Love, Politics, and the Premodern Theater: Perspectives on Kalidasa's Shakuntala

Abstract This chapter examines the historical context, major themes, and distinctive theatricality of the premodern Indian play The Abhijnanashakuntalam ( Abhijñānaśākuntalam ), often translated as The Recognition of Shakuntala , or simply Shakuntala ( Śakuntalā ). Written by the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa (Kālidāsa) in the late fourth/early fifth century ce , Shakuntala dramatizes the romance, separation, and reunion of its eponymous heroine and King Dushyanta (Duṣyanta) of Hastinapura (Hastināpura). While much has been written regarding the play's literary merits, such focus obscures the specificity of the theater culture for which Kalidasa wrote. Reading the play alongside other dramatic works by Kalidasa, as well as the dramaturgical treatise known as the Natyashastra ( Nātyaśāstra ), this chapter foregrounds the traces of premodern Indian theater culture preserved by the play, claiming it as a critical work of world theater as well as world literature.