RETELLING OPHELIA’S STORY THROUGH SABA: HAMLET REVISITED IN A GIRL IN THE RIVER

Abstract

Shakespeare has become a global icon in the academic as well as non-academic worlds to such an extent that the name Shakespeare is almost synonymous with literature. It is mainly because his themes are universal that they appeal to readers around the world. Due to this universal appeal, in the present decade, Shakespeare’s plays are adapted and appropriated across the globe, which includes Pakistan too. The plays attract Pakistani readers because of the presence of numerous parallels between them and modern-day Pakistan. There is a rise in Pakistani adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays; however, fewer comparative studies on similar grounds are carried out in the country. Therefore, this paper focuses on the comparison between Shakespeare’s Hamlet and A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015) by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy. Set against the background of patriarchy and the subsequent mistreatment and subjugation of women, the two have much in common. This paper draws a parallel between the two texts and, by doing so, demonstrates the potential they have to address modern-day Pakistani problems related to patriarchy, mistreatment, and subjugation of women. This paper, essentially qualitative in nature, takes into consideration Catherine Belsey’s Textual Analysis and Sylvia Walby’s Theory of Patriarchy (1990).