Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Arts - Department of English

The aim of this study is to examine how religion operates as a determinant factor in prompting characters to adopt a religious attitude in three selected plays namel, George Bernard Shaw's St Joan (1921), Salah Abdul Sabur's Maasat ElHallaj (1966) and David Hare's Racing Demon (1990). The dramatic world of the characters, in the three plays, is centered on two types of religious orientation: first, the organizational/authoritative religious stand and the personal/spiritual religious position. The main conflict in the three plays is established on this dichotomy. On one hand, characters of organizational religious attitude seek to maintain authority over other characters with a scheme centered on employing a systematic code of ethics that enshrines the features of a true believer. On the other hand, characters of personal religious style believe that faith in God is an inward feeling that should not be imposed on people. Both views clash throughout the events of the three plays, the matter which raises several questions on the nature of religion and how it should function in one's life. Questions concerning the nature of religion have always raised interest in the study of the identity of religion; whether religion could be considered as a group of dogmas that are imposed upon people, or it is a personal endeavor towards being overwhelmed with the presence of the Ultimate Being. Sociologists, psychologists, philosophers and even biologists have attempted to research the nature of religion and how it functions in directing an individual to uphold a certain religious attitude

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