CC - I : Discuss the unique nature of the hero in Mrichhakatikam

 

The hero of "Mrichhakatikam", a prakarana is, unlike the hero of the classical natakas, based on oral tradition and the playwright's imagination. He is neither a Kshatriya king nor a Brahmin, but a vaishya, one who comes from the trading class. His misfortune is more of a personal nature, and is not related to the misfortune of a state or an epoch. In this way, he is different from the typical war like hero of classical Sanskrit plays. He is not a fighter and is not shown to go to a battle or win it. He is infact, a resigned individual calmly accepting his fate and the poverty that he has fallen into. Yet, he is a lover and exercises bravery in the way he accepts love with all humility and remains constant in its exercise despite his ruin. It is this Constancy of sprit that makes Charudatta a hero, a quintessence of the dhiraprasanta type which typically enmeshes bravery with magnanimity. despite not being an elevated hero with almost super human qualities, Charudatta comes across as an endearing character, and fits the role of a hero quite well. And he does so far one primary quality-his patience, his commitment to law and philosophical detachment from his fate.