A Comparative Analysis of Ofoul by Akbar Radi and An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen

The present article is intended to comparatively analyze characters and themes in Ofoul by Akbar Radi and An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen. The research methodology of comparison is based on Francois Jost’s theories on motifs, types, and themes as well as Linda Hutcheon’s A Theory of Adaptation. Investigating the characters and the themes of these two dramatic works and despite rather similar characters and the themes, Radi made some very adept differences to impart the sense of localization and probability. Themes such as the animosity of the powerful towards any change in the people’s conditions, the insistence of the intellectuals on their own ideas, the treachery of the close friends to the intellectualism, the abuse of the common in the hands of the powerful, loyalty of the wives, and in the end the defeat of the intellectuals are seen in both works. Akbar Radi takes his subject matter as well as his characters from An Enemy of the People but creates them anew so as to adapt them to the needs and values of his addressees i.e. the Iranians. Investigating characterization and the ways of adoption in these two works show the comparative nature of this study.