Critical Analysis of Iranian Night

Submitted To. Sir Aamir Zahoor

Submitted By. Muhammad Naveed Niaz

Registration No. MAEN-023R18-24

Subject. South Asia Literature

Institute of Southern Punjab

Critical Analysis of Iranian Night

The story of the play begins with Omar narrating the story about nineteenth
hundred and ten, in town of Tabriz in Persia. But Caliph then scolds him; Omar
begins with thirteen hundred and sixteen. Omar is in constant contact with the
audience.

Than Omar gives reference to a historical Arabian folk tale ‘One thousand and
One Night to the audience that Scheherazade tells stories to Caliph.
Scheherazade’s stories are moralistic about wisdom and intellectual whereas in
those times women were treated merely as sex toys. Her stories are about
hypocrisy and dualities in Muslim Caliphs

Scheherazade is a historical character taken from the folk tale ‘One thousand
and One Night’ in which the girl narrates different stories to the King.
Scheherazade narrates stories to the Caliph, the story she narrates is all having
modern images. So it is all a mixture of past and present. The story she narrates is
ironic, witty and satirizes the Caliphs, the Mullahs trying to hide their weakness
and those who kills and murders in the name of Islam. Her stories enlighten the
hypocrisy and dualities within Muslim society. It’s the character of Scheherazade
that processes the play and shifts the scenes from one to another in continuous
manner; her character uses history to relate present issues. The reader is
oscillated between past and present so that reader could get the issues well and
learning from history should improvise decisions and views. Scheherazade talks
wisdom and reality.

The Caliph is representative if all the Caliphs that has passed or at present time.
He is through his character shown powerful and authoritative when Caliphs
orders to shot the executioners who are on strike.

Later as the play proceeds, the characters Omar, Caliph and Scheherazade seems
to adapt the role of other characters as well by merely changing robes. The
characters shift to another by telling audience and in front of them.
The Caliph becomes the Holy Man, by putting on role, helped by Scheherazade it
is also a technique that no scene or change of actor or intervals takes place, yet
still there is change roles. Omar later plays the role of the poet who did
blasphemy. Scheherazade plays the role of chorus. Later the Caliph plays the role
of Father and Omar as Son who immigrated to North.