Śakuntalā has oftentimes been adapted and translated in order to conform with the demands of the people. Prevailing genres and cultural aspects were added to the play each time, allowing for the insertion of contemporary dynamics or themes. Contrasting individuals, both affluent and poor, would modify plot points, as well as characters themselves, providing historians with unique manifestations of the same play. The Braj version (1716) of the play Śakuntalā preserved the longevity of the text, while also providing a modern twist to Kalidasa’s version (300-400 CE). Nawāz Kaveṡvara retold the drama in the vernacular, as a mixture between the Mahabharata version and the Kalidasa version, and in a manner that incorporated the prevailing style of the local poetry. Individuals such as Kaveṡvara would prevent Śakuntalā from fading away into the distant past, by once again making it a part of the present.
In 1716, a nobleman, after returning from a successful campaign, asked a well-known poet of the period named Nawāz Kaveṡvara to translate Śakuntalā into “Braj-ki-boli.” This was the language of the common people, allowing everyone to read this classic play for themselves. Originally only the wealthy, such as the members of the Mughal Court, were able to enjoy such old writings like Śakuntalā (Thapar 90). It was now that the play could truly grow in popularity as it could not be picked up and read by most people. The character, Śakuntalā, daughter of Vishvamitra and Menka, would be engraved into the minds of the people. This would allow a variety of individuals with different points of view to analyze the Śakuntalā. Some would side with her independent nature, while others would see her simply as a woman that was standing...
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... (Thapar 190-1). Sakuntala was destined to have a happy ending with the King no matter the hardships they faced. The atmosphere around the play was representative of what was to happen in the play.
All in all, the Braj version of the play Śakuntalā preserved the longevity of the text, while also providing a modern twist to Kalidasa’s version. This new version took concepts from the past and present to create something that all of society could enjoy. Nawāz Kaveṡvara retold the drama in the vernacular, as a mixture between the Mahabharata version and the Kalidasa version, and in a manner that incorporated the prevailing style of the local poetry. Śakuntalā’s ability to change with the times would ensure that it would always have a place in current society.
Works Cited
Thapar, Romila. Śakuntalā: Texts, Readings, Histories. London: Anthem Press, 2002. Print.
No society remains immobile, even if some human beings resist changes. Advances in technology and the emergence of new beliefs allow people to have a broader imagination. Thus, numerous new interpretations of ancient works, whether they are plays, folktales, or poems, permeate around the world. These renditions re-tell the original stories in contexts that adjust to the modern world. What was considered serious in the past becomes mockery nowadays.
Saikaku, Ihara. Life of a Sensuous Woman. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. (Vol. D) Ed. Damrosch. New York: Pearson, 2004. 604-621. [Excerpt.]
When Mary Zimmerman adapts a play from an ancient text her directing process and the way she engages with text are woven together, both dependent on the other. She writes these adaptations from nondramatic text, writing each evening while working through the pre-production rehearsals and improvisations during the day with the cast. The rehearsal process influences the text, and the text enriches the rehearsal process, so that one cannot exist without the other. Every rehearsal is structured the same but each production is unique because as Zimmerman states in “The Archaeology of Performance”, she is always “open to the possibilities”. The piece is open to everything happening in the world and to the people involved, so the possibilities are honest and endless.
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The Goal is a book that focuses on the theory of constraints in order to improve production. Eliyahu Goldratt brings us a pleasant story that shows the important strategies that any manager or CEO should follow to be successfully productive, and capable of reaching their goals. The book easily explains and demonstrates many attainable ways for any human being to learn how to manage their industrial relations, business processes, and also, their personal lives.
Kabuki Theater is quite different when compared to other types of theater. Its distinctive yet traditional traits are what make it so different. It is also a very traditional form of theater. Kabuki Theater in the 14th century was largely influenced by the events happening in Japan, is shown thrown the play Migawari Zazen.
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With Kabuki as the main form of theatrical entertainment for commoners, there was an outburst of creativity. During this period the styl...
...ing. If it were to be produced in a modern setting it should not stray to far from the playwright’s original intentions. I went to see this play produced at UMASS last semester; it was what prompted me to read the play for this analysis. I walked out of the theatre totally confused about what had just saw and so did the person that I went to see it with. The director changed so much of the script and altered the playwright’s intentions so much that the entire production was a fast whirlwind of confusion with random things thrown in. It was not until I read the play did I understand what some of those things were. I believe if this play is to be produced modernly the language can be changed to modern English but the plot should stay the same without many alterations. We need to see the entire story in order to understand exactly what is going on. We can do this by changing some of the characters to more modern people of today’s society that the audience can relate to; such as instead of Faustus conjuring Helen he could conjure a popular supermodel instead. Modernizing in this way would give a better understanding to the audience of what the play is about and what the story line is.
Leenerts, Cynthia. "'How Can We Be Like We Used to Be?': The Collective Sita and the Collective Draupadi in Raja Rao's Kanthapuraand Jyotirmoyee Devi's The River Churning." South Asian Review 24.2 (2003): 84-105. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 255. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
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