|
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Indian Poetics
3. Shakespeare- From the English Language to Indian Poetics
4. Rasa Theory
5. Application of Rasa Theory
6. Conclusion
Introduction
Indian Poetics is believed to
be the most ancient literary as well as philosophical discussion of Sanskrit
Literature. As the language Sanskrit is called the language of gods (Dev-Vani),
common folks are unable to read and grasp the meaning of the language in a
clear way. So to make these people aware of the richness and productivity of
aesthetics, perhaps, great Sanskrit scholars had propagated various theories in
the vast canon which now came to be known as Indian Poetics.
This Sanskrit Criticism is also
known as ‘Kavya Mimamsa’ which is an umbrella for various schools developed by scholarly
thinkers. The main aim of this assignment is to properly understand the two
major schools of the vast field of Indian poetics and try to apply the one
major school of Indian Poetics in the selected work of the most important
ingredient of English Literature Household.
G. B. Harrison begins
his book with the following lines-
“No
household in the English-speaking world is properly furnished unless it contains
the copies of the Holy Bible and The Works of William Shakespeare” (Harrison)
Whereas K.R.S. Srinivas
Iyengar in his work titled “Shakespeare in India” quotes Landor,
“Shakespeare
is not our poet, but the world’s.” (Iyengar)
Here the universality of
William Shakespeare can be measured in terms of not only as a poet but also as
a dramatist who weaved all the common aspects of the life of common people. His
works can, therefore, be considered as extraordinary materials full of ordinary
lives.
Indian Poetics
It is often said that “Our
surrounding is a game and we are a part of it”. This has a connection with what
has been recorded in Sanskrit literature-
कवि: करोति काव्यानि रसं जानाति
पंडित: |
तरु: सृजति पुष्पाणि मरुद्वहती सौरभं
||
The plant produces a flower but
it is the wind that carries its fragrance everywhere similarly the poet writes
the poem but the efforts are all to be enjoyed by the wise men that are
expected to have the scholarly sense. So as a part of the game, one should
possess the aesthetic as well as the scholarly sense in order to be able to
transmit the artistic codes which the Sanskrit scholars have propagated.
Indian Poetics focuses more on
the poetic process whereas Western Poetics is all about the end product and
perhaps because of this deliberation Indian Poetics is honored throughout the
world. The major pioneers of Indian Poetics are-
The remarkable quality of
Indian Poetics is in its varied richness which provides a clear, comprehensive
and universally applicable critical system. ‘Natyasastra’ is the oldest
and the most extensive work on Indian dramaturgy. The authorship of this
treatise is ascribed to Bharatmuni.
‘It is the most important and
authoritative treatise on Sanskrit dramaturgy, for not very long after its
composition, it seems to have been held in high esteem so that the succeeding
writers have merely followed this work.’ (Singh)
There are various schools
proposed by the thinkers among which this assignment focuses on the Rasa theory
or School and its application.
Shakespeare- From the English Language to Indian Poetics
“All
the world's a stage,
And all
the men and women merely players;
They
have their exits and their entrances,
And one
man in his time plays many parts,
His
acts being seven ages.” (Shakespeare)
[Opening
lines from a monologue by Jaques in ‘As You Like It’]
From these lines that
Shakespeare takes his audience on a journey of the life cycle of a human being to
“To be
or not to be that’s the question” (Shakespeare)
where the intellectual power
and the power of expression is at the highest, described the sins and weakness
of human beings in the grave tone. Two theories have been proposed that try to
explain the greatness of Shakespeare among which one says- “All came
from within” and the other believes in “All came from without”. As
he was a man who lived in the play loving age, some critics believe that he was
the master of reading crowds, he as a dramatist used to feed the mass with the spoon full of reflection of their own thoughts and feelings. Shakespeare has
been in the veins of the majority of the Indians since the English shared the
bond with colonial purposes. Initially, for clerical education, the colonizers
have established certain colleges to educate people on their language. The
imperial domains of English Language and Macaulay’s education system are
credited for bringing William Shakespeare’s works on this varied cultural land.
The thoughts of Shakespeare are so naturalized now that hardly a work without
his inspiration is produced. The events and situations which he portrayed in 16th
century are still applicable in the 21st century. Perhaps, this
universality made him one of the most admired and the most read dramatist of
India. His works cannot be classified into a particular genre as because he
used to weave all the human emotions into one play as Dr. Samuel Johnson points
out,
“Shakespeare’s
plays are not in the rigorous and critical sense either tragedies or comedies,
but compositions of a distinct kind; exhibiting the real state of sublunary
nature, which partakes of good and evil, joy and sorrow, mingled with endless
variety of proportion and innumerable modes of combination; and expressing the
course of the world, in which the loss of one is the gain of another; in which,
at the same time, the reveller is hasting to his wine, and the mourner burying
his friend; in which the malignity of one is sometimes defeated by the frolick
of another; and many mischiefs and many benefits are done and hindered without
design.” (Das and
Mohanty)
Rasa Theory
The word ‘Rasa’ was originally
used to denote a variety of meanings, such as ‘drink’, ‘water’, or ‘mercury’. In
Sanskrit aesthetics this term was employed in the context of drama which later
was extended to poetry. Bharata emerged the doctrine of Rasa to denote taste,
relish, sentiment or aesthetic emotion in his treatise ‘Natyasastra’ which is
concerned with the emotional effect of the drama on the audience.
According to the Upanishads,
“the ultimate Reality is the all-pervading existence (sat) the nature of which
is absolute consciousness (cit) and delight (ananda). Rasa is the synonym of this
absolute delight or ananda.”
To Bharata, the main purpose of
dramatic creation or enactment is the evaluation of Rasa as because he believes
that-
Without
Rasa drama can have no appeal to the spectator
‘Na hi rasadrite kashchid arthah pravartate’
Rasa can be called the intrinsic aesthetic element of drama. It can be broadly understood by
‘vakyartha’. The ‘artha’ par excellence is rasa.
Bharata analyses the process
and method of rasa evolution in his famous sutra-
“Vibhavanubhava-
vyabhichari samyogad rasanish-pattih”
Rasa is the ultimate result of
combination of vibhavas (causes), anubhavas (effects), and vyabhicharis
(accessories).
Furthermore, Bharata explains
his point with an analogy-
‘just as Rasa (flavor) results
from the combination of various spices, herbs and other substances (dravyas),
so does rasa in a drama come from the combination of ‘bhavas’.’
The sthayi bhavas are called
permanent emotions which crystallise into rasa with the company of bhavas.
Bharata’s explanation of rasa may not answer all the problems arising out of
it, but they were fully discussed by his commentators like Bhatta Lollata,
Shankuka, Bhatta-nayaka and Abinavagupta.
Rasa
|
Sthaýibhav
|
Presiding deity
|
Color
|
Śrigāraḥ (शृङ्गारः): [The erotic]
|
Romance, Love, attractiveness.
|
Vishnu
|
light green
|
Hāsyam (हास्यं): [the comic]
|
Laughter, mirth, comedy.
|
Shiva.
|
white
|
Veeram (वीरं): [heroic]
|
Heroism.:
|
Indra.
|
saffron
|
Kāruṇyam (कारुण्यं): [compassionate]
|
Compassion, mercy.
|
Yama
|
grey
|
Raudram (रौद्रं): [wrathful]
|
Fury.
|
Shiva
|
red
|
Bībhatsam (बीभत्सं): [disgusting]
|
Disgust, aversion.
|
Shiva
|
blue
|
Bhayānakam (भयानकं): [terrifying]
|
Horror, terror.
|
Yama
|
black
|
Adbhutam (अद्भुतं): [awesome]
|
Wonder, amazement.
|
Brahma
|
yellow
|
The Shanta Rasa was added
later.
Application of Rasa Theory
Shakespeare is often assumed to be the creator of new tragic
realm. With Shakespeare, a new tragic pattern begins to emerge, very much richer
and deeper than the old one, sounding intimately the depths of the human mind and
spirit, and the moral possibilities of human behavior, and displaying the extent to which men’s destinies are interrelated with one another. Besides
being a mere tragedy, the play ‘Hamlet’ is remarkable for its richness and
variety, its fullness of interesting characters, each one a developed
personality along with a plot full of twists and turns with a multitude of flavors
so that the play appears to be a mixed work not exclusively devoted to a tragic
pattern.
The soliloquies heavily loaded with meanings can reveal the
intensity of the actor through his words that fulfill the purpose of Rasa with
the significance of language, its universality as the experimental form. This
differentiation of the poetic expression from the ordinary expression plays a
major role in conveying the meaning with vyanjana. It is mentioned that
Rasa is never expressed, it is always suggested. So Rasa is conveyed through vyanjana
and is always vyangaya.
‘In the case of Hamlet, the protagonist occupies a central
position in the generation of emotions. As can be seen later, with a few
exceptions, the whole emotional process of the viewer revolves around Hamlet.’
(Mohanty)
Hamlet is a suffering hero who enjoys a higher degree of
empathy from the audience.
Here is a comprehensive analysis of the play with the
binoculars of Rasa theory.
Act 1 Scene 1 is full of tension and supernatural
mystery. It provides the information about a King who had killed a Norwegian
monarch.
HORATIO
It
harrows me with fear and wonder. [Hamlet page 7]
A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye. [Hamlet page 10]
Horatio sees the ghost of Hamlet’s father King Hamlet with
his own eyes; he was very much perturbed and agitated at the sight of the
ghost. Horatio is perturbed which arouses the Bhayānakam Rasa- the frightful
terror. The scene is black and dark with a gloomy atmosphere. The apparition
provides terror in the minds 0f the audience.
HORATIO
As
thou art to thyself:
Such
was the very armour he had on
When
he the ambitious Norway combated;
So
frown'd he once, when, in an angry parle,
He
smote the sledded Polacks on the ice.
'Tis strange. [Hamlet page 9]
The above-mentioned lines arouse Vira rasa, the heroic description
of the battle fought by the King and the legendary description of the armor
the king wore while he fought the ambitious king of Norway. And the ghost
repelled just like the king. This frowning of the ghost was the same as the king’s
frown when he attacked the poles.
Furthermore, Horatio’s lines reveal the superstitions which
perhaps generate amazement in the minds of the audience. The bhayanaka rasa is
found within these lines-
HORATIO
In
the most high and palmy state of Rome,
A
little ere the mightiest Julius fell,
The
graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets: [Hamlet page 10]
The apparition signified some threat or disaster that may
happen to the country. He recalls the past year before the death of Julies
Caesar, the graves opened and the dead covered with white sheets walked about the
streets of Rome and made horrible noises. This way the bhayanaka rasa is
generated and the audience is bound to feel this scene with terror. Thus fear
rules the scene.
The second scene fills the audience with Jugupsa Rasa or Bībhatsa
rasa where they feel disgusted with the doings of Queen Gertrude. Her hasty
marriage with Claudius makes his son Hamlet totally numb and his aversion is
artfully exhibited through these lines-
HAMLET
O,
that this too too solid flesh would melt
Thaw
and resolve itself into a dew!
….
As
if increase of appetite had grown
By
what it fed on: and yet, within a month—
Let
me not think on't—Frailty, thy name is woman!—
A
little month, or ere those shoes were old
With
which she follow'd my poor father's body,
Like
Niobe, all tears:—why she, even she—
O,
God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason,
Would
have mourn'd longer—married with my uncle,
My
father's brother, but no more like my father
Than
I to Hercules: within a month:
Ere
yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had
left the flushing in her galled eyes,
She
married. O, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! [Hamlet page 18]
This scene generates extreme disgusting effects in the minds
of the spectators where they can feel the pain in the highest form. The bhava
which emerges is that of fear and guilt along with rage. Hamlet’s mood of
ignorance or dejection makes the spectators aware of the ‘incest’.
Ghost
Ay,
that incestuous, that adulterate beast,
With
witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts,—
O
wicked wit and gifts, that have the power
So
to seduce!—won to his shameful lust
The
will of my most seeming-virtuous queen:
O Hamlet, what a falling-off was there! [Hamlet page 40]
This revelation by the apparition reveals the feeling of rage
for the spectator with the emotion of the prince Hamlet. The Claudius’ wicked
crime is transmitted to Hamlet and manifests itself as raudra rasa. The furious
words of the apparition demonstrate the hideous acts of Claudius and the
spectators are left gobsmacked for a while.
Hasya rasa is suggested in the scenes of Polonius and Hamlet
where Polonius tries to discover Hamlet’s lunacy and initially witnesses the
Hamlet’s lunatic behavior.
HAMLET
Slanders,
sir: for the satirical rogue says here
that
old men have grey beards, that their faces are
wrinkled,
their eyes purging thick amber and
plum-tree
gum and that they have a plentiful lack of
wit,
together with most weak hams: all which, sir,
though
I most powerfully and potently believe, yet
I
hold it not honesty to have it thus set down, for
yourself,
sir, should be old as I am, if like a crab
you could go backward. [Hamlet page 64]
Here, Hamlet’s harsh remarks to Polonius generate a comic
kind of situation where somewhere the spectators can feel a bond with Hamlet
when he smashes the face of Polonius with satirical retorts. The win-win kind
of situation relives the spectators and deepens the connection with the
protagonist.
Besides this, the gravedigger’s scene becomes noteworthy
which creates a comic situation. Furthermore, at a time two rasas can be
experienced in the following lines-
HAMLET
I
loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers
Could
not, with all their quantity of love,
Make up my sum. [Hamlet page 178]
On one hand, Prince Hamlet expresses his love for Ophelia can
be an illustration of Śrigāra rasa where his romance is expressed in the form of
words but at the same time the Karuna rasa is generated in the play because of Hamlet
is too late in his expression, his delay has cost Ophelia’s life, and she has
gone mad because she was rudely insulted by the prince. Mercy and pity along
with pathos are suggested by her death. The spectators can literally feel the
pathetic end of Ophelia.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it can be said that the Rasa theory adds a new
dimension to examine the work of William Shakespeare from a critical point of
view of Sanskrit theory. The Rasa School adds a new dimension to taste the work
of art from nine different spoons of creative cuisine. Furthermore, ‘Hamlet’
as a play perhaps is not limited to a particular genre but it is like a salad
bowl where all the ingredients are placed which makes it difficult for the
spectator to recognize the particular rasa of the play.
Works
Cited
1. Das, B. and J. M. Mohanty. Literary Criticism A Reading.
New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1985.
2.
Chaudhury, Pravas Jivan. “Indian Poetics.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art
Criticism, vol. 24, no. 1, 1965, pp. 197–204. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/428209. Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.
3. Harrison, George Bagshawe. Introducing Shakespeare.
New York: Penguin Books, 1947.
4. Iyengar, K. R. Srinivasa. “Shakespeare in India.” Indian
Literature, vol. 7, no. 1, 1964, pp. 1–11. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23329674.
Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.
5. Mohanty, Sangeeta. The Indian response to Hamlet:
Shakespeare's reception in India and a study of" Hamlet" in sanskrit
poetics. Diss. University_of_Basel, 2010.
6. Saunders, Virginia. “Some Literary Aspects of the Absence
of Tragedy in the Classical Sanskrit Drama.” Journal of the American Oriental
Society, vol. 41, 1921, pp. 152–156. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/593715.
Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.
7. Shakespare, William. As You Like It. New York:
Washington Square Press/Pocket Books, 1996.
8. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of
Denmark. New York: Washtington Square Press, 1992.
9. Singh, Dr. N. K. Encyclopedia Dictionary of Sanskrit
Literature. Ed. J. N. Bhattacharya and Nilanjana Sarkar. First Edition,
2004. Vol. 3. Delhi: Global Vision Publishing House, 2004. 5 vols.
Thank you.
Post a Comment