Characters
Charudatta :
Charudatta, the protagonist of this play, is a Brahmin man, meaning he is one of the more educated and higher ranking members of society. He is the most morally sound character we meet in the play but due to his vast generosity and giving spirit, he loses all of his money to his friends and other visitors always asking for handouts and favors. Do to his newfound poverty Charudatta starts off the play feeling discouraged and emasculated, especially since his new love interest, Vasantasena, is far wealthier than him now even though she is in a lower social class. Because of his metaphorical mental "castration" he doesn't even raise his own voice to defend himself when he is accused of murdering Vasantasena and is almost executed for it.
Charudatta's poverty engulfs him, and even though he has only ever done good for others, he is sad because his friends no longer come to see him and ask him favors because he he has nothing else to offer them. He views poverty as a fate worse than death which is probably why he accepts that he is to be executed for the murder of Vasantasena.
In todays literature and media this character might be known as "the nice guy" he's always willing to do things for other people even if it comes at a personal cost to himself. Usually these characters have a string of bad luck throughout the story but by the end of it they usually end up getting what they want and with a happy ending. For Charudatta this occurs when Vasantasena shows up alive and clears his name.
Characters like this have been seen throughout history and in many cultures in today's society may be referred to as an incel. The grandiose man with too much power that wants everything and wants it right now. This character usually gets what is coming to them in the end and in this story that happens when Charudatta is found innocent and Palaka has been reviled to be a false king, thus stripping him of his title and wealth. Fortunately for Samsthanaka, Charudatta is a really good man and demands that he be set free rather than executed for his crimes.
Charudatta, the protagonist of this play, is a Brahmin man, meaning he is one of the more educated and higher ranking members of society. He is the most morally sound character we meet in the play but due to his vast generosity and giving spirit, he loses all of his money to his friends and other visitors always asking for handouts and favors. Do to his newfound poverty Charudatta starts off the play feeling discouraged and emasculated, especially since his new love interest, Vasantasena, is far wealthier than him now even though she is in a lower social class. Because of his metaphorical mental "castration" he doesn't even raise his own voice to defend himself when he is accused of murdering Vasantasena and is almost executed for it.
Charudatta's poverty engulfs him, and even though he has only ever done good for others, he is sad because his friends no longer come to see him and ask him favors because he he has nothing else to offer them. He views poverty as a fate worse than death which is probably why he accepts that he is to be executed for the murder of Vasantasena.
In todays literature and media this character might be known as "the nice guy" he's always willing to do things for other people even if it comes at a personal cost to himself. Usually these characters have a string of bad luck throughout the story but by the end of it they usually end up getting what they want and with a happy ending. For Charudatta this occurs when Vasantasena shows up alive and clears his name.
- "I am speaking of the noble Chrudatta, who is The All-Giving-Tree, bent from the weight of its virtuous fruits" (Shudraka Act 1).
Vasantasena:
At first glance Vasantasena appears a typical female love interest that does not seem to have thoughts other than about Charudatta. She is referred to as a courtesan, which is essentially a prostitute with upper-class wealthy clients, so she has more money than Charudatta but is lower in social status. Despite this fact, Charudatta can do no wrong in her eyes and everything he does do just makes her fall more in love with him. She ends up at the wrong place to meet Charudatta and instead is met by Samsthanaka where he tries to murder her for not returning the same feelings he has for her.
This character may be recognized as a typical love struck female character, seen in todays media, that is obsessed with a man, mixed with the female character that every other male character falls in love with. She does not come off as stupid however, and there are certain parts of the play where she will speak in poetry that makes her sound more intelligent than some of the other male characters. I'd describe her character as dynamic because at the beginning of the play you just expect her to be the love interest of the story, but by the end she ends up being the one to save Charudatta.
Samsthanaka is the antagonist of this story and just an all around bad person. As the brother-in-law of the king he feels he is entitled to everything and anything he wants, which includes the love of Vasantasena. He spends the majority of the play alluding to various Indian myths and gods but in a way that makes him come off as pompous and foolish rather than intellectual. His lack of knowledge of other languages often leads him to misinterpret insults as complements and requiring his servant to clear things up for him.
This character may be recognized as a typical love struck female character, seen in todays media, that is obsessed with a man, mixed with the female character that every other male character falls in love with. She does not come off as stupid however, and there are certain parts of the play where she will speak in poetry that makes her sound more intelligent than some of the other male characters. I'd describe her character as dynamic because at the beginning of the play you just expect her to be the love interest of the story, but by the end she ends up being the one to save Charudatta.
- "Though the clouds roar, though the rains pour, though the thunders bolt- A woman, journeying to meet her lover, doesn't care for heat or cold" (Shudraka Act 5).
Samsthanaka is the antagonist of this story and just an all around bad person. As the brother-in-law of the king he feels he is entitled to everything and anything he wants, which includes the love of Vasantasena. He spends the majority of the play alluding to various Indian myths and gods but in a way that makes him come off as pompous and foolish rather than intellectual. His lack of knowledge of other languages often leads him to misinterpret insults as complements and requiring his servant to clear things up for him.
Characters like this have been seen throughout history and in many cultures in today's society may be referred to as an incel. The grandiose man with too much power that wants everything and wants it right now. This character usually gets what is coming to them in the end and in this story that happens when Charudatta is found innocent and Palaka has been reviled to be a false king, thus stripping him of his title and wealth. Fortunately for Samsthanaka, Charudatta is a really good man and demands that he be set free rather than executed for his crimes.
- I want you to open your arms to me. Me- Samsthanaka! A man- a divine man! Vasudeva, that is, Krishna himself" (Shudraka Act 1)
References
Knutson, Jesse Ross. “Money, Morality, and Masculinity: Staging the Politics of Poverty in
Sanskrit Theater.” Philosophy East & West, vol. 66, no. 1, Jan. 2016, p. 92. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/pew.2016.0024.
Limaye, Mohan R, and Kim Price. “‘The Little Clay Cart (Mrcchakatika)": The Construction of
Gender and Emotion in Act V, ‘The Storm.’” Indian Literature, vol. 54, no. 2 (256), 2010, pp. 162–176. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23342058.
Shudraka (trans. Chatterjee, S.). ca. 2nd or 3rd cent. “The Little Clay Cart” from the Norton
Anthology of Drama 3rd Edition
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