Two plays of ancient India

The central plot of The Little Clay Cart, ascribed to Sudraka (ca. A.D. 400), is devoted to the fortunes of Carudatta, a Brahmin with every appealing attribute of the romantic hero, and the delightful Vasantena, a courtesan whose beauty of person and character make her a fit match for Carudatta. Each in a different way is menaced by the villian Samsthanaka, and this primary plot is interwoven with subplots: a political revolt; the love affair of a Brahmin/burglar and a member of Vasantasena's household. Other characters include Maitreya, the confidant of Carudatta; a Libertine; the forces of the law; gamblers; a msseur who becomes a wandering monk. The play abounds in humor, including the Malapropian speech of Samsthanaka, and ends on a note of Buddhist compassion and charity. The Minister's Seal, ascribed to Prince Visakhadatta (6th century), represents another aspect of Indian drama: the semihistorical or political play. Except for two female guards all the characters are male, and love has no place in the plot. Canakya, the Machiavellian minister of King Candragupta, wishes to secure for his master the services of Raksasa, whose astuteness and loyalty had long been devoted to the previous ruler. In a succession of schemes, counterschemes, and subschemes, he achieves his purpose. The twentieth-century reader will find here striking parallels to his own time, in which propaganda, spies, double agents, and political coups are part of the daily news.