The Flower Of Good Fortune Character Analysis

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Kathakali is one of the main forms of classical dance-drama of India and is indigenous to the southwestern region of Kerala. The Flower of Good Fortune, in Hindu: Kalyāṇasaugandhikam, is a famous Kathakali play written by the playwright Kottayam Tampuran (1625-1685) .
It is one of the few traditional pieces still performed today. Traditionally, the whole play is composed of fourteen scenes and is enacted during one whole night. Today, however, the vast majority of performances only include two to five of the fourteen scenes . An actor who would like to undertake the role of Bhima, the protagonist of The Flower of Good Fortune, in the traditional Kathakali style would have to have an informed knowledge of the symbolic hand gestures, called hasta mudras, used to portray both thematic and literal elements in the piece itself. Emotions and actions, and also objects and abstract connotations are all represented by hasta mudras . Therefore, knowledge of the use of hasta mudras is crucial …show more content…

Bringing the opened out palms facing upwards, he chooses to hold them together in kapota hasta (double-handed gesture used to symbolize salutation and agreement ), indicating the flower wants to keep blooming. The hasta mudra slowly rises to simulate the flower trying to bloom further. All this time, the performer’s eyes are diligently watching every movement of the flower, and with trembling fingers he then indicates the opening of each petal. This quivering opening of the flower is depicted in the performer’s eyes by the movement of the pupil, eyelids, and eyebrows and his lips spread in a beam of excitement. There is no limit to the time that the performer can take to exultantly describe the flower. The elaboration and embellishment of actions of the hasta mudras in combination with the movement of the face and the body could stretch an authentic Kathakali performance to nine