Decoding Gender Roles, Identity, Marriage, Fidelity and Female Agency in Karnad’s Nagamandala

Abstract

Girish Karnad is one of the greatest known dramatists of India. He extracts his narrative structures from mythologies, which are reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. Essentially, Karnad utilizes his female characters as the victims of pervasive patriarchal repression. Nevertheless, Karnad endeavors to endow his female figures, such as Vishakha, Nittilai, Padmini, and Rani, with a powerful voice of modern women. These characters, despite being ensnared in the obscurity of a malevolent world ruled by patriarchal forces, display remarkable audacity as they struggle to lead lives marked by daring independence within a society plagued by gender segregation. Nagmandala is one of the greatest creations of Karnad. The play epitomises the contemporary roles of women through the help of mythical background. The present article aims to explore various issues related to the representation of women in Nagmandala.