The Taziyeh of the Martyrdom of Hussein

Abstract

The ta ziyeh plays are somewhat similar to the mystery cycle plays of medieval Europe in that authorship is corporate and anonymous. Thus, many communities all over Iran possess a cycle of plays from which to select when circumstances allow performances during the month of Muharram. Clearly, the most important play from any community’s cycle is The Martyrdom of Hussein, since his martyrdom is the central focus for the entire mourning ritual. This play is always performed on the th day of the month of Muharram—the historic date of Hussein’s slaughter. Regardless of when the texts were collected or from what community, the plays that deal with the martyrdom of Hussein share many similar segments of action. All versions stress Hussein’s utter desolation. This is accomplished in several ways. The most emotional way is to include scenes that deal with the slaughter of his infant son and little nephew—the only males left in his family. Another way is to include scenes in which other weak and defenseless persons offer to enter the field of battle in a vain attempt to replace strong champions already slain. Along these same lines, some plays include a scene in which the women traveling with Hussein are forced to take on duties usually relegated to men. Another series of scenes focuses on two kinds of temptations Hussein must face. Each time Hussein bids farewell to a female relative, he has to fight against the natural urge to remain alive to protect her from captivity. Each time a powerful being arrives to offer assistance, Hussein has to fight against the natural urge to restore the balance of unequal odds. In each case, Hussein overcomes the temptation and chooses martyrdom. Thus, flexibility and fluidity are part of the dramatic tradition. In its traditional state, the script for a play consists of acting sides—little strips of paper containing only the lines and cue words of a single character. The acting sides are accompanied by a key that provides the chronological order of the speeches. These stand as a “recipe” for performance. A complete play in chronological order is called a jung. The Martyrdom of Hussein offered here was translated from Persian and is from the collection belonging to the city of Khour, a small oasis in the center of the Kavir desert (Honari ). Although it is not certain when the ta ziyeh tradition developed in Khour, records show that by the last quarter of the th century this city possessed  plays that were performed at the rate of one ta ziyeh per day until the end of the month following Muharram. As a result of a local quarrel between two brothers in , the entire collection was destroyed by fire. Fortunately, copies