Shakuntala LitChart
Shakuntala LitChart
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Shakuntala
• When Written: 4th-5th century
INTR
INTRODUCTION
ODUCTION • Where Written: Northern India
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF KALIDASA KALIDASA • Literary Period: Classical Indian
Little is known about Kalidasa, who is widely considered to be • Genre: Play
the greatest poet and dramatist who wrote in the Classical • Setting: The Himalayan foothills
Sanskrit language (the language of religion and high culture in • Climax: Shakuntala and King Dusyanta recognize one
ancient and medieval India). It’s possible that he wrote under another in Act VII
the patronage of the Gupta dynasty, which ruled most of the • Antagonist: Durvasas’s curse
Indian subcontinent during his lifetime. He was probably a
• Point of View: Third-person omniscient
member of the brahmin (priestly) class, and the benedictions in
the prologues of his plays suggest that he was a particular
devotee of the gods Shiva and his consort Kali (“Kalidasa”
EXTRA CREDIT
means “servant of Kali”). The Recognition of Shakuntala is Faust and Shakuntala. The German writer Johann Wolfgang
considered to be his masterpiece and it is widely translated, but von Goethe was so taken with Shakuntala, newly introduced in
he also wrote two other plays, Malavika and Agnimitra and Europe in the 1700s, that he adapted its Prologue when writing
Urvasi Won by Valor, as well as epic poems and other poetry. his own play, Faust
aust.
Kalidasa’s writings draw heavily from ancient Hindu texts,
including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—two vast Language mix. In the play, Kalidasa actually employs a mixture
Sanskrit epics filled with mythology and Hindu teachings. of languages—Classical Sanskrit and Prakrit, a related but
relatively unsystematic collection of popular dialects. Sanskrit
HISTORICAL CONTEXT is primarily spoken by the educated, upper-class male
characters in the play; Prakrit is spoken by female characters
The story of Shakuntala originates in the Mahabharata, a large
and lower-class male characters.
collection of legendary, philosophical, and religious material
that dates at least as early as 400 B.C.E. Shakuntala’s son,
Sarvadamana—later called Bharata—is a legendary emperor in PL
PLO
OT SUMMARY
the work, and one of the official names of modern India,
Bharata, may derive from his story. The Mahabharata attained Dusyanta, a king in northern India, is racing along in his chariot,
its final textual form and became pervasive in Indian culture preparing to shoot a deer. Suddenly, a forest-dwelling ascetic
around the time that Kalidasa lived, in the 4th century C.E. The warns him not to shoot, since the deer belongs to the nearby
Gupta period, dating from approximately the mid-3rd to the hermitage of Kanva, a great sage. The ascetic invites King
mid-5th century, is sometimes known as the Golden Age Dusyanta to visit the hermitage, which is under his royal
because of the tremendous cultural flowering across the Indian protection. He explains that Kanva isn’t home, but the sage’s
subcontinent during these centuries, with Shakuntala being a daughter, Shakuntala, is receiving guests.
prominent literary example. When the King enters the hermitage, he notices Shakuntala
and her two friends, Anasuya and Priyamvada, watering the
RELATED LITERARY WORKS sacred trees. He hides in the shadows to observe them,
The story of Shakuntala is a dramatic expansion of an episode in instantly drawn to Shakuntala’s beauty. When Dusyanta reveals
the first book in the massive Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata. his presence, a flustered Shakuntala is immediately attracted to
Because Kalidasa is considered to occupy an equivalent him, too. Though Shakuntala is modest and shy, the King
position in classical Indian drama as Shakespeare occupies in questions Shakuntala’s friends about her and offers her his
English literature, such plays as As Y
You
ou Lik
Likee It
It, Anton
Antonyy and signet ring.
Cleopatr
Cleopatraa, and A Midsummer Night's DrDream
eam also provide Before the King has to concoct a reason to linger near the
interesting comparisons to Shakuntala’s themes. hermitage, he’s asked to protect the ascetics from evil spirits in
Kanva’s absence. He quickly dispels the demons, then
KEY FACTS overhears Shakuntala, who’s desperately lovesick, confiding her
feelings for him to her friends. When Shakuntala recites a love
• Full Title: The Recognition of Shakuntala poem she’s composed for him, he emerges from hiding and
Dusyanta (though, unbeknownst to her, he’s concealed in will prevail and that this match will be successful. This
the shadows, watching this whole scene), but she obviously discussion of the importance of vows, however, makes it
has marriage on her mind. Her description of the two clear that a sustainable passionate union will need to be
intertwined trees, fresh and ripe for union, has strongly reconciled somehow with the idea of personal duty and
erotic overtones that neither the audience watching the responsibility. The difficulty of reconciling these two values
play, nor the watching King, would have missed. The King is will form a key aspect of the play’s conflict going forward.
undoubtedly encouraged by Shakuntala’s mood, as well as
by the fact that the jasmine—which Shakuntala associates
with herself—has “chosen” her bridegroom, a marriage
SHAKUNTALA. Anasuya! I’ve spiked my foot on a blade of
arrangement that was permitted to princesses at the time. grass . . . And now my blouse is snagged on a branch. Wait
He’s soon to confirm the truth that Shakuntala is indeed of while I free myself!
royal blood (thus eligible for marriage to a king), although
her ascetic garments and habits conceal this reality for now. [Using this pretense to remain gazing at the king, SHAKUNTALA
finally leaves with her friends]
KING. Suddenly, the city doesn’t seem so attractive. I’ll link up
KING. […] Because I’m so eager to hear about the lives of with my followers and camp just outside this sacred grove. The
the virtuous, there is another question I should like to ask. truth is, I can’t get Shakuntala out of my head.
My body forges on, my restless mind streams back—
PRIYAMVADA. Don’t hesitate, my lord—there are no bars to
A silken banner borne against the wind.
what you may ask an ascetic.
KING. Then tell me this about your friend:
Related Characters: King Dusyanta, Shakuntala (speaker),
How long will she keep her love-starved hermit vows—
Anasuya
Till she changes them for the marriage kind?
Or will she live forever among these hinds, Related Themes:
Doe-eyed among her beloved does?
Page Number: 20
Related Characters: Priyamvada, King Dusyanta (speaker),
Explanation and Analysis
Shakuntala
When it’s reported that an elephant has gotten loose in the
Related Themes: hermitage grove, the King and the girls scatter, but first,
Shakuntala makes a pretense of hurting herself and
Related Symbols: snagging her clothing in order to savor a last glimpse of
Dusyanta. After she finally leaves, Dusyanta’s reflections
Page Number: 17 reinforce the fact that he’s in love. The city—the place
where a king properly belongs, fulfilling his fundamental
Explanation and Analysis duties as a ruler—has lost its appeal for him; instead, he
After King Dusyanta emerges from hiding in the shadows, lingers as well, setting up camp on the borders of
he quickly begins gathering information about the beautiful Shakuntala’s home. Both he and Shakuntala are in a strained
Shakuntala by coyly questioning her friends. He claims intermediate position, desiring one thing to the point of
curiosity about the ways of ascetics, and Priyamvada, an distraction and illness, while simultaneously being forced to
eager matchmaker, plays along. He asks if Shakuntala will carry out ordinary duties. The rest of the play will be a
give up the ascetic life for marriage anytime soon, or if she’ll striving to integrate love and duty for both of them—as
stay sheltered among the innocent animals she loves so Dusyanta poetically puts it here, a disharmony between the
much. Shakuntala hears the entire exchange and at least body and the resisting mind.
pretends to be offended by it, briefly trying to withdraw
from the scene until King Dusyanta offers her his signet
ring, revealing his identity in the process. Shakuntala has
already admitted to herself that she’s inclined toward
romance and that she even felt an instantaneous passion for
Dusyanta, so there’s every hint that Dusyanta’s flirtation
Related Themes:
Related Characters: King Dusyanta, Lady Hamsapadika
(speaker), Shakuntala Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number: 63
Page Number: 65
Related Symbols:
Explanation and Analysis
Page Number: 75
When Shakuntala—who’s unaware of the sage’s curse— is
humiliated by the King’s rejection, she assumes that his Explanation and Analysis
feelings toward her have changed and that he’s wantonly
This quote comes after Dusyanta has seen his signet ring,
seduced her. In this quote, she speaks up in her own
recovered from the belly of a fish, and remembered his
defense. Shakuntala’s self-defense is striking, because up to
marriage to Shakuntala. He’s immediately plunged into a
this point in the play, she’s actually spoken relatively
deep depression, rivaling his lovesick phase earlier in the
little—during her courtship with the King, her feelings were
play. In fact, the King’s current condition parallels his
conveyed more through gesture (or reflections in the
youthful heartache, but it’s far more extreme—he now
natural world around her) than through words, and her
dresses as a penitent, devoid of jewels, and his appearance
character has always seemed fairly modest and restrained.
is wasted by tears and sleeplessness. Yet, those who see
Now, however, she not only addresses the King directly, she
him—here, both his royal chamberlain and the spying
utters quite serious accusations that could bring great
nymph, Sanumati—consider him beautiful. Their judgments
shame on him. Her words have their intended effect, as
point to a thematic shift in the play; while beauty was
Dusyanta is distraught and defensive in response to her
associated with youthful passion early in the play, it’s now
“torrent.” Shakuntala’s displaying of the King’s signet-ring is
associated more with “inner brilliance,” which only comes to
meant to be the climax of this scene, so its disappearance is
the surface through the “grinding” effect of suffering. Both
an effective dramatic moment, undercutting audience
Dusyanta and Shakuntala are wasted and aged by such pain,
expectations and adding another layer to the plot.
but it’s actually drawing them closer to one another, even
though they don’t know it now. When Dusyanta eventually
makes his way to the celestial hermitage where Shakuntala
PROLOGUE
The play opens with a benediction, seeking the Lord Shiva’s Plays at this time were preceded by various rituals, of which this
protection of all those present. The benediction calls upon the blessing would have been the last. Because benedictions could only
eight physical embodiments of Shiva, including water, fire, be pronounced by brahmins (priests, who made up the highest
earth, and breath. Hindu social caste), the play’s manager, if he was a brahmin, might
have performed this role.
The actor-manager and an actress discuss the play about to be The exchange between the manager and actress serves as an
performed, a new romance by Kalidasa. The manager asks the introduction to the play for the audience. The actress’s song sets a
actress to sing a song about summer to set the mood for the romantic tone for the play, sweeping the audience into a state of
audience. The actress sings a romantic song about a mimosa rapture, as was the goal of a classical Indian playwright. The
blossom brushed by bees. The manager says approvingly that manager segues smoothly into the action of the play’s opening act.
the song carried him away, “Just as the headlong rush of a
spotted deer / Carries this king, Dusyanta, into our play.”
ACT 1
King Dusyanta, holding a bow and arrow and being driven in a The play opens with exciting action, as the King is on the hunt. But
chariot, enters the scene, in pursuit of a deer. The chariot picks on the cusp of triumph, his pursuit is cut short by the ascetic’s
up speed, and the king prepares to shoot, when suddenly an warning. One of the traditional duties of kings was to be a guardian
offstage voice warns him that the deer belongs to the of religious practitioners, and Dusyanta is a faithful king. This scene
hermitage and mustn’t be killed. Vaikhanasa, a forest-dwelling sets the stage for the significance of asceticism and duty in the play.
ascetic, reminds the king that his job is to defend the
oppressed, not to harm them. The king duly reins in the chariot
and drops his weapon.
Vaikhanasa, in response to the King’s merciful action, The ascetic Vaikhanasa speaks a prophecy, which is even more
pronounces a prophetic wish: “May you have a son / With all momentous than the King realizes at the time; his son will be a key
your virtues, / Destined to rule the world.” He urges the King to to the resolution of the story. Receiving the hospitality of a
receive the hospitality of the nearby hermitage, which belongs hermitage would be a special blessing both for the King and for the
to the great sage Kanva. The visit will make the King realize ascetics who benefit from his special protection.
“how far your own bow-scarified arm / Reaches to give
protection.”
Vaikhanasa then explains that Kanva himself is not at home, The ascetic doesn’t elaborate on Kanva’s errand, though it will later
because he has gone to appease the gods on behalf of his emerge that he’s foreseen a curse befalling his daughter. Ironically, if
daughter, Shakuntala, who’s been left behind to receive guests. he hadn’t been absent when Dusyanta arrived, then the curse would
likely have been averted in the first place—but so would the play’s
entire romance.
Right away, the King sees some hermitage girls going to the The King hides himself so that he can watch the beautiful girls
sacred grove to water the trees. He hides himself in the without being seen. He observes Shakuntala, the sage Kanva’s
shadows to observe the “charming sight.” It’s Shakuntala, with daughter, for the first time. Shakuntala loves the hermitage trees,
her two friends, Anasuya and Priyamvada. Shakuntala chats and her beauty is often associated with the trees throughout the
with her friends as they work, remarking that she loves these play.
trees “like sisters.”
Dusyanta is surprised to see Kanva’s beautiful daughter doing The King thinks the beautiful Shakuntala looks out of place doing
menial tasks. He watches her more intently. As Shakuntala manual labor. She wears traditional ascetic clothing made from tree
loosens her chafing bark garment, the King remarks to himself bark (which again emphasizes her connection to the natural world),
that “this slight child beggars her beggar’s clothes / all rags are but even thus modestly dressed, there are strong erotic overtones to
gowns on girls who burn this bright.” his observation of her.
As Shakuntala waters a mango tree, Priyamvada remarks that Shakuntala, with her slight, youthful figure, is associated with the
“with you next to it, that tree looks as though it’s been married beauty of trees again. The King continues to take in the appealing
to a beautiful, sinuous vine.” At a distance, the King agrees, sight from his hidden spot, setting up the concealment that will
observing how “youth pushes up through all her limbs.” continue to define their relationship in various ways throughout the
play.
Shakuntala then approaches the jasmine tree she has named Shakuntala’s remarks about the two trees, with their strongly erotic
Light of the Forest. Gazing at it, she tells the other girls, “the overtones, anticipate her own union with Dusyanta and again show
union of this tree and this jasmine has tak
takenen place at the most how, in the world of the play, human emotion is often reflected in
wonderful time—the jasmine is a yyoung
oung plant, cocovvered in fresh the natural world.
blossoms, the mango has soft buds, and is ready for
enjo
enjoyment…”
yment…”
Priyamvada comments playfully that Shakuntala is thinking If Shakuntala were the daughter of two brahmins, then she would
along these lines because she, too, wants a suitable husband. only be permitted to marry another brahmin. It later emerges that
The King thinks that if only Shakuntala were the daughter of a the King needn’t have worried, since Shakuntala’s real father was a
brahmin and a woman of another class, then he could hope to member of the princely class, making her eligible to marry him. In
marry her. Meanwhile, Shakuntala is frightened by a bee that’s any case, the King is so taken with Shakuntala that he’s already
been disturbed by her watering. Dusyanta envies the bee’s thinking in terms of marriage, even though it’s not clear how such an
closeness to Shakuntala. attraction can coexist with his royal duties.
Shakuntala wonders how it’s happened that “simply at the sight Shakuntala is attracted to Dusyanta as instantly as he was drawn to
of this man, I am shaken with a passion so at odds with the her, and she’s startled by the strength of her feelings—something
religious life?” They all wonder who the mysterious man is, and she’s not used to, after a lifetime of religious asceticism. This
Anasuya questions him. Dusyanta claims that he’s a newly moment makes it clear that, like Dusyanta, Shakuntala will have to
appointed “Minister for Religious Welfare” who’s come to make confront conflicts between her sense of duty and her newfound
sure the ascetics’ rituals aren’t being disrupted. Listening in feelings of love. Dusyanta’s claim about being a “Minister” isn’t
silence, Shakuntala “displays all the embarrassment of erotic completely off base, since such duties were within a king’s purview,
attraction.” but it’s clearly an invention, and Shakuntala sees through it. The
stage direction—about her “embarrassment”—is in keeping with the
conventions of classical Indian plays, in which feelings like
attraction were conveyed more through gesture and expression than
through speech.
Dusyanta asks how it’s possible that the chaste sage Kanva has Dusyanta feels encouraged to learn that Shakuntala is actually a
a daughter. Anasuya explains that Kanva is Shakuntala’s foster member of the royal class, which removes the primary barrier to
father. She’s the biological daughter of a royal sage and a their marrying. Dusyanta’s questioning makes it fairly transparent
nymph, Menaka, who was sent to test the sage’s self-restraint. that he’s interested in Shakuntala. Shakuntala’s connection with the
The King is heartened to learn that he and Shakuntala are nymphs will also be significant in later Acts.
actually of the same class.
Dusyanta is “eager to hear about the lives of the virtuous” and The flirtation implied in Dusyanta’s questioning is obvious to
asks how long Shakuntala “will […] keep her love-starved hermit Shakuntala, and she appears to try to evade it, but her friends
vows / Till she changes them for the marriage kind?” appeal to the sacred duties of hospitality—Shakuntala’s particular
Shakuntala, appearing angry, tries to leave, but her friends urge responsibility in Kanva’s absence—to keep her there. Here, love and
her not to neglect hospitality to her distinguished guest. duty intersect, though Shakuntala is still clearly troubled by the
seeming conflict between them.
The King observes that Shakuntala is exhausted from watering The King finally reveals his identity, and Shakuntala is shaken,
and offers her his signet ring as a way of discharging her debt of weakened by her desire for Dusyanta. Her shy demeanor hints that
hospitality. When the girls see the King’s inscription on the seal, she’s simply modest, but the King can’t know for sure if she returns
they’re shocked. Priyamvada says that Shakuntala has been his feelings; again, concealment colors every phase of their
released by the King and had better go; Shakuntala thinks, “If I relationship. The gift of the King’s ring will be significant later in the
have the strength.” Watching her, the King wonders if he dares story.
hope that she returns his feelings, given Shakuntala’s shyness
and evasive gaze.
ACT 2
Vidusaka, the King’s overweight companion, complains about Vidusaka, the King’s brahmin friend and a figure of comic relief in
what a pain it is traveling with Dusyanta on his hunting the play, reveals that the King continues to obsess over his
trips—and now the King was awake all night meditating on newfound love. He only has Shakuntala’s physical signs to go on and
Shakuntala. As the King enters, he’s still wondering if he dares longs to know her feelings for sure, but again, confusion and hidden
hope that Shakuntala is attracted to him, or if he’s misread her feelings cloud what would otherwise be a happy union. Even his
modest signs. When Vidusaka complains that he’s been favorite pursuits aren’t appealing to him anymore, which
crippled by the hunt, the King remarks that thinking of foreshadows how his love for Shakuntala will come to interfere with
Shakuntala is enough to make even him sick of the chase. his official duties as the play goes on.
When the King’s general comes seeking orders, the King tells The King’s whole object has changed since the day before; he only
him that his enthusiasm for the hunt has dampened, and the cares about his proximity to Shakuntala, and resolving the question
general is to make sure his party doesn’t disturb the ascetics’ of whether his feelings are requited. Interestingly, this fixation on
grove in any way. Then Dusyanta turns to Vidusaka for advice. Shakuntala actually makes him complete his duties more
He describes Shakuntala and their interactions the day before, thoroughly in this instance; does a better job protecting the ascetics’
Vidusaka teasing him that he’s “turned the penance-grove into grove because of his love for her.
a pleasure-garden.” Dusyanta says that he’ll need a new excuse
in order to visit the ashram again today.
Just then, two seers are ushered in with a message from Kanva. Just when the King needs it most, the perfect opening is made,
They explain that in Kanva’s absence, evil spirits are disrupting giving him good reason to linger at the ashram. Since the sage isn’t
the ascetics’ rituals, so Dusyanta has been asked to stay and there, it falls within the King’s duties to defend against evil spirits.
protect the ashram for a few nights. Dusyanta eagerly agrees. This occasion brings another form of pretense into the story; the
King will stay at the ashram, but he won’t reveal his real reason for
being excited to do so.
Karabhaka, the royal messenger, then comes in with another Though the King must weigh his duty to the ascetics against his
message. He explains that the King has been requested by his duty to his mother, in a larger sense he’s also weighing kingly duty
mother, the queen, to attend the upcoming ritual fast to against desire, since nearness to Shakuntala is the bigger motivation
safeguard his succession. The King wonders how “to weigh [his] for his lingering at the ashram.
duty to the ascetics against the request of a revered parent.”
Finally he dispatches Vidusaka to take the King’s place in the
ritual. Before he leaves, however, Dusyanta, fearing Vidusaka
will gossip, pretends that his feelings for Shakuntala aren’t
serious.
ACT 3
An assistant of Kanva says that King Dusyanta is so powerful, The King quickly achieves his goal of defeating the evil spirits who
he had only to enter the ashram in order to quell the disruptive threatened the ashram—to his regret. But the sight of Shakuntala
demons. He then speaks to Priyamvada, offstage, who reports alone—once again from a concealed position—relieves his
that Shakuntala has been stricken with heatstroke. The King, depression. It’s also notable that Shakuntala’s strong emotions
meanwhile, is depressed that there’s no longer anything manifest in a bodily form; she may not yet express her love openly,
keeping him at the ashram. He decides that gazing on but her symptoms of heatstroke are nonetheless a visible symbol of
Shakuntala is the only thing that will revive him. Indeed, when them.
he peers through some branches and sees her resting on a
rock, his “eyes are in paradise.”
Priyamvada and Anasuya are fanning Shakuntala with a lotus Lovesickness is understood literally, not metaphorically;
leaf, but she hardly seems to be aware of it. Noting how ill she Shakuntala’s unsatisfied longing for Dusyanta causes her physical
looks, Dusyanta wonders, “Now, is it the heat, or is it the heart, suffering, in keeping with the theme of inner states being manifested
as it is with me?” The girls question Shakuntala about the in the external world. Hearing Shakuntala’s admission finally
source of her illness, since it appears she’s “feeling exactly what relieves the King’s own doubt and depression about his beloved’s
women in love are said to feel.” The King, full of doubt, anxiously feelings.
waits for her response. Shakuntala says that from the moment
she saw Dusyanta, she’s been filled with longing for him, so her
friends must help her. The King rejoices.
Shakuntala’s friends ponder how best to help her. Priyamvada Shakuntala’s friends come up with a plan that will allow her to
says it’s obvious that the King shares her feelings, because “he’s speak her feelings to the King, albeit in an indirect, modest way. This
as thin as she is from lack of sleep.” They decide that Shakuntala turns out to be unnecessary, however; as soon as Shakuntala reveals
must write a love poem, which Priyamvada will slip to the King her feelings explicitly, the King also reveals himself openly. The
among some flowers. Shakuntala composes a little song, drama of this moment underscores the play’s central tension
etching it into a lotus leaf with her nails. As she recites her between concealment and open expression of emotion.
poem aloud, the King suddenly reveals himself in their
presence.
As Dusyanta sits next to the embarrassed Shakuntala, Priyamvada rather coyly casts Shakuntala’s lovesickness in terms of
Priyamvada says that since it’s the King’s duty to relieve the Dusyanta’s duty to care for his suffering subjects. Now that
pain of his subjects, he must take the suffering Shakuntala Shakuntala and the King have declared their love for one another,
under his protection. Soon the friends leave on the pretense of they can consider themselves married—according to the gandharva
helping a wandering deer. Shakuntala weakly tries to summon form of marriage, which could be legally contracted in secret
them back and then to leave herself, but the King soothes her. between members of the princely class, even without a formal
He reminds her that Kanva “knows the law, and he shall find no ceremony. This secret marriage is another form of concealment in
fault in what you’ve done.” She wouldn’t be the first royal the story, and it’s also an early example of how it might be possible
daughter to accept a prince and receive her father’s blessings to serve the goals of both love and duty at the same time.
after the fact.
When Gautami, the senior female ascetic, comes in search of The married couple’s nighttime separation foreshadows the much
Shakuntala, Shakuntala sorrowfully takes leave of Dusyanta. longer separation to come. Once more, the two are separated by the
Dusyanta grieves their separation, regretting not having kissed conflict between their love and the summons to their respective
her. Then the King himself is summoned away to dispel demons duties.
who are disrupting the evening rites.
ACT 4
Anasuya and Priyamvada enter, talking about how well Shakuntala’s and Dusyanta’s marriage is going well, but the King
Shakuntala’s secret marriage is working out. But Anasuya has been called back to his duties in the capital. Though Anasuya
worries what will happen now that the King’s business at the speaks metaphorically of the distractions of the city, her remark also
ashram has concluded: “Who can say whether he’ll remember foreshadows the literal forgetting to come.
what’s happened in the forest?”
They hear a visitor announcing himself. It’s Durvasas, a short- Shakuntala grieves her separation from Dusyanta to the point that
tempered sage. They hear him pronouncing a curse: “That man, she neglects her duties at the ashram. Because hospitality is a
though prompted, / Shall not remember you at all, / Like a sacred duty, failing to welcome an important guest would be
drunken sot, who cannot recall / What he said in his cups the considered a significant fault. However, the cranky Durvasas has an
night before.” The girls realize that Shakuntala has, disastrously, extreme reaction—placing a curse on Dusyanta, that he won’t
failed to welcome Durvasas with the formality he expects. remember Shakuntala when he sees her again. Remembering the
Priyamvada rushes to placate him, and Durvasas concedes that signet ring Dusyanta gave her, the girls assume all will be well, but as
“the sight of a memento can lift the curse.” The girls relax, the play goes on to reveal, such curses can have consequences that
recalling the ring Dusyanta has given Shakuntala. range far beyond the simple human circumstances in which they
originated.
Shakuntala is full of grief in Dusyanta’s absence. Anasuya frets Separation from the King causes all sorts of worries, especially now
about the King’s failure to even send a letter, worrying that he’s that Shakuntala is pregnant with his child. Even for such a happy
faithless after all, or has been affected by Durvasas’s curse. She couple, the threats of supernatural intervention and human secrecy
also fears how Kanva will react now that Shakuntala is carrying are ever-present.
Dusyanta’s child.
Suddenly Priyamvada appears, delighted—they are to celebrate The girls’ concerns about Kanva’s reaction to Shakuntala’s marriage
Shakuntala’s departure as a bride. It turns out that Kanva, while and pregnancy were unfounded, it turns out. Kanva is happy to
making a sacrifice, heard a voice chanting the news: “For the learn that his foster daughter carries a royal child, and he’s ready to
world’s welfare your daughter / Bears the lustrous seed of King reunite husband and wife with due honor. At this point, it seems
Dusyanta.” Kanva is happily sending her to her husband with an that duty and love will become one for Shakuntala, though it will
escort of seers. actually turn out to be some time before they are fully united.
Priyamvada, Anasuya, and the other hermit women shower The women celebrate Shakuntala’s marriage and her impending
Shakuntala with blessings. They also adorn her with ornaments departure to join her royal household. The trees, so lovingly tended
which the forest trees have miraculously provided: “It was a by Shakuntala, fashion miraculous adornments for her to wear—the
tree itself spun this moon-white cloth / […] And gods of the natural world once again reflects the emotional state of human
trees that conjured these jewels, / Hands sprouting from beings, and the blessings of the trees are another form of the
branches like fresh green shoots.” Priyamvada takes this as a supernatural forces common throughout the play.
sign of the royal fortune awaiting Shakuntala.
ACT 5
In the capital, the King overhears a song that fills him with The romantic song, which again connects human emotion with the
desire: “Have you forgotten—forgotten so soon, / How you natural world, obviously calls to mind Dusyanta’s recent marriage
settled on the mango bloom?” He wonders why the song to Shakuntala. The audience is thus prepared for what’s coming
arouses such passion in him: “I’m not even separated from when Shakuntala arrives—the curse is fully in effect.
someone I love.”
Then a chamberlain walks in, reluctant to disturb the King. The entourage from Kanva’s hermitage interrupts the King in the
However, “a king can’t put off his duty.” He reports that a group midst of his royal business, suggesting an uneasy middle ground
of forest ascetics have appeared with a message from Kanva, between love and duty. Dusyanta clearly doesn’t know what’s
and that there are women among them, too. Dusyanta is coming, but he has a premonition that it won’t be good.
surprised and wonders what business Kanva’s messengers
have; their approach “fills [him] with unease.”
As her party approaches the King, Shakuntala’s right eyelid Shakuntala’s bodily omen as she enters the city recalls the omen
trembles—an evil omen. The King, seeing Shakuntala at a Dusyanta experienced when he approached the hermitage, but in
distance, wonders, “Who is she, this veiled creature […] this case, it’s a warning. Dusyanta ironically refrains from looking at
Enough. One shouldn’t stare at another man’s wife.” Arriving, his own wife. Shakuntala is hidden beneath her veil, but removing
the ascetics salute Dusyanta, and they formally greet each the veil won’t reveal the truth to the cursed King; here as throughout
other. the play, concealment and separation are layered and complex.
One of Kanva’s messengers informs the King that Kanva isn’t Shakuntala’s arrival should be a triumphant homecoming and
displeased with Shakuntala’s secret marriage, since the two are reunion—duty and love finding their fulfillment as the two establish
so well matched in honor and virtue. Now that Shakuntala a household together—but instead, as the curse does its worst, their
carries his child, he must receive her, and they’ll “perform meeting is a disorienting nightmare for them both. As physical
[their] duties together as a couple should.” Baffled, Dusyanta distance disappears, their separation from one another becomes all
asks, “What is being proposed? […] You’re saying this lady is the greater.
already married to me?”
The more Shakuntala tries to spark Dusyanta’s memory, the Dusyanta’s accusation that Shakuntala is deceptive doesn’t show
more he accuses her of using “honeyed words” to deceive him: him in the best light, but Shakuntala stands up for herself, telling the
“Females of every kind / Have natural cunning to perform these King that his attitude towards her speaks volumes about what’s
tricks.” Shakuntala is angry, telling him that he sees “everything hidden in his heart. She assumes she’s been deceived as to his
through the distorted lens of [his] own heart.” She reproaches character, but the audience knows that it’s not actually Dusyanta
herself for having entrusted herself to a man “with honey in his who has done the deceiving; rather, it’s the hidden curse that
mouth but poison in his heart.” interferes.
The ascetics prepare to go, telling Dusyanta it’s up to him to Shakuntala is in a completely vulnerable, helpless situation, since as
take or leave Shakuntala, since “a husband’s power is absolute.” a woman, she doesn’t have much recourse. She’s abandoned both
They call Shakuntala presumptuous, saying that if she’s what by her beloved and by her father’s household, the curse having a
Dusyanta claims, then she can’t stay in Kanva’s house. If her devastating ripple effect even though Shakuntala herself has done
actions have been faultless, on the other hand, then she can nothing wrong—and in fact, neither has the King.
bear the shame of his rejection.
Dusyanta consults with a court priest, wondering if it’s worse The king, his conscience uneasy about the whole situation, asks a
to “[collude] in the ruin of my faithful spouse / Or [risk] the priest how he should respond and decides to show a degree of
defilement / Of another man’s wife?” Given the predictions mercy to Shakuntala—but first she’s whisked beyond the human
about Dusyanta’s future son—that he’ll bear the bodily signs of realm altogether. Even though Dusyanta can’t remember his bride,
a world emperor—the priest encourages the king to house sympathy and shame seem to be at work deep down, suggesting
Shakuntala until she gives birth, and then they can see the truth that failing to join duty and love has painful consequences. Here, as
for themselves. Before Dusyanta can follow this advice, before, the lovers’ relationship is defined by supernatural forces that
Shakuntala prays that the earth will swallow her up. Moments go well beyond human intention. That is, Shakuntala may have
later, the court priest tells Dusyanta that the weeping girl has wished to vanish, but the nymphs take her request much more
suddenly disappeared: “Close to the nymph’s shrine, a curtain literally than she likely intended.
of light / Shaped like a woman, whisked her away.” The king is
still bewildered: “My heart’s so full of anguish / I almost think it
may be true. / Have I betrayed her?”
ACT 6
Two policemen enter, leading a fisherman. He’s been accused of The playwright doesn’t show Dusyanta’s moment of revelation,
stealing a ring with the King’s name engraved on it. The choosing to relay it through this exchange between a lower-class
fisherman, frightened, insists that he discovered the ring in the fisherman and the police; again, emotion is hidden beneath layers of
belly of a fish he was cutting up. One of the policemen taunts concealment, this time in the form of Dusyanta’s separation from
the fisherman that he’ll soon be executed, but soon the chief of the audience. Nonetheless, he news of Dusyanta’s agitation is
police returns from the palace with news that the fisherman’s enough to signal to the audience that, as Durvasas promised, the
story has been corroborated. The fisherman is also to be given curse has been broken, and he has remembered Shakuntala.
a sum of money equal to the ring’s value. The chief adds that
when Dusyanta saw the ring, he became “really agitated,” as
though remembering someone important to him.
A nymph, Sanumati, enters. She’s a friend of Menaka, Major dramatic details continue to be relayed through intermediary
Shakuntala’s mother, and has promised to help Shakuntala. She figures, in this case a spying nymph, who visits the palace and
wonders why the palace isn’t being prepared for the spring notices that all isn’t as it should be.
festival and decides to spy on some gardeners in order to find
out.
The two young female gardeners, newcomers to the palace, are Sanumati learns of the King’s catastrophe, which is so far only
happily enjoying the scent of mango blossoms, when a apparent because of the uncharacteristic stifling of celebration.
chamberlain comes in and angrily scolds them for celebrating That is, the extent of the King’s depression is conveyed by the
the spring festival in any manner. At the girls’ questioning, the solemnity of the palace, particularly the lack of enjoyment of
chamberlain explains that the festival has been cancelled due to beautiful trees (which characterized earlier acts), rather than
“the scandal of Shakuntala.” It turns out that when he saw the through direct expression.
ring, Dusyanta remembered that he really did marry
Shakuntala and “rejected her out of sheer delusion. And ever
since, he has been mortified by regret” and depressed.
The King enters, dressed as a penitent, and the chamberlain The King’s austerity isn’t outwardly beautiful, but it conveys a
observes that the king still looks wonderful even though spiritual “brilliance,” implying that even if his external attractiveness
“wasted with remorse:” “His austerity lays bare / An inner has faded, the King’s repentance and grief have refined his spiritual
brilliance and an ideal form.” The king paces, speaking of his beauty.
heart’s remorse. Sanumati, invisibly watching, notes that
Shakuntala feels the same grief. Vidusaka, looking on, calls the
king’s illness “Shakuntala fever.”
The King sends word that, after a sleepless night, he’s not fit to In contrast to the joyful romance of the hermitage forest, the palace
sit in judgment over any civil cases today. Vidusaka encourages garden is a place of emotional anguish and loneliness. Again, the
him to take a rest in the garden, where his “mind and . . . soul are natural world reflects the emotional states of the main characters,
fresh impaled” at the sight of the mango tree. He sits in the this time by reflecting the King’s devastation. Since the nymph
jasmine bower, where the vines remind him of Shakuntala. Sanumati is already invisible, it’s unclear why she needs to make a
Sanumati hides behind the vines, watching. special effort to hide; it may be the playwright’s attempt to
underscore the theme of concealment.
Then a maidservant, Caturika, enters, carrying a portrait of The portrait seems to both comfort and torment the King,
Shakuntala painted by the King. As Dusyanta resumes work on reminding him of his beloved while making their separation all the
the painting, he laments that he rejected the living woman and more painfully apparent. The bee recalls Dusyanta’s first meeting
must now obsess over her mere image: “I crossed the stream of with Shakuntala. His depression is such that it’s hard to tell if he’s
living water / To drink from a mirage.” He notices a bee in the joking or deluded when he asks, “What picture?”
painting and warns it not to harm his beloved. When Vidusaka
tells him it’s only a bee in a picture, Dusyanta responds, “What
picture?”
A little later, a doorkeeper enters with documents from a Childlessness was a failure to fulfill one’s duty to one’s ancestors,
complex civil case demanding the king’s attention. A great since one couldn’t guarantee offspring to continue paying homage
merchant has been lost at sea, and because he was childless, his to their forebears in future generations. Thus it’s a source of deep
wealth goes to the King. Dusyanta reflects, “How terrible to be grief to the King. But Sanumati’s comments assure the audience
childless!” The wealth of Dusyanta’s own family will undergo a that everything is going to be put right; indeed, the audience already
similar fate when he’s gone, because he abandoned his “fruitful knows that Dusyanta isn’t childless after all, so perhaps he’ll be able
wife” for no good reason. He wonders who will feed his to fulfill the duty that he currently feels he’s shirking.
ancestors in the afterlife. Sanumati wishes to console the king,
but remembers that Indra’s queen plans to “maneuver matters”
such that husband and wife will soon reunite; she must wait
until the time is right.
Just then, offstage, Vidusaka yells for help in a strangled voice. As in Act II, Dusyanta is unexpectedly called upon to render his
The doorkeeper runs in, explaining that an invisible spirit has services as a guardian against evil spirits. And, like the last time, this
seized Vidusaka and dragged him onto the palace roof. assignment will ultimately lead the King back to Shakuntala, by
Dusyanta rushes to his aid, but can’t see his friend. Just as he’s means of a path he couldn’t have contrived himself. It seems that, in
about to shoot an arrow anyway, Indra’s charioteer, Matali, the world of the play, supernatural intervention is necessary for the
materializes. Matali explains that there’s a near-invincible human characters to successfully join their opposing drives toward
brood of demons that Dusyanta must face. He threatened duty and passion.
Vidusaka to try to rouse Dusyanta from his depression by
making him angry. Dusyanta agrees to mount Indra’s chariot
and fulfill his duty of protecting the realm.
ACT 7
Six years have passed. Dusyanta has successfully destroyed the In stark contrast to his devastated appearance in the previous act,
demons. He and Matali are returning to earth in the chariot. the victorious Dusyanta here is in a state of perfect harmony,
The king’s mind, body, and soul are calm, and he admires the reflecting the benefits, both to society and to oneself, of faithfully
beauty of the earth below. They see the Golden Peak, “the fulfilling one’s duty. In contrast to the reckless chariot ride to an
mountain of the demigods, where asceticism ends in perfect earthly hermitage that opened the play, Dusyanta now rides
success.” The king wishes to descend to honor its sage, Marica, peacefully to a celestial hermitage.
Indra’s father.
The King marvels at a strong sense of connection to the willful, Bodily markings indicate Sarvadamana’s fulfillment of prophecy, as
spoiled child. He notices that the boy “bears the marks of a does his domineering personality. The King learns that the boy
world ruler,” such as delicately webbed palms. He approaches belongs to his own dynasty; the clues are falling rapidly into place as
to greet the boy. One of the ascetics remarks, “I’m astonished the truth of the play’s over-arching divine scheme comes to light.
that you and the boy are so alike!” She explains that
Sarvadamana belongs to the Puru lineage, and though a child of
the royal line would normally have grown up in a castle, his
mother was allowed to give birth to him here because she’s the
daughter of a nymph.
The King heartens at this news, and is further excited when the None of the evidence the King hears convinces him beyond the
ascetic happens to mention that the boy’s mother’s name is shadow of a doubt until he picks up the amulet unharmed,
Shakuntala. When the boy drops his protective amulet, confirming that the boy is his son and that Shakuntala is near.
Dusyanta picks it up. The ascetics are shocked, because the Whereas the King despaired in the last act that he would never
amulet cannot be picked up by anyone except for the boy’s fulfill his duty of having children, it becomes clear here that he has
parents and the boy himself. The king at last realizes that he has done so—and that, perhaps even more importantly, he has done so
“his heart’s desire.” in a way that joins perfectly with his “heart’s desire.”
Shakuntala enters. The King recognizes her at once: “Her robes This time, the King has no difficulty whatsoever in recognizing his
are dusky, drab, / Her hair a single braid, / Her cheeks drawn in wife—even though her dress indicates austere asceticism, and her
by penance-- / She’s been so pure and constant / In that vow of single braid is a sign of separation from her husband. Her spiritual
separation / I so callously began.” purity shines through her drab appearance, providing another
example of the way in which duty (in this case, the duties of
asceticism) can actually help love on its way.
Shakuntala doesn’t think that the pale King resembles her In an ironic and fitting turn, Shakuntala doesn’t recognize the King
husband. Dusyanta says, “My dear, that cruelty I practiced on instantly, but she quickly recognizes that her fate has been reversed.
you has come full circle, since now it is I who need to be
recognized by you.” Shakuntala realizes that her “bitter fate has
turned compassionate.”
As Shakuntala breaks down in tears, Dusyanta tells his wife Though Shakuntala’s external beauty has faded, her spiritual beauty
that “In looking on your pale / Unpainted lips, I have at last / is all Dusyanta needs to confirm her identity. Shakuntala no longer
Recalled your face.” He offers back the signet ring—“let the vine wants to wear the symbol of their youthful love—besides seeming
take this flower back as a sign of her reunion with spring”—but untrustworthy, it also seems not to fit the maturity of their marriage.
Shakuntala, no longer trusting it, tells him to wear it instead.
Marica confirms that their son, Sarvadamana, will be a At last, duty and love—seemingly at odds at the beginning of the
universal emperor who will later be called Bharata, “Sustainer.” play and frequently in conflict throughout—are fully reconciled as
One of Marica’s pupils is sent to tell Kanva the happy news of the reunited couple go to fulfill their royal duties with the blessing of
the broken curse and the reunited family. Now, Marica says, the gods.
Dusyanta must return to his capital with his wife and boy. He
blesses them, particularly wishing that Dusyanta and the god
Indra will mutually benefit one another’s realms. The King
closes the play with a prayer for freedom from rebirth and
death forever.