An Al-Farabian Analysis of Social Disorder in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Abstract

Like many political philosophers, Al-Farabi was influenced by Greek philosophy and tried to define the best regime and ruler. However, much has changed in Al-Farabian scholarship since the 1970s, and 80s through deeper analyses of his philosophy, and translations of his works. The early Islamic philosopher Al-Farabi (870-950) played a key role in the revival of Plato and Aristotle’s works within Islamic philosophy, guiding others by studying and providing commentary on these texts. Al-Farabi and his political philosophy deal with the existence of human, ruling, and ruled organs in the body, the city and state which exemplify hierarchy, the features of a ruler, and the differences between excellent and ignorant cities in his on the Perfect State. In this sense, focusing on an Al-Farabian political reading of Julius Caesar, the aim of this study is twofold. Firstly, it examines the abovementioned socio-political issues to present the idea that such political qualities are also represented and questioned in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Secondly, the paper argues that the two works exhibit socio-political similarities inasmuch as Caesar’s portrayal of power relations within the play can be related to Al-Farabian understanding of the society, state, and rulership.

Keywords

• Al-Farabi
• Shakespeare
• Julius Caesar
• On the Perfect State
• Shakespearean political drama

Shakespeare’in Jül Sezar Oyunundaki Sosyal Düzensizliğin Al-Farabi Bakış Açısıyla Analizi

Abstract

Pek çok siyaset felsefecisi gibi, Al-Farabi de Yunan felsefesinden etkilenerek en iyi rejimi ve yöneticiyi tanımlamaya çalışmıştır. Ne ki, 1970'ler ve 80'lerden bu yana Farabi incelemelerinde, felsefesinin daha derin analizleri ve eserlerinin çevirileri yoluyla pek çok şey değişti. Erken İslam filozoflarından Farabi (870-950), bu metinleri kapsamlı bir şekilde inceleyerek ve bunlar hakkında yorumlar sunarak başkalarına rehberlik etmiş; Platon ve Aristoteles’in eserlerinin İslam felsefesi içinde yeniden canlandırılmasında kilit rol oynamıştır. Farabi ve onun siyaset felsefesi, İdeal Devlet adlı eserinde insan, yönetici ve yönetilen organların bedendeki varlığını, hiyerarşiye örnek teşkil eden şehir ve devleti, yöneticinin özelliklerini, mükemmel ve cahil şehirler arasındaki farkları ele alır. Bu anlamda Jül Sezar oyununun Farabici siyasi incelemesine odaklanan bu çalışmanın amacı iki yönlüdür. İlk olarak, yukarıda belirtilen sosyo-politik meseleleri inceleyerek, bu tür politik niteliklerin Shakespeare'in Jül Sezar oyununda da temsil edildiği fikrini ortaya koyar. İkinci olarak, makale, Sezar’ın oyundaki güç ilişkilerini betimlemesinin Farabici toplum, devlet ve hükümdarlık anlayışıyla ilişkili olabileceği ölçüde, iki eserin son derece sosyo-politik benzerlikler sergilediğini savunuyor.

Keywords

• Farabi
• Shakespeare
• Julius Caesar
• İdeal Devlet
• Shakespeare’in politik dramaları

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