A Comparative Study of the Simultaneous Elements of Tragedy and Comedy and the Exaggeration of Grotesque Critical Functions, with a Focus on the Contemporary Iranian Plays Hamlet with Season Salad by Akbar Radi and Dracula by Jalal Tehrani

Arefi, Ukabed; Rasti Yeganeh, َFatemeh(Atousa)

doi:10.22034/jlc.2026.581916.1840

A Comparative Study of the Simultaneous Elements of Tragedy and Comedy and the Exaggeration of Grotesque Critical Functions, with a Focus on the Contemporary Iranian Plays Hamlet with Season Salad by Akbar Radi and Dracula by Jalal Tehrani

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ukabed Arefi ¹

َFatemeh(Atousa) Rasti yeganeh ²

¹ Researcher at the National Science Foundation of Iran (INSF)

² Lecturer, Department of Theatre, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jlc.2026.581916.1840

Abstract

The grotesque, as one of the fundamental components of modern drama, provides radical capacities for confronting established structures of power by disrupting narrative and identity coherences. This logic, grounded in the opposition and inversion of concepts within the dramatic context, often creates a fluid structure through the integration of contradictory elements such as comedy and tragedy, alongside the use of visual and verbal exaggeration. From the perspective of Mikhail Bakhtin, the grotesque seeks the destruction of the ideological authority of official institutions through the language of carnival; whereas Harold Bloom considers it an encounter with ontological, psychological, and social crises that elevates dramatic language to the realm of critical action. In this regard, contemporary Iranian drama, in response to recent cultural and social conditions, has likewise adopted a distinctive approach toward the grotesque. The present study examines the manner in which these two components function within the dramatic structure of the grotesque. The principal issue of the article is how the coexistence of exaggeration with tragedy and comedy, in relation to the theories of Bakhtin and Bloom, can provide a basis for critical and reformative action in the two aforementioned works. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the technique of comparative content analysis has been employed for the intratextual and structural examination of the two plays. Ultimately, the findings indicate that the grotesque in these two dramas is not merely a theatrical technique, but rather a conceptual and social instrument for critiquing established discourses and creating alternative horizons.

Keywords

Grotesque

Simultaneous Tragedy and Comedy

Exaggeration

Contemporary Iranian Drama

Subjects