Mithal Madlool Challab Albedairi

ffering brought up by war that has, unfortunately, become a supreme language of communication in the Modern era. Hence, the English contemporary political theatre has displayed unique interconnectedness between drama and politics: interest in US-Iraq war is indeed not an exception. British playwright, David Hare, belongs to a trend of war drama that enables the world to witness the truth, trauma and the violence of US-Iraq war. Stuff Happens subtly helps show how US coercive diplomacy manipulates other Powers to fulfill the new doctrine of " New American Century." In Stuff Happens, Hare documents the recent tragic history of Iraq in such an approach that blends the documentary with the fictional to display the events from 2000, till the actual invasion of Iraq in April, 2003. The play traces the origins of US-Iraq war and unveils all the attempts and the procedures undertaken by Bush and his administration team to invade Iraq. This study mainly focuses on the Power motif that characterizes the American leaders' impulses and ceaseless quest of power. Hare’s Stuff Happens, however, contextualizes Bush’s Coercive strategy in relation to Iraq, as well as his manipulation of the UN, Blair, Powel, and other characters to help reaching his goals.

No topic in folklore, part from culture has caused more argument than witchcraft. And fear of it permeates folklore of all periods. Actually, many studies are carried out by folklorists and anthropologists on this topic and even many people in western and central Africa and in some of eastern countries state that witchcraft existed physically as a substance in the bodies of witches whose changing shapes were possible. So witchcraft is, in some ways, conceived of as a form of power which runs between the body of the witch and her victim. Interestingly, exploring the nature of the witch and her effect on her victim does not capture the attention of the anthropologists only; rather it occupies the minds of the artists of various cultures and has become a recurrent theme in their works across the literary ages. Actually, this study has the same goal; it is devoted to explore the nature and the role of witchcraft in "The Ballad of Three Witches"(450A.D.), anonymous genuine piece of Arabic folk poetry that is related to pre-Islamic poetry and Macbeth (1606), the shortest tragedy that was written by the prominent English playwright William Shakespeare. In fact, in both texts, the recipient is invited to have a journey with the hero who meets on his way three witches prophesize his future. In this journey, the recipient will experience the wonderful sense of heroism that mixes reality with supernaturalism whether with the national Arabian hero, the Himyarite king Tubba' As'ad Kamil who was the first to clothe Al-kea'ba or with Macbeth, who has a unique position among all other Shakespeare's tragic heroes. In short, this intertextual study aims at following up the analogies between "The Ballad of Three Witches" and Shakespeare's Macbeth in the employment of witchcraft and its major tool the witch. In other words, it is meant to be a detailed study of both texts by drawing a comparison between their witchcrafts to see whether "The Ballad of Three Witches" can be regarded as one of the possible sources of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Eventually, the study ends with the conclusion that sums up the major findings.

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) and August Strindberg (1849-1912) are two modern dramatists who belong to different nationalities (the first is Norwegian and the later is Swedish), but they are almost alike in tackling social subjects. Both playwrights’ drama have been characterized by a powerful style and coloured by didactic and psychological impulses that make Ibsen’s theatre as well as Strindberg’s a mirror that reflects the reality of modern life in general and modern woman in particular. Actually, Ibsen, the father of modern drama, and Strindberg, the highly controversial figure in modern dramatic literature, are two Scandinavian dramatists who join their hands in many aspects and reflect their hostility in others. It is true that each one has his uniqueness and significance in the development of modern drama in particular and modern literature in general and it is equally true that the interpretation of one’s work is done with a reference to the other’s. In brief, Ibsenism is the modern dramatic school whose initiator is Ibsen and strindberg is one of its talented students. This study aims at following up the echoes of Ibsenism in Strindberg’s drama. Hereupon it is divided into three sections and a conclusion. Section one is a brief commentary about Ibsen’s and Strindberg’s beliefs, concepts, styles and dramatic techniques that reflect their affinity at certain points and their hostility at others. So this section enables the reader to formulate a preliminary idea about Srindberg’s Ibsenism. Section two is devoted to the study of the characteristics of Ibsen’s drama and his Ibsenist qualities with special reference to his major realistic play, The Doll’s House(1879) and then it states the meaning of “Ibsenism”. Section three attempts an insight into the fields where Strindberg really relies on Ibsen for the treatment of the same subjects. i.e. this section is meant to be a detailed study of Strindberg’s Ibsenties and anti-Ibsenties by drawing a comparison between Ibsen’s A Doll’s House(1879) and Strindberg’s The Father(1887)and Miss Julie(1888). The study eventually ends with the conclusion where the major findings are introduced.