An Investigative Study of Female Roles in the Plays Based on Jathaka Stories

Abstract

There are many stage-plays based on Jathaka stories. In the dramatic traditions such as Kolam, Noorthi, and Nadagam, the Jathaka narrator’s ideology remained unchanged. But in the stage drama based on Jathaka stories created after 1950, the creator brings his own ideology. The playwrights break down the traditional view, which is primarily socialized by the native speaker. Furthermore, the new creator brings the action of female characters as a struggle for a free existence. In these post 1950s creations, the woman is given an identity in contexts of love, sex, and decision-making. In a play based on Jathaka stories, the playwright transcends the Jathaka narrator and socializes his ideology. The aim of this research is to find out if the playwright has tried to activate the female characters through a more liberal approach, which has been manipulated by the native narrator with a feminist and socio-biological opinion. Preliminary readings reveal that the role of female characters in Jathaka story-related dramas is more liberal than that of the Jathaka narrator. This research is carried out by studying the plays created in connection with the Jathaka stories and through a critical reading of the Jathaka drama principles.