Reflection on Theatrical Capacities of the Spirit Adventure in Mersad-ol-Ebad

Abstract

There are some proses in all literal genres which have theatrical capacity. Studying these capacities leads to reveal important aspects and delicate angles of proses. Sufi and mystical works are the ones which can be studied in this perspective. The current study aims to figure out theatrical capacities of the spirit adventure in Mersad-ol-Ebad. This work is considered as one of the superior sufi prosesin terms of form and content. In this adventure, theatrical elements play an important role in transferring the author’s mental contents. These elements, with a focus on processing the spirit character in a background of complicated metaphysic situations, have helped the relationship between the audience and the prose. The findings from this study reveal that the most obvious elements and theatrical techniques of this adventure which were more efficient in inducing various contents leading to the consistency of spirit character are characterization, action, conversation, and conflict respectively. The most important contents which are induced through these elements and techniques are the nature of spirit and body and their conflicts and agreement, willingness to return to the spirit birthplace, love, knowledge and its difficulties, adored and faulty world, and perdition and survival. Willingness to show theatrically is obvious in this adventure when these elements and techniques are used to narrate the story. However, this is much more clear when both effective techniques of illustration and allegory and two action elements, reaction and conversation, are applied.

Keywords

• theatrical elements
• sufi and mystical prose
• mersad-ol-ebad
• the spirit character