Sulayman Al-Bassam’s Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III: A Politico-Cultural Analysis

Abstract

Born in 1972, Sulayman Al-Bassam is a renowned Kuwaiti-Britain dramatist and theatre director whose vigorous style and diction shape the contours of his plays. He founded Zaoum Theatre in London in 1996 and is well-known for his drama entitled The Arab Shakespeare Trilogy, which includes three plays that adapt Shakespeare's works to the context of the Arab world: The Al-Hamlet Summit, Richard III: An Arab Tragedy and The Speaker's Progress. Being a Kuwaiti playwright is undoubtedly exciting, particularly when bringing a Shakespearean drama that launches the themes of tyranny and invasion to Middle Eastern audiences. By so doing, Al-Bassam manages to intertextualize Shakespeare’s plays, modifying and redirecting the context to the Arab world. The current study, however, examines Al-Bassam's adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III, which has strong political connotations and discursivity. The study is divided into two sections and a conclusion. The first section provides an overview of Al-Bassam's literary and socio-political backgrounds as well as Shakespeare’s original version of Richard III. On the other hand, the second section sheds light on the intertextuality theory and its application to the chosen play. Furthermore, the conclusion sums up the findings of the study.