Spirituality, virtue and ethics in Tagore’s dramas Many forms of drama have always coexisted in India, from the ancient Sanskrit ones to the more widespread and popular works which are rooted in anciently created settings.
Every Indian state had typical, individual traditional dramatic types with many variants, despite elements in common with others, especially the figure of a narrator who described the situation and previous events to the audience, introducing many characters and explaining what took place outside the scene. Open-air plays were even more appreciated.
They had no scenery and the action was constantly accompanied by music.
There is no doubt that Western drama came in contact with the Indian one and the other way round too, but the two worlds got to know each other closely in the late 19th century, especially through Tagore’s works.
He was one of the most important Indian poets, an eclectic person with a great artistic talent.

Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta in 1861.
His was a distinguished, noble family and he was the 14th son of an extremely rich Bengali brahmin.
All his brothers established themselves in many fields of human knowledge. Reluctant to follow the traditional school, Tagore was instead educated by private tutors who imparted culturally extensive knowledge. 1878 marked his first journey abroad, to England - it was profitable from an educational viewpoint but in particular it enabled him to observe English customs and traditions. Back in India, he wrote the musical play Valmiki Pratibha (1882), and other theatrical works - The King and the Queen (1889), Sacrifice (1891) and Chitrangada (1892), considered his masterpiece. The dramaturgic plot chosen in these plays reflects ancient Indian Drama - the heroes/protagonists are of divine or regal origin. In 1901 Tagore opened an experimental school in Santiniketan, based on his teaching ideals - he wished to open the way to a new teaching and educational system which differed from the one followed at the time in India and which had been a bitter experience to Tagore himself. This institute will later become the famous International University of Visna-Bharati.
The early 20th century brought many deaths in his family - his wife Mrinalini Devi (1902) for whom he wrote the collection of poems Smaran (On Memoriam), his daughter Renuka (1903) and in 1907 his thirteen year old son Samindra, who died of cholera. These tragic events sorely tried Tagore.
During the same period his poems reached great fame in Europe, thanks to their English translation which was done by the poet himself.
In 1912 he wrote the play The Post Office and in 1913 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature - he was the first Asian to receive this much longed for award. His relationship with Gandhi was extremely cordial and, even their apparent divergences concealed a deep affinity as concerns solidarity and hope in an Indian nation.
Between 1922-1932 Tagore became India’s messenger in the world, carrying the voice of his people. In 1925 he held a conference at the Circolo Filologico in Milan, where The Post Office was given in his honour at the Scala. In 1926 he accepted Mussolini’s invitation and returned to Italy, also wishing to personally meet the Duce. He received a triumphal welcome in Rome and the play Chitra was given on that occasion. Tagore, a many-sided character with many interests, discovered the greatness of God by observing nature. Man and his spiritual relationship with the god-head became the main topic in Bengali literature - Bengali was his mothertongue.
The complicated plot of the play The King and the Queen presents the story of a king of Punjab, who falls so deeply in love with his bride that he entirely neglects his duties towards his subjects, who are oppressed by administrators who have no scruples. The moral lesson of this text, which will close with the death of the beloved queen, lies in the consideration that any love that can lead a person to neglect his duties towards humanity is nothing but a sick and inauspicious feeling.
The play Sacrifice too presents yet another innocent victim - a young boy. It relates the dispute between wise king Govinda, who has legally abolished sacrifice, and Kali’s priest, Raghupati, who on the contrary means to maintain them. The goddess’ priest, possessed, convinces a boy to make an attempt on the king’s life but the youth prefers to kill himself rather than become the murderer of wise Govinda.
One of Tagore’s best works is Chitrangada, a play in verse inspired by an episode from the Mahabharata. Tagore rewrites the story giving it great poetical importance. Chitra, daughter of king Manipur and brought up like a boy, is a strong and courageous warrior. One day she meets prince Arjuna who leads an ascetic life and falls hopelessly in love with him.
The maiden then asks the god of love, Madana, and the spirit of spring, Vasanta, to grant her a woman’s alluring beauty to seduct Arjuna at least for one day. Madana grants her a year of perfect beauty, hence the woman succeeds in deeply rousing the prince’s passion. He forgets his ascetic duties and surrenders to the delights of love and pleasure. Time goes by and during their last meeting Arjuna admits his wish to meet princess Chitrangada, whom he had heard of. Chitra then confides that the princess is a woman who totally lacks female charms and is hard and manly in her ways, but Arjuna answers that those are exactly the traits he wants and is looking for in a woman. Then the maiden reveals her identity to her beloved and returns to her former physical appearance - Arjuna accepts her and is pleased with her. The play closes by extolling virtue that conquers fleeting beauty.
In the period that follows, Tagore’s plays are greatly influenced by symbolism, quite evident in Autumn Feast (1908), his first work in prose, mixed with songs. One of this Indian poet’s most famous plays is no doubt The Post Office, written entirely in prose. Its protagonist is Amal - while the youth is seriously ill, he is made to believe that a letter is expected for him from the king. Amal is filled with expectation. On hearing the story the king sends his doctor to treat him and announces his wish to pay him a visit in person. But the boy falls asleep and drifts from sleep to death, quite unaware of the change. The dream-like atmosphere and the feeling of kindness and peace that can be perceived in every scene enthrals the audience.
(traslated by Interpres SaS)