Drama

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The third division of Malay literature is Drama.

It is greatly melodramatic and high usage of the old style of Malay. The styles of most famous Malay epics and dramas are greatly influenced from Hindu literature, for example Hang Tuah.

Hikayat Hang Tuah or the life of Hang Tuah is a story of one of the Malay heroes at that point of time. It is one of the most creative and original literatures written by the Malays. (Left: A picture of a page of Hikayat Hang Tuah)

The epic tells the story of heroism and courage of a nation. The writer of the script is not known but the time the script was approximately written in 1511 Masihi in the Islamic calendar. It was written to bring back the old memories of prosperity before the attack of the Portuguese.

The story is divided in three main sections, which is the setting and introduction of the whole story, the loyalty and patriotism of Hang Tuah to his king and the adventures of Hang Tuah to the Indian Peninsula, China, Siam (now known as Thailand) and ancient Rome.

1. The life of the Bentan government
2. Hang Tuah became one of the slaves of the king
3. The coming of Patin Kerma Wijaya
4. The young king was blamed for something he did not do.
5. Decision to be engaged with Tun Teja
6. The first attempt of the murder of Hang Tuah
7. Hang Tuah fights with Taming Sari
8. The second attempt of the murder of Hang Tuah
9. Hang Tuah was blamed for something he did not do
10. Hang Tuah tries to win the heart of Tun Teja
11. Tun Teja falls in love with Hang Tuah
12. The meeting with the panji alam
13. Hang Tuah rides the Tezi horse
14. Hang Tuah kills the petala bumi
15. Hang Tuah was again blamed for something he did not do
16. Hang Tuah becomes one of the ministers in the palace
17. Hang Tuah fights with Hang Jebat
18. Hang Tuah kills Kertala Sari
19. Decision of Malacca to go to India
20. Decision of Malacca to go to China from India
21. Adipati Solok tries to be a Laksamana
22. Hang Tuah fights with a Japanese fighter
23. Inderaputra becomes the property of Malacca
24. The kingship of Malacca and the keris Taming Sari
25. Decision of Malacca to go to Turkey
26. Hang Tuah dies!
27. Malacca falls in the hands of the Portuguese

English Translation:
"Hikayat Hang Tuah is a Malay epic in which born the ambition and the greatness of the Malay society. It has recorded the life of this society and the history since the very start; through rising times until the golden ages. Hang Tuah is indeed the symbol of the Malay society."

-Written by Kassim Ahmad 1964:X

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