Saturday, 14 March 2015

Who is Madanika in "The Little Clay Cart"?

Madanika is
listed in the cast as maid to the courtesan Vasantasena. She first appears in act 2 "The
Shampooer Who Gambled," where she enters the scene with the "love-lorn
Vasantasena" and they talk about Vasantasena's love for the merchant Charudatta. Madanika
tells Vasantasena that, if she loves him, she must go to him at once.


Madanika remains with her mistress until Sarvilaka breaks into Charudattas home and
steals what happen to be Vasantasena's jewels and then tries to use them to buy Madanika's hand
in marriage.

Sarvilaka's proposal is detailed in the fourth act, which is
called "Madanika and Sarvilaka." At first, Madanika is horrified that her sinless
Sarvilaka has felt it necessary to commit a crime to win her hand. She tells him that
Vasantasena would set her free anyway. She calms down when she realizes they are the same jewels
that Vasantasena entrusted Charudatta to look after for her and therefore he could be seen as
just taking them back to their rightful owner. Vasantasena, who has been listening in all this
time, agrees with Madanika and permits Sarvilaka to marry her.

The last time
we see Madanika is when she gets on a cart with her future husband in the same act, and they
drive away. They are just about to disappear around the corner when Sarvilaka hears that his
friend Aryaka has been imprisoned by King Palaka.

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