Mṛcchakatika
Mṛcchakaṭika (The Little Clay Cart) (Sanskrit: मृच्छकटिकम्), also spelled Mrcchakatika, Mricchakatika, or Mrichchhakatika, is the name of a ten act Sanskrit play written by Śūdraka (Sanskrit: शूद्रक) in the 2nd century BC. It is set in Ujjayini (modern-day Ujjain).
Plot
Rife with romance, sex, court intrigue and comedy, the plot of the play has numerous twists and turns. The main story is about a young man named Charudatta (Sanskrit: चारुदत्त), and his love for Vasantasena (Sanskrit: वसन्तसेना), a rich courtesan or nagarvadhu. The love affair is complicated by a royal courtier, who is also attracted to Vasantasena. The plot is further complicated by thieves and mistaken identities, thus making it a hilarious and entertaining play.
Characters
- Charudatta
- Vasantsena
- Cheta-Kumbhilika
- Vidhushaka
Media
- The Indian play depicted in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, "Spectacular Spectacular", may have been based on The Little Clay Cart.
Additional reading
- Barrucand, Victor. Le Chariot De Terre Cuit, H. Piazza, Paris, 1921
- Parab, Kashinath Pandurang. Mrichchhakatika, commentary by Prithvidhara, Bombay: Nirlaya-Sagar Press. 1900
See also
Notes
- ^ http://illuminations.berkeley.edu/archives/2005/history.php?volume=9
- ^ "PROF. A. W. RYDER, OF SANSKRIT FAME", The New York Times, March 22, 1938, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60B1EFD3C5C1B7A93C0AB1788D85F4C8385F9
- ^ Milton Bracker (June 7, 1953), "Story of a Determined Lady", The New York Times: X3, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00713FD3C5A117A93C5A9178DD85F478585F9
- ^ Edwin Schallert (December 9, 1926), "'Clay-Cart' Hero Wins: 'Twas Ever Thus—Even in the Sanskrit", The Los Angeles Times: A9, http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/362657072.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=CITE:AI
- ^ Kannada Cinema
Śūdraka; Arthur Llewellyn Basham (1994), Arvind Sharma, ed., The little clay cart: an English translation of the Mṛcchakaṭika of Śūdraka, as adapted for the stage, SUNY series in Hindu literature, ISBN 9780791417256, http://books.google.com/?id=Uhewt4X2eWQC
External links