Melha Abdullah's the Libero: A Psychoanalytic Reading
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59992/IJSR.2026.v5n6p21Keywords:
Carl Gustav Jung, Melha Abdullah, Saudi Theatre, Psychoanalytic Criticism, the Persona and the Shadow, the LiberoAbstract
Melha Abdullah is a prominent Saudi playwright and critic. Her dramatic work engages profoundly with moral, social, and cultural issues, addressing themes such as oppression, marginalization, and human struggle within restrictive environments. Although her works have attracted widespread global attention, underscoring Abdullah's role in developing Saudi theatre, feminist discourse, and audience engagement, few studies have examined her significant play, The Libero. Drawing on the psychoanalytic approach and Jung's concepts of the persona and the shadow, this study investigates how societal pressure and moral corruption contribute to psychological fragmentation. The analysis centres on the protagonist, focusing on his internal conflict and divided sense of self. This study argues that over-identification with the persona and the continued repression of the shadow lead to aggressive responses embodied in the monster Bakeleto. The findings indicate that the protagonist’s transformation represents the breakdown of the social persona under excessive moral and social strain. This collapse enables the emergence of the shadow as a psychological strategy of resistance and survival. This study offers a psychoanalytic reading of The Libero, illuminating the inner dimensions of dramatic characters in modern Saudi theatre.
References
1. Abdullah, M. (2024, March 28). 'Amidat al-masrah al-Saudi Malha Abdullah li-Arabesque London: Wali al-ahd huwa sani’ al-ru’yah wa mubdi’uha [Dean of Saudi theater Malha Abdullah to Arabesque London: The Crown Prince is the creator and innovator of the Vision] [Interview]. Arabisk London. https://sa.arabisklondon.com/عميدة-المسرح-السعودي-د-ملحة-عبدالله-لأ/
2. Abdullah, M. (2023). Al-Libero [The Libero]. In M. Abdullah, Al-A’mal al-kamilah al-masrahiyah (1992–2021) [Complete theatrical works (1992–2021)] (Vol. 4, pp. 8–128). Taif Literary Club.
3. Abdullah, M. (2013). Masrah al-Mar'ah bayn al-Asas al-Qabali wa Mushkilat al-Tahdeeth fi al-Masrah al-Saudi [Women’s Theatre Between Tribal Foundations and Modernization Problems in Saudi Theatre]. In S. Al-Jamaan (Ed.), Fi al-Masrah al-Saudi: Dirasat Naqdiyah [Saudi Theatre: Critical Studies] (pp. 303-361), Kursi al-Adab al-Saudi, King Saud University.
4. Al-Ajmi, K. M. (2023). Masrahiyat (muwatin raghm anfih) fi daw’ nazariyat al-talaqqi [The play (A Citizen Despite Himself) in light of reception theory]. Annals of the Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, 51(1), 92–116. https://doi.org/10.21608/aafu.2023.291771
5. Al-Boqami, L. A. (2020). Tamathulat al-mar’ah/ al-jasad/ al-sultah fi masrahiyat al-’azifah li-Malha Abdullah: Muqarabah thaqafiyah [Representations of woman/body/power in Malha Abdullah's play The Female Musician: A cultural approach]. Annals of the Faculty of Arabic Language in Girga, Al-Azhar University, 24(14), 13957–14071. https://doi.org/10.21608/bfag.2020.132643
6. Al-Ghafees, A. M. A. & Al-Numsi, M. O. (2025a). Al-ishariyat fi namadhij min masrahiyat Malha Abdullah: Dirasah tadawuliyah [Deixis in selected plays by Malha Abdullah: A pragmatic study]. Journal of the Faculty of Arts, Port Said University, 31(31), 188–222. https://doi.org/10.21608/jfpsu.2024.333517.1400
7. Al-Ghafees, A. M. A. & Al-Numsi, M. O. (2025b). Conversational Implicature in Examples of Malha Abdullah’s Plays: A Pragmatic Study. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 11(1s), 219-235. https://doi.org/10.64252/xp4h1v71
8. Ali, J. A. M (2025). Malamih 'usturiyyah fi masrah al-dukturah Melha Abdullah "Sayyidat al-masrah al-Saudi"[Mythological features in the theater of Dr. Melha Abdullah "the lady of theater"]. Majallat Kulliyyat Al-Lughah Al-Arabiyyah Bi-Al-Mansurah, 45(2), 2–56. http://search.mandumah.com/Record/1664295
9. Al-Shehri, A. B. S. (2024). Kitabat Malha Abdullah fi naqd al-masrah al-Saudi: Dirasah fi daw’ naqd al-naqd [The Writings of Malhah Abdullah in Critique of Saudi Theater: A Study in the Light of Meta-Criticism. Arts for Linguistic & Literary Studies, 6(3), 137–155. https://doi.org/10.53286/arts.v6i3.2068.
10. Al-Tarawneh, A. (2012). Malḥah Al-Abdullah: Imraʾah taḥmil ʿazīmat al-rijāl [Melha Al-Abdullah: A woman with the determination of men]. [interview] Al-Joubah, 37, 95–103. http://search.mandumah.com/Record/480133
11. Jung, C. G. (2014). Two essays on analytical psychology. Routledge.
12. Shuaib, M. E. M. (2025). Al-lughah wa-al-makan fi namathij min masrah Melha Abdullah: Qira'ah fi al-tafa'ul al-drami bayna al-nass wa-al-fada' [Language and space in selected plays of Melha Abdullah: A reading of the dramatic interaction between text and space]. Majallat Kulliyyat Dar Al-Ulum, 42 (155), 237–273. https://doi.org/10.21608/mkda.2025.446718
13. Siddiq, M. N. M. (2023). Khususiyyat al-ruyah wa-jamaliyyat al-adah fi masrahiyat sayyidat al-masrah al-Saudi (Malha Abdullah): Muqarabah sosiolojiyyah fanniyyah [Distinctiveness of vision and aesthetics of technique in the plays of the lady of Saudi theatre (Malha Abdullah): A socio-artistic approach]. Journal of Qena Faculty of Arts-South Valley University, 32(60), 251–354. https://doi.org/10.21608/qarts.2023.251925.1817
