In the last three acts of the play a lot of emotions and different experiences occur. In the first act the king Dusyanta has completely forgotten Sakuntala but has sort of an idea that she is telling the truth. She feels abandoned and disowned by both her husband and her family. She is devastated and disappears with a nymph. When the ring is found the king remembers and is completely heart broken just as Sakuntala is. Pg. 926- “Oh ring! Have pity on a man whose heart is tormented because he abandoned his love without cause!”
In the second act, I don’t really understand what is happening when the king is with the charioteer Matali. The play jumps from one section to the next without an explanation.Pg. 932- The king enters with Matali by the skyway, mounted on a chariot. Is he having a dream that he’s in the heavens or is he really fighting off demons for Indra?
In the third act, he appears at the hermitage where his son and Sakuntala are living. He immediately feels a connection with the little boy.Pg. 935- “Why is my heart drawn to this child, as if he were my own flesh?” This part is my favorite since they get to finally reunite and be together as a family.
Remember to quote from the play itself.
I found Sakuntala’s actions surprising because she went about reminding the king in a very calm way as opposed to Medea. I certainly found it helpful to have read both of the plays to see the contrast in behaviors between the two strong characters. I really liked that Sakuntala took a gentle yet firm approach in remembering King Dusyanta. I definitely also enjoyed it when the king finally reunites with his son and Sakuntala at the end. I liked that instead of a tragic ending like Medea, there was a nice and happy ending.