The Comparative Reading of Sam Shepard and Akbar Radi’s Selected Plays: An Existential Reading

The philosophical problems of modern society have been a concern of many playwrights. One of the reasons for Akbar Radi's fame in Iranian literature is to address such issues. In the United States, Sam Shepard is also a well-known activist. Questioning about human identity and individuality, as well as the relationship of the theatrical character with others, his relationship with society, freedom and desire to acquire desires, are among the topics seen in Shepard and Rady's plays. This article examines these existentialist concepts by comparing Shepard's True West, Buried Child, Rady's Night on the Wet Pavement and Mr. Gill's Magnificent Smile. In each group of plays, the authors reflect the lack of identity, disruption of relationships with others, desires, social responsibilities, and freedom of action. By examining and comparing the selected works of these two authors, in both completely different Eastern and Western societies, the social situation in the emergence of the mentioned philosophical concepts is similar in many respects and, except for a few debatable exceptions, are completely in line. This article aims at a comparative study of these two groups of plays with a view to the existentialist philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, and finally proves the disappearance of concepts of identity, inability to communicate in society, isolation and the disappearance of the concept of freedom in society. The purpose of writing this article is to investigate and compare the philosophy of existentialism in the selected works of Rady and Shepherd and to find common themes despite the cultural and geographical differences in them. This research is based on the school of comparative literature. Using a comparative approach in analyzing literary works and other works of art with each other leads to a deeper understanding of the works and erasing the boundaries between literary and artistic works.