Race, Caste, Power and Agency in Girish Karnad’s Yayati
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24113/59skh874Keywords:
Myth, Power, Curse, Sanjeevani Spell, Asura, Brahmin, KshatriyaAbstract
Girish Karnad wrote his first play Yayati in 1960 when he was just 22 years old. The play was initially written in Kannada and was translated into English by the author himself when he was 69 years old. Girish Karnad’s play Yayati is a retelling of the myth of Yayati from the Mahabharata. Yayati’s endless lust for life, power, youth, women and worldly pleasures leads to his downfall. In Girish Karnad’s version of the myth, King Yayati who is cursed with old age for his infidelity, is saved by his only son Pooru who takes upon himself the curse of his father. Pooru loses his bride as a result of his sacrifice.
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References
Iyengar, K. R. Srinivasa. Indian Writing in English. Bombay: Asia Publishing House,1962. Print.
Karnad, Girish. Yayati. Oxford University Press: New Delhi, 2008. Print.
Millet Kate. Sexual Politics. NY: Doubleday,1970. Print.
Mukherjee, Tutun, ed. Girish Karnad’s Plays: Performance and Critical Perspectives. Dehi: Pencraft International, 2012. Print.
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Copyright (c) 2020 Dr. Nisha Francis Alapatt
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