Kaikeyi: Character Creation and Conceptualization
கைகேயி மாந்தர்படைப்பும் கருத்துருவாக்கமும்
Keywords:
Kaikeyi, Kamban, Character Analysis, Tamil Literature, Character Creation
Abstract
Kamban’s Kaikeyi is also a character creation that needs to be conceptualized anew. Although Kamban presented this creation as one that does not deviate from righteousness (dharma), it is recorded differently in worldly conventions. Kamban’s Kaikeyi is not merely a vivacious creation, but it would be more accurate to say that it is a creation born from Kamban’s inner emotional flow regarding womanhood.
References
Kambaramayanam — Kanda ii, Line 1546
Cited to reveal Kaikeyi's true inner feelings, with the verse beginning "The change that a woman's heart can make, with the strength equal to Kosala's wisdom..."
Kambaramayanam — Kanda ii, Line 2262
Cited when Kaikeyi remains calm even after being condemned by her own son Bharata, with the verse "I feared that the sage would curse, but the name 'mother' protected me..."
Kambaramayanam — Kanda ii, Line 2574
Cited to establish Kaikeyi's righteousness in handing over the kingdom to Bharata, referencing Rama's rightful inheritance through ancestral tradition.
Kambaramayanam — Kanda vi, Line 10079
Cited from the Yuddha Kanda (War Chapter), where Rama requests boons for Kaikeyi, elevating her to a divine status — "The mother, brother, and all shall receive the boon..."
Thirukkural — Verse 56
Cited to compare Kaikeyi's womanly virtues with Thiruvalluvar's definition of an ideal woman — "A woman who guards herself, cares for her husband, and never fails in her word is truly noble."
Valmiki Ramayanam — Sarga (Chapter) 107
Referenced for the Kanya Sulkam (bride's dowry/wedding gift) episode, which Valmiki describes clearly but Kamban only implies indirectly in his version of the epic.
Cited to reveal Kaikeyi's true inner feelings, with the verse beginning "The change that a woman's heart can make, with the strength equal to Kosala's wisdom..."
Kambaramayanam — Kanda ii, Line 2262
Cited when Kaikeyi remains calm even after being condemned by her own son Bharata, with the verse "I feared that the sage would curse, but the name 'mother' protected me..."
Kambaramayanam — Kanda ii, Line 2574
Cited to establish Kaikeyi's righteousness in handing over the kingdom to Bharata, referencing Rama's rightful inheritance through ancestral tradition.
Kambaramayanam — Kanda vi, Line 10079
Cited from the Yuddha Kanda (War Chapter), where Rama requests boons for Kaikeyi, elevating her to a divine status — "The mother, brother, and all shall receive the boon..."
Thirukkural — Verse 56
Cited to compare Kaikeyi's womanly virtues with Thiruvalluvar's definition of an ideal woman — "A woman who guards herself, cares for her husband, and never fails in her word is truly noble."
Valmiki Ramayanam — Sarga (Chapter) 107
Referenced for the Kanya Sulkam (bride's dowry/wedding gift) episode, which Valmiki describes clearly but Kamban only implies indirectly in his version of the epic.
Published
2020-01-01
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