What Is the Short Summary of “Shakuntala”?
“Shakuntala” is an Indian play that revolves around a central female figure, named Shakuntala, who trades her forest-dwelling lifestyle for a more refined and noble life as a wife of a Sanskrit king. Shakuntala is born in a heavily forested and remote part of India, an area that she calls home for many years. Shakuntala never feels like she truly belongs in her native natural environment, a feeling that is reinforced when she breaks free of her surroundings and moves into the palace of a local king, assuming the position of one of his wives.
Through the course of the play, which is considered a Sanskrit drama, the characters change little but their surrounding environments transform drastically. This play, like many others that follow the Sanskrit tradition, has a defined plot. However, the events that unfold during the play are relatively simple, and the story lacks a complex plot. Shankuntala is introduced to King Duhshanta early on in the play, and the two fall in love. Their mutual attraction is quite apparent, but Duhshanta must get past Shakuntala’s father first before claiming her as his bride. The two eventually marry, and it is not long before Shakuntala bears a son. Her son initially shows no marks of royalty but is eventually accepted into the royal family and lives alongside Shakuntala in the palace.
