Abstract

In the Iranian literary tradition, Persian ghazal is mainly known as a lyrical form expressing emotional and mystical experiences. However, in recent decades, new theoretical approaches in literary criticism have provided the possibility of new readings of classical texts. One of these approaches is the dramaturgical analysis of the text; an approach that attempts to examine the action, dialogic, and conflict structures present in the text. The present study, relying on Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of dialogism and polyphony as well as the concepts of dramaturgy in contemporary theater theories, examines the dramatic capacities of Persian ghazal. The main goal of the study is to show whether some Persian ghazals can be considered to have a dramaturgical structure? And if possible, what is the difference between the discursive organization of Hafez's and Saadi's ghazals in this regard? The research method is qualitative and based on text analysis and close reading. In this study, examples of Hafez and Saadi's ghazals have been analyzed based on criteria such as the presence of discursive roles, conflict, linguistic action, and conversational structure. The results show that in many of Hafez's ghazals, a kind of polyphony and discursive confrontation between different social voices takes place, which gives the text a quasi-dramatic quality, while in Saadi's ghazals the dominant structure is based more on emotional monologue and linear narrative and romantic experience. Accordingly, it can be said that Hafez's poetry has a greater capacity for dramaturgical reading than Saadi's poetry.