Charismatic Personality in Egyptian Theatre: A Study in the Psychology of Influence and Inspiration

 




he research aims to analyze the charismatic character in Egyptian theater. This is achieved through exploring the mechanisms of its psychological and social influence, understanding the factors that contribute to its formation and development, and shedding light on the different patterns of charismatic characters and their role in enriching the theatrical work. The study focuses on a sample of Egyptian theater texts: "Majlis Al-Adl" (The Court of Justice) by Tawfiq al-Hakim, "Madraset Al-Mushaghibeen" (The Troublemakers' School) by Ali Salem, "Bishr al-Hafi Yakhruj min al-Jahim" (The Barefoot Man Exits Hell) by Abd al-Ghaffar Makawi, and "Salome" by Muhammad Salmawy.
The study relied on two integrated approaches: Critical Discourse Analysis and Psychoanalysis, to provide a comprehensive analysis of charismatic characters within the selected theatrical texts.
The study reached a set of findings, most notably:

The patterns of charismatic characters within the studied theatrical texts were diverse, encompassing various types such as the authoritarian leader, the attractive rebel, the spiritual ascetic, the influential seducer, and the wise inspirer.
Charismatic characters relied on diverse psychological mechanisms for influence and inspiration, most notably emotional manipulation, instilling doubt, generating tension, using humor and symbolism, and resorting to persuasion, logic, and religious or sensory discourse.
A range of factors contributed to enhancing the effectiveness of charismatic characters within the texts, such as intelligence, social status, attractiveness, self-confidence, and rhetorical ability, where charisma was formed by the interaction of these factors with the dramatic context and theatrical function.