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About the play

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About the author :

Tagore was one of the foremost personality of Indian Renaissance in art, music, dance and literature
He was born on 7th May 1861
Fourteenth child and eighth son of Devendra Nath Tagore andSarda Devi
He translated many Bengali works into English
His Translation of Macbeth in Bengali first published in Bharati
1881he made his first public speech on Music and Harmony
1901 he revived “The Bangadarshan
1901, 22 December he started “Bolpur Brahmacharya Ashram”
He is known to us as great prophet, musician, singer, story-teller, teacher, preacher, dramatist, artist, novelist, nationalist, poet

Indian Drama:

Involves a variety of culture and language
Old custom which made its presence felt from the later Vedic period
Culture,custom, mood are presented in Indian theatre through natyam, culture, lasya, mudra
Origin and development of Sanskrit literature
Bharatha’s Natyashastra - a treatise deals with all aspects of the diverse arts
The saga of Indian Drama in English began with K.M Banergi’s”The Persecuted or Dramatic Scenes Illustrative of the Present State of Hindu Society in Calcutta 1831

Tagore as dramatist in Indian English Drama

Famous dramatist
Translated many Bengali works into English
Translated works are Sanyasi, Malini, Sacrifice, The King and The Queen, Karna and Kunti, Natir Puja, Chandalika, Mukta Dhara and many more
Plays deal with the theme of love, religion, faith
He was influenced by jatra, a traditional folk theatre in India
Some plays are popular for strong women voices

Social context of Red Oleanders

Characters :

Theme of the play

A lyrical and allegorical tale about a warm - hearted woman who rallies the working class against a lazy greedy king
Unscrupulous capitalism
Environmental exploitation and importance of human relationship
Invokes the spirit of Indians great epic poems
Surrender of the enormous authority to the tender beauty and truthfulness
Victory of the protagonist, Nandini by liberating captives from the fetter of Yakshpuri.

New Translation and Adaptations :Two Reviews :

By NupurGangopadhyay Lahiri:Kolkata :Punascha, publisher 2008
Review by Kathleen M. O’Connell Tripti Mitra as Nandini (from 1956 production of Bohurupee at IFACS, New Delhi)
Review by Uma Dasgupta

Symbols :

The Yaksha is a lucid illustration of chain and bondage
Nandini, an emblem of love and beauty hence the votary of alter eyes of Ranjan
King, himself is a symbol of enormous power and authority as well as an oppresseor
Red Oleanders as token of love, passion, beauty, revolution, medium of liberty, victory of freedom over tyranny

Important areas for questions