Shaw's & AL-Hakim's Pygmalion: A Thematic Comparative Study

Abstract

This research deals with an important area of study, comparative literature; it examines
two similar plays from English and Arabic drama, "Pygmalion" by two well known English and
Arabic Playwrights: G. B. Shaw and Tawfiq AL-Hakim. The research participates in bringing
together English and Arabic literature and culture. Choosing the same name for a literary work
“Pygmalion" with different characters and techniques and similar themes and ideas by two
famous English and Arabic dramatists, Shaw and AL-Hakim encourage the researcher to study
and compare these two plays to examine the reasons and to find out points of similarities and
differences. .In other words, this research is an attempt to find out the themes of Shaw's
Pygmalion and ALHakim's Pygmalion and to examine the points of similarities and differences
between these two plays. Another important question this research intends to answer is whether
anyone of the two playwrights affect the other, and to what extent the two playwrights were
influenced by the Greek legend Pygmalion and Galatea.
According to the findings of this study, transformation and change, women and feminity,
appearance and reality, and identity are among the important and shared themes of the two
plays. It is also clear that Pygmalion of the Arabic playwright AL-Hakim was influenced by the
English playwright Shaw's Pygmalion and Al- Hakim was influenced by Shaw. Another
important point to state is that both writers Shaw and Al- Hakim were influenced by the Greek
Myth Pygmalion and Galatea.