Sympathy with Bad Characters
I guess all of us would at one point or the other, sympathise with characters like Duryodhana or Karna in the Mahabharata, or even Meghnad or Ravana in the Ramayana. C. Rajgopalachari explains this so well that I am simply presenting his text to explain:
Great poets in all languages delineate with sympathy even their bad characters allowing gleams of goodness to shine through occasionally, for nature has not made anybody wholly and unredeemably evil.
The poet’s aim is to direct the reader’s mind into the path of Good, the satvik way. For this purpose they use all their skill and power in developing even their raajsik and taamasik characters.
The reader who is held by raajasik and taamasik qualities, naturally tends to sympathise with such characters; much more so readers below the average who are untouched by the saatvik element. They would regard the deeds of the hero and other saatvik characters as mere fiction invented for blind worship, and identify themselves with the raajsik and taamsik characters and even claim these as their own kith and kin. They would find themselves attracted by such characters and follow their doings with considerable interest.
‘Paradise Lost’, the English epic on a Biblical theme, is famous throughout the world. In this poem Milton delineates the Almighty and Jesus, His spiritual son and human incarnation, as well as several orders of angels. But the most impressive character in the great epic is Satan who rebelled against God and brought sin and death into this world. Critics of English poetry admire Milton’s wonderful success in the characterisation of Satan. Similarly, the great dramatic poet Shakespeare has created a wonderful characterisation of Shylock, the usurer and miser. Even such embodiments of despicable qualities are presented by the poets as possessing courage, determination, energy and other good qualities which attract us and serve as a bright background to their blackness. In Vaalmeeki’s portraits of Raavana and Kumbhakarna too, we notice the same artistic skill. The cook who meets all tastes shows his skill in making out of bitter vegetables an attractive dish. So does the poet show his skill in portraying evil.
(C. Rajgopalachari; Ramayana; Chap LXI, Anxiety in Lanka; P390)
- Rahul
I guess all of us would at one point or the other, sympathise with characters like Duryodhana or Karna in the Mahabharata, or even Meghnad or Ravana in the Ramayana. C. Rajgopalachari explains this so well that I am simply presenting his text to explain:
Great poets in all languages delineate with sympathy even their bad characters allowing gleams of goodness to shine through occasionally, for nature has not made anybody wholly and unredeemably evil.
The poet’s aim is to direct the reader’s mind into the path of Good, the satvik way. For this purpose they use all their skill and power in developing even their raajsik and taamasik characters.
The reader who is held by raajasik and taamasik qualities, naturally tends to sympathise with such characters; much more so readers below the average who are untouched by the saatvik element. They would regard the deeds of the hero and other saatvik characters as mere fiction invented for blind worship, and identify themselves with the raajsik and taamsik characters and even claim these as their own kith and kin. They would find themselves attracted by such characters and follow their doings with considerable interest.
‘Paradise Lost’, the English epic on a Biblical theme, is famous throughout the world. In this poem Milton delineates the Almighty and Jesus, His spiritual son and human incarnation, as well as several orders of angels. But the most impressive character in the great epic is Satan who rebelled against God and brought sin and death into this world. Critics of English poetry admire Milton’s wonderful success in the characterisation of Satan. Similarly, the great dramatic poet Shakespeare has created a wonderful characterisation of Shylock, the usurer and miser. Even such embodiments of despicable qualities are presented by the poets as possessing courage, determination, energy and other good qualities which attract us and serve as a bright background to their blackness. In Vaalmeeki’s portraits of Raavana and Kumbhakarna too, we notice the same artistic skill. The cook who meets all tastes shows his skill in making out of bitter vegetables an attractive dish. So does the poet show his skill in portraying evil.
(C. Rajgopalachari; Ramayana; Chap LXI, Anxiety in Lanka; P390)
- Rahul
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