Analysis of Women Characters in Karnad’s ‘Yayati’

Abstract

Karnad has revolutionized the image of women in drama through ‘Yayati’, one of his initial plays. He has contested the typical women image created by the dominant patriarchal idealogy. Though the women characters in ‘Yayati’ shows a spirit and strength unlike the docile nature and meekness expected of them, they all finally succumb to the bounds set by the patriarchal framework. However much rebellious they were to the norms of patriarchal set up; all these female characters could only partially succeed in creating an image of an emancipated woman. The play do not show the characters in an open wage against the societal structure and male domination but the female characters are shown to be thinking beyond the bounds set by the dominant ideology. The courage to break away from thinking along the lines of dominant misogynic ideology is a great step towards women’s emancipation. The essay is an attempt to show how Karnad’s female characters are struggling to break the fetters of patriarchy and yet are failing at it and succumbing to the patriarchal order of society ultimately.