While reading Sakuntala and the Ring of Recollections, I found it interesting how each act emphasizes a specific emotion. Before the play begins, each act is described as a different emtotion. Act 1 being love and excitement, Act 2 combining love and anticipation, and so on (Page 875). The play is broken up so that you can kind of know what will be happening in each act due to the beginning explanation of Sakuntala and The Ring of Recollections.
Through Act 2 and 3, Sakuntala is described in different ways by the king. In Act 2 on line 27, the King says “her heavy hips swayed,” although the play never said that she was thin, are heavy hips a compliment for a woman? In Act 1, she is described as “her arms are tendrils” (Page 882 Line 179), which makes me thinks she is a slender woman, as tendrils are threadlike. Is there a reason the king decided to use the word “heavy,” was heavy hips something a women wanted during this time period? Perhaps the writer used the word “heavy” to foreshadow how Sakuntala will later be pregnant in the play from Dusyanta. Later in Act 3, the king says, “her waist is thin” (Line 73) but in this context she is described this way because she is “lovesick” for the king.
Another passage that I found interesting was in Act 1 on line 158-159, the king describes Sakuntala’s father’s rules about the hermitage as “trying to cut firewood/with the blade of blue-lotus leaf.” This line seems very specific, it seems that the kind could have just said “leaf” instead of adding in the specific type of leaf it would. Is this a metaphor that was used commonly in this time period? Or is there a reason for this word usage? The blue-lotus might be something that the ascetics often water, or perhaps use as herbs of some sort. Or did the king use this metaphor because he was in the presence of ascetics and thought this wording would be appropriate?
I think it’s a good observation on how each act conveys a different emotion.
As for the description of Sakuntala, I think heavy hips is meant to mean “child-bearing hips”, or wide hips. Back in the 5th century, before advanced obstetricians existed, I assume this was an important quality. The King seems very descriptive and focused on Sakuntala’s physical appearance. It seems he feel in love with her without knowing her personality. Maybe he gleaned information of her personality from her physical appearance and the way she carried herself. Either way, there was a strong connection without many words spoken.
As for the leaf cutting the firewood, I take it to mean that reducing her sensuality would be an impossible task. The flower isn’t strong enough to cut wood. There’s also a contrast with the beauty or rarity of the blue lotus and common firewood.
I believe you made good points on the different emotions in the different acts. Heavy hips mean large hips. The king seems to have experienced love on first sight based only on physical appearance. There are not too many spoken words in this romance and the king has no knowledge of her personality. For the next part, I think it is an impossible task to use a leaf to cut firewood. This shows that the father is incapable of enforcing the rules of the hermitage on his daughter. Overall this demonstrates the father’s poor judgment.
This is very interesting. I hadn’t thought about it that way! I like the idea of there being a constant theme/ emotion for every act of Shakuntala so as to keep the play organized in a way. It also helps the audience form clear views of the play about every act as well as in remembering it with reference to a specific emotion. I think this is a wise strategy on behalf of Kalidasa.