Objective: The primary objective of this research is to explicate the challenges related to the character element in writing dramatic works about the Infallibles (Maʿsūmīn) (A.S.) and to propose solutions for addressing them.
Research Methodology: In this study, the collection of documents and research data was conducted through library-based research. The method and nature of the present study are descriptive–analytical, and within the category of descriptive research, it is classified as content analysis.
Findings: In this research, one of the principal and fundamental elements of drama, namely character, was examined, and the challenges associated with it in relation to writing dramatic works about the Infallibles (A.S.) were identified and explicated one by one. Furthermore, through the analysis of content such as Qur’anic verses, narrations (riwāyāt), and existing scholarly sources in the fields of screenwriting and dramaturgy, efforts were made, as far as possible, to propose solutions to the identified challenges.
Discussion and Conclusion: Portraying the lives of the Infallibles (A.S.) has been a major concern for many screenwriters and filmmakers, and addressing this subject has consistently encountered various obstacles. In recent years, some authors have published books and articles on these obstacles; however, on the one hand, most have examined the issue solely from a jurisprudential perspective, and on the other hand, they have focused only on the challenges of the character element without offering practical solutions. This research, while explicating the existing challenges related to the character element (in terms of transformability, existential dimensions, and visual representation) in writing dramatic works about the Infallibles (A.S.), also addresses the provision of solutions to some extent, with the aim of alleviating a substantial portion of the concerns and anxieties of screenwriters and directors. In this article, first, the character element in relation to the Infallibles (A.S.) was examined from the perspective of transformability (static versus dynamic character), and based on the six-stage theory of character transformation and the analysis of Qur’anic verses and narrations, it was demonstrated that transformation does occur in the Infallibles (A.S.), albeit in the form of ascension and spiritual perfection, and that depicting such transformation in film is permissible. The second challenge, concerning the depiction of the existential dimensions of the character of the Infallibles (A.S.) as the hero of the screenplay, was then explicated. Since portraying these figures as one-dimensional characters merely as ideals and exemplars is erroneous, the Infallibles (A.S.) should be positioned at the center of the narrative and introduced as dynamic and multidimensional heroes. Finally, the issue of the visual representation of the characters of the Infallibles (A.S.) in film was examined, and it was concluded that, from both religious and dramaturgical perspectives, this is permissible.