Sayd, about which there is not much information, in a comparative manner for the first time, and thus will contribute to the studies of comparative literature by making it possible to look at the two works from a broad perspective. In this study, two plays depicting what the characters, who always live by thinking about the future and therefore cannot enjoy the present, experience when faced with the reality of death are discussed using a qualitative, inductive, and comparative method. Because it is based on what Albert Camus, a representative of existentialism, talked about time and the absurd, a philosophical review was also conducted.
When we look at the two plays that are the subject of our study in terms of time, it is seen that there is uncertainty about time, which is one of the characteristics of absurd theater. Time, which is described vaguely in the sections where past events are narrated, appears as a concept that cannot be perceived by the characters in the sections where the present moment is shown. Although some events are shown to the audience and a certain amount of time passes from the beginning to the end of the plays, it is as if time has stopped for the characters on the stage.
In addition, time affects characters’ personalities. Both characters experience a change over time, and although the same person is mentioned, they appear as different characters. Even though he is the one speaking in every recording he listens to, Krapp, who belittles his previous self and makes fun of that version of himself, cannot believe that he is the person in the past. As for the doctor in the play Rihletu’s-Sayd, he is sometimes described as a cruel person and sometimes as a helpful doctor, during his reckoning with the faces he sees in the sky that belong to his past. It is not clear which one truly reflects the doctor or whether this change is for the better or for the worse because, like the tapes listened to in Krapp’s Last Tape, the faces the doctor remembers do not appear in a chronological order.
The search for the self is also a common theme in both plays. Both characters in these plays come face to face with death, and in this situation, they feel the need to confront their past in order to reach their selves. In the play Rihletu’s-Sayd, a doctor who is caught by a lion during a hunting trip and who comes to terms with his past is mentioned, while in the play Krapp’s Last Tape, it is seen that the character named Krapp, who feels that he is very close to death even though there is no real threat, tries to reach his own self by reviving his memories. Although the form of impending death is different, the plays are similar in that the characters sense the need to create an identity for themselves by reviving their memories.
The people in their lives and the beliefs they hold impact a person’s self-formation. In both plays, which are the subjects of this study, two women who influence the characters are mentioned. While the character named Krapp abandons both of these women, who have an important place in his memories, and is condemned to a lonely life, the doctor marries the girl he loves and has children, but the effect of love diminishes over time and he begins to occupy with the chores of daily life. Both Krapp and the doctor always think about the future and forget to enjoy the present. From here, it is understood that the subject of living for the future, which Camus uses when explaining the word absurd, is valid for both characters. It can be seen that religious beliefs do not provide the unity that the characters desire. Neither for Krapp, who goes to church and falls asleep, nor the doctor, who claims to be a believer and tries to defeat the death, religion does not appear as a helpful element in the characters’ search for self.
The plays are similar in that there is no specific plot, which is one of the basic features of absurd theater and from the beginning of the plays to the end there is no change in the situation of both Krapp, who sits at his desk and listens to the tapes he recorded, and the doctor, who is in the lion’s mouth, in the places where they are stuck. Another similar aspect of the plays is that in both plays, which are about the search for self, there is no answer to the question of “Who am I?”
These two plays, which tell about characters who come to terms with their past on the verge of death, differ in terms of the characters’ reactions to the reality of death. While death is a salvation for Krapp, who has lost all his expectations from life, the doctor strives to escape even when he is in the lion’s mouth. In addition, the way in which the characters revive their memories, trying to reach the essence of their own selves by remembering their past experiences, is also different from each other. While the doctor’s past is told through imaginary faces appearing in the sky, Krapp’s past is based on a concrete document: voice recordings.
Considering these examinations, it has been seen that there are many similarities but also differences between the plays. From all this, it can be concluded that Tawfiq al-Hakim may have been influenced by the absurd theater writers he met when he stayed in France for a while, especially Samuel Beckett, but he created an original work by adding his own interpretation to the plays he wrote.
