Hikayat Hang Tuah is a Malay work of literature recounting the exploits of Hang Tuah, a warrior said to have served the Sultanate of Malacca at its height in the fifteenth century, together with his four companions. Its authorship is unknown; the text was compiled and reworked by different writers across the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, each shading the story toward the concerns of their own time, and it was first printed in 1908 by the Methodist Publishing House in Singapore. Written in Malay in the Jawi script, it is best remembered for its account of the duel between Hang Tuah and his closest friend, Hang Jebat, a scene that has long divided readers over whether it favors loyalty to the ruler or personal freedom and justice. It was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World register in 2001.
Facts
Disputed
Composed, From (Year)Braginsky's dating to 1688 through the 1710s is one scholarly theory. Henri Chambert-Loir instead proposed an earlier layer followed by revision, so the exact composition date is disputed among scholars, and the 1710s upper bound is a decade estimate, not a specific year. Classification
Original Language Sources
1. Wikipedia: Hikayat Hang Tuah, Wikipedia
Composition and dating section
He proposed that the treatment of the laksamana, bendahara and rebel reflected the struggle surrounding the Johor laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil and argued for composition after Abdul Jamil's defeat in 1688.
Original language statement
Written in Malay in the Jawi script, it is best remembered for its account of the duel between Hang Tuah and his closest friend, Hang Jebat, a scene that has long divided readers over whether it favors loyalty to the ruler or personal freedom and justice.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.