Sakoontala | Page 7

of both hero and
heroine. They give way to melancholy, indulge in amorous rhapsodies,
and become very emaciated. So far, it must be confessed, the story is
decidedly dull, and its chain, however, does not commence until the
Fourth Act, when the union of the heroine with King Dushyanta, and
her acceptance of the marriage-ring as a token of recognition, are
supposed to have taken place. Then follows the King's departure and
temporary desertion of his bride; the curse pronounced on [S']akoontalá
by the choleric Sage; the monarch's consequent loss of memory; the
bride's journey to the palace of her husband; the mysterious
disappearance of the marriage-token; the public repudiation of
[S']akoontalá; her miraculous assumption to closes, as it began, with a
prayer for national plenty and prosperity, addressed to the favourite
deity, and spoken by one of the principal personages of the drama.

Although, in the conduct of the plot, and the delineation of character,
Hindú dramatists show considerable skill, yet they do not appear to
have been remarkable for much fertility of invention. Love, according
to Hindú notions, is the subject of most of their dramas.
The hero, who is generally a king, and already the husband of a wife or
wives (for a wife or two more or less is no encumbrance in Indian
plays), is suddenly smitten with the charms of a lovely woman,
sometimes a nymph, or, as in the case of [S']akoontalá, the daughter of
a nymph by a mortal father. The heroine is required to be equally
impressible, and the first tender glance from the hero's eye reaches her
heart. With true feminine delicacy, however, she locks the secret of her
passion in her own breast, and by her coyness and reserve keeps her
lover for a long period in the agonies of suspense. The hero, being
reduced to a proper state of desperation, is harassed by other difficulties.
Either the celestial nature of the nymph is in the way of their union, or
he doubts the legality of the match, or he his own unworthiness, or he is
hampered by the angry jealousy of a previous wife. In short, doubts,
obstacles, and delays make great havoc of both hero and heroine. They
give way to melancholy, indulge in amorous rhapsodies, and become
very emaciated. So far, it must be confessed, the story is decidedly dull,
and its pathos, notwithstanding the occasional grandeur and beauty of
the imagery, often verges on the ridiculous.
But, by way of relief, an element of life is generally introduced in the
character of the Vidúshaka, or Jester, who is the constant companion of
the hero; and in the young maidens, who are the confidential friends of
the heroine, and soon become possessed of her secret. By a curious
regulation, the Jester is always a Bráhman, and therefore of a caste
superior to the king himself; yet his business is to excite mirth by being
ridiculous in person, age, and attire. He is sometimes represented as
grey-haired, hump-backed, lame, and ugly. In fact, he is a species of
buffoon, who is allowed full liberty of speech, being himself a
universal butt. His attempts at wit, which are rarely very successful,
and his allusions to the pleasures of the table, of which he is a
confessed votary, are absurdly contrasted with the sententious
solemnity of the despairing hero, crossed in the prosecution of his
love-suit. His clumsy interference in the intrigues of his friend only
serves to augment his difficulties, and occasions many an awkward

dilemma. On the other hand, the shrewdness of the heroine's
confidantes never seems to fail them under the most trying
circumstances; while their sly jokes and innuendos, their love of fun,
their girlish sympathy with the progress of the love affair, their warm
affection for their friend, heighten the interest of the plot, and
contribute not a little to vary its monotony.
Fortunately, in the '[S']akoontalá' the story is diversified and the interest
well sustained by a chain of stirring incidents. The first link of the
chain, however, does not commence until the Fourth Act, when the
union of the heroine with King Dushyanta, and her acceptance of the
marriage-ring as a token of recognition, are supposed to have taken
place. Then follows the King's departure and temporary desertion of his
bride; the curse pronounced on [S']akoontalá by the choleric Sage; the
monarch's consequent loss of memory; the bride's journey to the palace
of her husband; the mysterious disappearance of the marriage-token;
the public repudiation of [S']akoontalá; her miraculous assumption to a
celestial asylum; the unexpected discovery of the ring by a poor
fisherman; the King's agony on recovering his recollection; his aërial
voyage in the car of Indra; his strange meeting with the refractory child
in the groves of Kasyapa; the boy's battle with the