Beauty in Nature… Shakuntala

   Representation of Nature in Shakuntala – Unessay

In Kalidasa’s story Shakuntala, the king, and Shakuntala herself fall in love to make the readers feel a mixture of emotions. These emotions also may come from the combination of themes throughout that may connect to the readers’ lives and personal stories. Some themes being love, beauty, nature, power, and duty, could be interpreted in multiple ways, and other themes may even be present depending on how you analyze the reading.  

I think there is a theme of beauty in nature, and I saw this from Act 1. Nature seemed to always connect with a scene throughout, such as the setting and background of the acts. For example, when Shakuntala is watering the trees outside, and Dusyanta is watching her without the girls knowing. We sense his rising feelings for her in the scene, while the story describes her beauty among nature. In Act 1, Shakuntala says “Oh, girls, that mango-tree is trying to tell me something with his branches that move in the wind like fingers. I must go and see him”. We also see that Shakuntala personifies nature as well, making nature become a deeper part of the story rather than just a setting. The reading makes nature sound beautiful while bringing strong imagery to the minds of the audience, and we see nature mesh with Shakuntala’s beauty. Therefore I think this theme of nature also represents innocence. We see Priyamvada say to Shakuntala, “I really heard Father Kanva say that this flowering vine was to be a symbol of your coming happiness.” meaning that nature brings meanings to their lives. Happiness is a warm and light emotion, showing innocence in this scene amongst the girls. 

Relating to my personal life, the innocence in the theme of beauty in nature relates to my childhood. In school, we would use to read stories that connected the characters through nature, and for projects, we sometimes would have to do this ourselves. Not just in school, but I think the idea of childhood itself represents innocence because we see children as being pure and guiltless. As the same for the outdoors itself with the fall leaves, cold snow, and breezy summer weather. As a child, I would be able to spend days out by the pool and enjoy the simple things in life like being outdoors with no work or school to worry about. I would enjoy going to the park, on walks, or for picnics as it was always something to look forward to in my childhood days. Not just connecting nature to my childhood, but also 2020 and the world we are living in today. With the pandemic still in full effect, outdoor activities may be the only thing that helps people get away and brings happiness to their lives. I think right now, nature still holds much beauty during the pandemic, since some are still going through rough times during it all. Nature helps bring in the extra kick of happiness and breaths of fresh air. We need to continue seeing the beauty in the world of nature like in Shakuntala, nature helped form the story and make it seem like a fairytale. In conclusion, nature helps bring peace and energy into the world overall and in Shakuntala, and I think it brings meaning to all lives whether it be innocence, happiness, beauty, or peace. Below I include a picture from a hike I went on nearby to Plymouth, as this is one of the most beautiful pictures in my camera roll. On this hike, I was able to escape from my worries and future tasks and be able to have fun with my friends, as Shakuntala did with her own watering the trees.

I chose to add in all the photos above because these were photos that I was happy about posting. All my friends and I were enjoying ourselves in nature at these times, and I wanted to capture it to prove how nature can bring happiness and peace. The world around us is natural and untouched, and we still continue to find the beauty in it every day.