HISTORY OF GREEKS AND THEIR THEATRE

		mythology of india
MAP OF INDIA MAP OF MIDDLE EAST HINDUISM AND MYTH HINDU GODS AND GODDESSES MAJOR HINDU DEITIES MAHABHARATA INTRO MAHABHARATA AUTHOR MAHABHARATA HISTORICAL CONTEXT MAHABHARATA STYLE MAHABHARATA CHARACTER ANALYSIS MAHABHARATA CHARACTER DESCRIPTION MAHABHARATA THEMES MAHABHARATA EPIC synopsis MAHABHARATA EPIC major themes MAHABHARATA FILM REVIEW kkeberhard.edublogs.org WORLD HOMEPAGE		Narrative Technique—Frame Stories The complex structure of the Mahabharata exists in part due to its shape as a series of stories and narratives nested one within another. It opens with the first of two frame stories, which act as introductions, leading the reader toward the heart of the poem, the epic story of the great battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The reader first encounters the tale of Sauti, a bard or storyteller, who recounts what he has heard of the Mahabharata to several listeners in the forest. Sauti quotes the sage Vaisampayana, who has learned the poem from his master, Vyasa, the author of the work. Vaisampayana's tale thus comprises the second frame story. He recites most of the Mahabharata at the snake sacrifice of King Janamejaya. Within the main plot of the poem several more sages, or rishis, such as Markandeya and Vrihadaswa, recount legends, folktales, or popular stories that illustrate a moral or theme somehow relevant to the main plot. Occasionally Sauti surfaces within the narrative to make an observation, as does Vaisampayana, but these intrusions are generally brief. Overall, this structure allows for the many breaks in narrative flow and chronology, repeated accounts of events from different points of view, and lengthy digressions that mark this massive poem. Sanskrit Literature and Versification The Mahabharata represents one of the finest examples of classical Sanskrit poetry. Like Latin, classical Sanskrit is no longer a living, spoken language though a modern form of the language is a curricular requirement in many schools. The language of the work also differs somewhat from the Vedic tongue, a precursor of Sanskrit in which several holy texts of Hinduism, including the sacred Vedas and the Upanishads, were written. The subject of much scholarly study and several translations, the Mahabharata, while often referred to as an epic, is more specifically a purana, or "ancient tale" in verse. Originally written as one extended poem, the work eventually grew as more scenes, stories, and other material—including writings on ethics, law, philosophy, history, and religion—were added. The basic unit of the poem is the epic sloka, two verse lines with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. Other meters are also employed throughout, all of which adhere to the strict and formal rules of poetics that typify classical Sanskrit verse. Language and Style Several stylistic elements of the Mahabharata indicate that the poem was once repeated verbally as part of an oral tradition rather than written down. These include: repeated words and phrases, the use of cliches, and some stereotypical descriptions, such as those found in the many battle scenes in the poem. Overall, however, the language of the work is said to be simple and restrained. In many cases the narrative downplays the more grisly elements of war. Yet much of the Mahabharata's imagery is also vivid and highly evocative. Metaphors and similes—comparisons designed to describe one thing by invoking another—are common in the text, and are especially used to portray the superhuman qualities and feats of the poem's heroes. Exaggeration is also used in typical mythic fashion to underscore the grandeur and scope of the events being described. Arjuna, for example, can unleash dozens of arrows in a second, and during the war these the arrows launched by all the combatants can block out the sun. Much of the story is delivered in dialogue—conversation—or individual speeches. Sometimes a character's thoughts are rendered in soliloquy, as if spoken even though no one else is present. Additionally, the poet employs the classic epic device of foreshadowing, by mentioning or alluding to future events before they occur. Thus, Gandhari observes that the Pandavas will win the war, because dharma is on their side, long before the battle has ended. Finally, many characters are depicted with epithets, symbolic names that describe some significant or interesting characteristic, or have allegorical names. Duryodhana's name, for instance, means "hard to conquer."