Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 21 Issue 12

© 2021 Global Journals Volume XXI Issue XII Version I 47 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2021 A The Indian Theory of Drama chapter XIV entitled “Regional Styles and Nature of Plays,” Bharat describes Lokadharm ī : A play in which men and women, in their own nature, without any change ( avik ṛ ta ), without any gestures, behave naturally is Lokadharm ī . N ā tyadharm ī : A play in which speech is artificial and exaggerated, actions unusually emotional, gestures graceful, is N ā tyadharm ī , (dramatic). That also is N ā tyadharm ī in which voice and costumes are not from common use. When a well-known theme is dramatized, investing characters with emotions, it becomes N ā tyadharm ī . When characters are side by side and the speech of one is supposed not to be heard by the other, it is N ā tyadharm ī . …. A drama must always be produced as N ā tyadharm ī , because without bodily gestures, there can be no drama. (Rangacharya 115) Though Bharata describes different dramatic modes here, he asserts that only in the N ā tyadharm ī mode of representation, the subject matter of a drama can be well presented. To represent the universal bh ā vas (subject matter) of human life, well-known stories are to be chosen. Here Puranas play a vital role in the selection of stories that are to be recreated on the stage. These stories are fitting subject matters to serve the purpose of N ā tya. N ā tya śā stra informs that the first performance, presented by Bharata, celebrates the event ( Devasur Sangram ) in which Indra, with the help of a host of gods, had destroyed asuras and danvas. The exploits of the hero are restricted to his success, whether in love or war, and this success is represented in N ā tyadharm ī style to make an everlasting impact on the spectator 5 . A story of defeat, or being captured by the enemy or the flight of the hero cannot be the subject matter of a drama. N ā tya ś astra is a compendium of an integrated art of music, dance, action, and poetry where all information on the various arts is brought together. It is the boast of the book (and it is often repeated) that there is no knowledge, no craft, no love, no art, no technique, and no activity that one does not find in N ā tya śā stra . Here it would be appropriate to make a slight comparison between the western concept of drama and the N ā tya śā stra. Artaud who has grasped the main feature of N ā tya śā stra, eulogies the Eastern theatre in his The Theatre and its Double : Our theatre has never grasped this gestured metaphysics nor known how to make use of music for so direct, so concrete, dramatic purposes. Our purely verbal theatre, unaware of the sum total of theatre, that is, of everything that exists spatially, that is measured and circumscribed in space, having spatial density — I mean: movements, forms, colours, vibrations, postures, shouts —, that theatre of ours could learn a lesson in spirituality from the Balinese theatre with regard to what is indeterminable and depends on the mind’s suggestive power. (Bansat-Boudon 56) Artaud conceives theatre in its totality which any Western theory fails, and he openly condemns Western theories which more or less remains theories of either tragedies or of comedies. Even Brecht “in his search for artistic impulse, which bridged centuries and continents, did not fail to notice the attractions of Indian Classical drama.” (Lutze 101) b) Characters Since the emphasis is on the universal, therefore characters are types rather than individuals. There may be differences in shades only. The śā stras have often conceived them in terms of the binary opposition of noble ( Divya ) or ignoble ( Adivya ). There is another type where they are not necessarily noble or ignoble but a mixture of both ( Divy ā divya ). N ā tya śā stra (XXXIV 1-5) defines three varieties of male and female characters. They are Uttama (superior), Adhama (inferior) and Madhyam (middling). Heroes (superior characters) are classified primarily by their character and temperament as four types (another classification is based on one or more wives): Gods are taken as Dhiroddhata (firm and brave), Kings as Dhiralalita (firm and sportive), chiefs of army and ministers as Dhirodatta (firm and noble), and Brahmins and merchants as Dhiraprasanta (firm and calm). (XXXIV 16-18) ‘Firmness’ is the most important factor in the character of all these heroes, and by these standards an infirm character like Hamlet or King Lear can never be a hero in Indian Drama. Corresponding to these are four types of jesters: Sannyasins, Brahmins, other twice-born castes, and disciples. There are also four types of heroines based on their characteristics: They are Dhira (steady), Lalita (charming), Ud ā tta (noble), and Nibhrata (quiet), but the actual types are “celestial women, queens, high born women, and courtesans. Celestial women and queens will have all the four characteristics. But a woman born in a good family (or high family) has only two, viz., nobility and quietness, while a courtesan, being an artist, has nobility, light-heartedness, charm, and expertise in dance, music, and other arts. Sage Bharata describes various roles and types of character; at the same time he also speaks how to choose the right actor for a role. (XXXIV 24-29) These qualities or characteristics are called sattva or S ā ttvika quality of characters who pass through spiritual suffering during the Drama. Intension is to bring wisdom of Vedas to be passed to the audience through the elevation of characters. The emphasis is on spiritual evolution ( S ā dhnaparak ) where characters are moulded and they emerge as mature and polite or Sahridya . The ego of the character, even highest in status, is to be dissolved to become a Sahridya .