Unakan: A Combination of the Images of Thai Hero and Heroine

Abstract

Focusing on Unakan, the heroine in male disguise in Bot lakhon nai reung Inao, this paper aims at studying the roles and significance of her character that reflect the outstanding image of a heroine in Thai literature. In the story, Butsaba, the heroine, is disguised by her divine ancestor, Patarakala, as a young man named Unakan. The study reveals that Unakan possesses the characteristics of both hero and heroine. By portraying the roles as parallel to Inao, the hero of the story, Unakan is a great warrior and a dignified hero who has irresistible charm to women. She also searches for the lost lover which is generally the role of a hero. These roles are usually found in many versions of the Panji romances. It reflects that the poet kept these outstanding roles of the Panji romances' heroines. Still, Unakan preserves the same characteristics as other heroines in the Thai literary convention. Unakan does not only have perfect beauty and conduct like other Thai ideal women, but she also represents an ideal wife. The character of Unakan has significance to literary aesthetics and values, to the criticism of women’s potential, and to Thai literary tradition.