The Devil (Javid play)
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Arif
Vasif
Rena
Ibn Yemin
Khaver
Elkhan
| The Devil Azerbaijani: İblis / ابلیس | |
|---|---|
 Poster. 26 May 1922. State Turkic Theatre | |
| Written by | Huseyn Javid |
| Characters | Devil Arif Vasif Rena Ibn Yemin Khaver Elkhan |
| Date premiered | December 21, 1920 |
| Place premiered | Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre |
| Original language | Azerbaijani |
| Genre | Tragedy |
| Setting | 1918 |
Iblis[1][2] (Azerbaijani: İblis / ابلیس) is a verse play (verse dram), tragedy in four acts of an Azerbaijani poet and playwright Huseyn Javid, written in 1918. Ideological credo of Javid is revealed in the play, a mystic flaw[3] is strongly expressed and the poet's thoughts about a problem of human's happiness followed by the imperialistic war are reflected in the poem.[4]
Initially the tragedy was staged in 1920, by Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh. It is noted that, at the beginning of the 1920s the play had a great success. “Iblis” is considered as the first verse play of Azerbaijan, which was put on the stage. It is also noted that the play is significant not only for its complex philosophic character, and also for a romantic style.[1]
The play was published in 1924, for the first time.[5] Later, it was published in 1927, 1959, 1969, 1982,[5] 2001[6] and 2005.[7] In the Small Soviet Encyclopedia of 1931, the work was called a poem.[3] It is considered one of the best plays of Huseyn Javid.[8]
- Iblis
- Angel
- Old Sheikh – a grey-haired solitary
- Khaver – old sheikh’s granddaughter
- Arif – modestly-dressed young man
- Vasif – a Turkish officer (Arif’s youngest brother)
- Junior officer – Vasif’s comrade
- Rena – a beautiful nurse (Turkish girl)
- Ibn Emin – an Arab, 45 years aged officer
- Wounded officer of the Russian Army – a young man
- Negro – Ibn Emin’s batman
- Ghost of Rena's grandfather
- Elkhan – an officer (a deserter and brigand)
- Officers, warriors, brigands, dancers (Arab), strong men, ghosts, musicians and others.
Plot
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Events take place in the Near East during World War I. Arif - the main hero of the play – is very humane and romantic young man. With the help of Iblis image, Huseyn Javid created a character of people, who sell their souls to the devil for money. According to the author, souls of these people aren’t free, they are in captivity of the devil and the devil rules the souls of people, for whom the material welfare is considered the main stimulus.
Arif was puzzled with occupational wars, violence of people, crime and betrayal, but by the grace of the God he sees the salvation of humanity, believes in his confluence with the free world. But, eventually Arif obeys to the Satan, becomes a murderer of his wife and brother and also becomes a greedy for gold and wealth. He could not only reunite with the dreamed world, but also became shabby. Arif, who lived with great ideas, couldn’t become higher than a simple man and finally drag out a miserable existence.
History of staging
For the first time, the play was put on the stage of the State Theatre on December 21, 1920[9] by Abbas Mirza Sharifzade. “Iblis” is considered as the first verse drama of Azerbaijan, which was put on the stage. The first staging of “Iblis” is considered as a significant event in the theatrical life of Azerbaijan. Then, the theatre used all available facilities in order to make a colorful romantic spectacle. Despite minor technical means, the theater achieved interesting views for war, fire scenes, effective disappearance and appearance of personages. A scene of feast in the last act was also very interesting. Ballet was broadly used in the play.[1]
Iblis’s piece was played by Sharifzade himself. Critics noted that this character created by Sharifzade, didn’t remind of the “European” Mephistopheles at all. And whereas the poet was far from a presentation of the Devil’s appearance, which was typical for the Eastern folklore (where it was often described as blind in one eye). It is considered that Iblis created by Sharifzade was strict, magnificent, angry, embodying evil and revenge, spreading fear and confusion, was pathetic and ironic. And when Iblis assumed the aspect of human, the actor played a piece of an experienced old man, inclined to philosophic thoughts seeming humane, calling sympathy of surrounding him people.[1] It is also noted that “a romantic ardor, by which a quite complex philosophic subject matter of the play is revealed in the theatre” called “warm sympathy of the spectators”.[10] In December, 1920 a premiere of the play was held in Tashkent with a staging of Uzbek State Troup in Azerbaijani.
For the second time the tragedy was played in Azerbaijan State Drama Theatre a year later, in 1921, with that very staging. Then it was staged by such stage directors as Alexander Ivanov (in 1922) and Alexander Tuganov (in 1926). Theater expert Ilham Rahimli noted that these stagings had either positive or negative moments.
Already in the first years of the Soviet power's existence, the play was translated into Uzbek language. In 1923, the play was staged in Uzbek language.
It was noted that in 1921-1924's the play was staged in Uzbekistan by efforts of Hamza – a cultural figure of Uzbekistan. Influence of this play on development of theatrical art in Uzbekistan and in other republics of Middle Asia was also mentioned. In 1924, the play was put on the stage in Tashkent.[11]
The last staging of the play, during the author's lifetime, was held in 1925.
In 1983, while preparing for the 100th anniversary of Huseyn Javid, Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre included “Iblis” tragedy in their repertoire. Artistic council of the theatre entrusted the staging of the spectacle to Mehdi Mammadov. Mehdi mammadov's “Iblis” possessed a philosophic and psychological depth. The spectacle was staged “in a style of a synthesis of monumentalism and modernism”. The stage director showed the essence of the tragedy's subject matter on the basis of international political relations, because of which it is considered that the spectacle was “original, fresh, compositionally grandiose and majestic”. It was also noted that, an eternal conflict between good and evil, humanity and the Devil's home was expressed through Huseyn Javid's poetry. The Devil's home was expressed through a modern threat of atom and hydrogen bomb. Aydin Azimov's “horror influencing” music, which is based on tremolo string and ostinato beats of timpani, dissonances of woodwind and brass instruments of orchestra created panicky condition of humanity before the terrible.
