Theatre
চন্দ্রগুপ্ত
Not translated into English
Dwijendralal Ray · 1911
Synopsis
Driven from the throne of Magadha by his half-brother Nanda, Prince Chandragupta joins Alexander's army, where Seleucus teaches him war. He returns with the support of Chandraketu, the young king of Malay, of Chanakya, a former royal priest, and of Katyayan, a former prime minister, to overthrow Nanda. Chhaya, Chandraketu's sister, falls in love with him; among the Greeks, Helen, Seleucus's daughter, loves him too, while Antigone, an officer said to be a bastard, claims her hand.
Context
The last of the author's historical plays, it was written in 1911. He said it was drawn from the Puranas and from Greek history; Chandraketu and Mura come from the Sanskrit drama Mudrarakshasa, whereas the love of Chandragupta and Chhaya, the character of Helen and the plot of Antigone are his own invention. It includes eight songs written and set to music by him. It has been read as the confrontation of India and the British; K. Mammen translated it into Malayalam in 1919, and H. M. Reddy made it into a Tamil film in 1939, Mathru Bhoomi.
Who it is for
A play in five acts interspersed with songs. It is better to know Chandragupta Maurya and his minister Chanakya. No French translation.
Prizes and reception
One of the most popular plays of its author and of the Bengali stage; its influence on Jaishankar Prasad's Hindi play was long debated.
Sources for this page 7
The pages consulted to check this page.