EngEduTech

ABOUT ME

EngEduTech
View my complete profile

Followers (12)

POPULAR POSTS

F.Y.B.Com. Sem-I
Compulsory English Notes
Syllabus w.e.f. 2022-23 PDF

Notes and MCQs on

"Playing the English
Gentleman" by M. K. Gandhi

Nagamandala

Welcome Speech : An
Example

मोबाईल फोन वरून मतदार नोंदणी

कशी करावी

SIDE BAR AD
Home  Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore SOCIAL PLUGIN

Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore   

 EngEduTech  August 10, 2020

TOTAL PAGEVIEWS

1148316

Chitra
-Rabindranath Tagore POPULAR POSTS
Introduction:
F.Y.B.Com. Sem-I
Rabindranath Tagore was a versatile writer in India. He was a voluminous writer. He Compulsory English
was basically a Bengali poet who won the coveted Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 for Syllabus w.e.f. 2022
his poetry collection “Gitanjali”. Tagore has tried his hand at all the types of literary
genres. His novel entitled “Gora” is well-known. His short stories also are read with great
literary taste. Tagore was a musician and very skillful in drawing. His knowledge of music CLASS-WISE NOTES
and painting has reflected in his writings. He was a great lyricist. A mere perusal of his
 Add-On Course
poetry indicates that a musician in Tagore is perfectly reflected in his poetry. Similarly, the
Certificate Course In Communicative
artist in painting in Tagore also is greatly reflected in his stories and plays. He was well- 

versed in human psychology. Therefore, he draws his characters perfectly. His characters  Communicative English Course

like Vasanti, Chitra, Sudha and Raicharan are immortal and will always be remembered by  FYBA Comp. English
the readers.
 FYBA Optional English

“Chitra” is a play by Rabindranath Tagore. It was originally written in Bengali in 1891 FYBA Sem - II Compulsory English (S
2022-23)
and published in 1893. It was translated into English by Tagore himself. It is a lyrical play
and is also called a dance-drama. It is in one act. It has nine scenes only. There are only  FYBCo Sem-II Optional English

four major characters in “Chitra.” They are – Chitra, Arjuna, Madana (the God of Love) and  FYBCom Sem-II
Vasantha (the God of Youth and Eternal Beauty). It is based on a Chitra-Arjuna myth in the
 FYBCom Sem-II (Wef 2022-23 Sylabu
“Mahabharata”. Hence, it is also called a mythical play. It is set in the Vedic period. Its
FYBSc
locale is the forest around the state of Manipur in Aryawarta (now India). 

Summary of the Play:  NET/SLET

 S.Y.B.Sc. English
The play opens with the conversation between Chitra and, Madana and Vasantha.
SYBA Comp. English
Chitra is a daughter of Chitravahana, the king of Manipur. She is undergoing hard penance 

to please Madana, the God of love and Vasantha, the God of youth and eternal beauty. She  SYBA DSE 1 A

narrates them the story of her first meeting with Arjuna. Once in pursuing the hunting, she  SYBA DSE 1 E
comes across a hermit who was lying in her way. She asks him to get away from her way
 TYBA AEC (Compulsory English) Sem
but he remains silent and does not move. Chitra arrogantly pricks the man with her arrow.
TYBA DSC 1 E
The man gets up. Chitra asks him about who he is. The man replies that he is Arjuna, one 

of the five Pandava brothers. After listening to it, Chitra remains dumbfounded. She  TYBA DSC 1 F

remains speechless. She had long-cherished dream to fight with Arjuna and prove her
superiority over him in archery. She forgets to pay compliments to him. Meanwhile, Arjuna
leaves the place with smile on his face for Chitra’s boyish arrogance. The incident arouses LABELS
her womanhood. The next day, Chitra wears woman’s cloths and meets Arjuna. She
 Add-On Course
expresses her love for him and wants him to marry her. But Arjuna does not get impressed
American Literature
with her common look. He tells her that he has been observing celibacy and is not fit to be 

her husband. Chitra becomes sad. The words prick her ears like hot needles. She implores  Basics Of Spoken English

Madana and Vasanta to shower voluptuous beauty upon her for one day only. On her Certificate Course In Communicative

request, Madana and Vasanta make Chitra extremely beautiful not for one day but for the
 Communication Theory And Skills
whole year.
 Communicative English Course
Arjuna falls in love with the beautiful Chitra. But now Chitra gets disillusioned with
 Criticism
the name and fame of Arjuna who easily gets infatuated with the false borrowed beauty.
 CTET
He even gets ready to break his celibacy for Chitra. Yet, she could not control herself from
giving her beautiful body in the arms of Arjuna. They spend a night together and enjoy  English For Competitive Exams

physical pleasure. On getting up in the morning, she regrets over her act with Arjuna. She  English Literature
feels shame of her act. She attempts to cry but in vain. She requests Madana and
 Exam. Time Tables (KBC NMU Jalga
Vasantha to take her beauty away from her. But the Gods tell her to keep patience and
 Examination Time Table
enjoy her days with Arjuna.
 FYBA Comp. English
After spending a few days with Chitra, Arjuna seems to get fed up with her. He
 FYBA Optional English
craves for his past life. He yearns for his past glory. He recalls his past adventures. He
FYBA Sem - II Compulsory English
narrates Chitra how he, along with his four brothers, used to go for hunting and how they 

used to swim in the stormy rivers in rainy season. He hears about Chitra from the villagers FYBA Sem - II Compulsory English (S
2022-23)
and wonders about Chitra. He thinks about her and wants to see her. Chitra wants to
attract his attention towards her. She wants to share the last glorious night with Arjuna. As  FYBCo Sem-II Optional English

the year has come to end, her beauty will decline and her original form will be restored.  FYBCom
Hence, she wants to enjoy the last night with Arjuna. Madana and Vasanta advise her not
 FYBCom Sem-II
to worry about the loss of her beauty. It will be found in nature. Chitra tells Arjuna that she
is carrying his child and if it happens to be a son, she will bring him up as a second Arjuna.  FYBCom Sem-II (Wef 2022-23 Sylabu
Finally, Arjuna accepts Chitra in her original form and says, “Beloved, my heart is full.”
 FYBSc

 Grammar
Long Answer Questions:
 Important Instructions

Indian English Literature

1) What are the Major thematic preoccupations of the 

play “Chitra”?  Internal Tests

 Jalgaon)
Ans. “Chitra” is a poetic play by Rabindranath Tagore. It is based on the Puramic story. It is
 NET/SLET
set in Vedic period in the land of Manipur. It is in verse form. Its major thematic concerns
 Notes On Masterpieces In English Lit
are discussed as under.
A) Love : Love is a major theme of the play, “Chitra”. The plot revolves around the love  Offline Examination

relationship between Chitra and Arjuna. Chitra comes across Arjuna while wandering in  Online Examination
the forest. When she comes to know that he is brave Arjuna, one of Pandava brothers, she
 Original Texts
falls in love with him. The next day, she proposes to him. But Arjuna rejects her proposal
 Research Methodology
by saying that he has been observing celibacy. He also tells her that:
“I am not fit to be thy husband”.  S.Y.B.Sc. English

But unlike a common woman, Chitra does not leave her attempts. She undergoes hard  Savitribai Phule Pune University
penance and in this way pleases Madana (the God of love) and Vasanta (the God of youth
 Short Cut Links
and happiness). She demands voluptuous beauty from both the Gods so that she can win
 Spoken English - Basic Level
the heart of Arjuna. Thus, she becomes extremely beautiful. Arjuna gets infatuated with
her beauty. He also falls in love with her. But Chitra realizes that theirs is not original love  Spoken Skills

but just physical love. So, she becomes disillusioned. But the two Gods advise her not to  SYBA Comp. English
worry and enjoy the company of Arjuna till the last day. The physical union between Chitra
 SYBA DSE 1 A
and Arjuna takes place. Thus, in the beginning the love between Chitra and Arjuna is only
 SYBA DSE 1 E
physical. This fact keeps torturing Chitra. But it later on changes into spiritual love when
Chitra reveals her true self to Arjuna. He accepts Chitra in her original form. Thus, the  Syllabi (KBC NMU

journey of love between Chitra and Arjuna is from physical love to spiritual love.  Tests And Mock Tests

 TET
B) Man-Woman Equality: Tagore believed in man-woman equality. Hence, he aptly deals
 TYBA AEC (Compulsory English) Sem
with the theme of man-woman equality in the play. Chitra is the only Child of her parents.
Hence, there is no male heir to rule the kingdom of Manipur. So, her father gives her TYBA AEC (Compulsory English) Sem
2020-21 Syllabus
treatment like a boy. Chitra is expert in all the skills like archery used in war and generally
TYBA DSC 1 E
learned by men. Her behaviour is like a man in every respect. She realizes her womanhood 

first only when she meets Arjuna for the first time. She even proposes to Arjuna.  TYBA DSC 1 F

 University Results
C) Women’s Liberty: Tagore was an apostle of women’s liberty. He attempted to prove that
 Voters' Registration
women were quite free in the Vedic period. They had choice in every matter. Chitra is
Writing Skills
shown in man’s attire. She learns archery and even wanders in the forest in search of 

hunting. She is depicted as a courageous woman.

D) Illusion Versus Reality: In the play, Tagore himself says:

“Illusion is the first appearance of reality”.
The love between Chitra and Arjuna is physical. Arjuna gets attracted towards Chitra’s
beauty. He does not know that the beauty is temporary and hence it is illusionary. He falls
in love with the temporary beauty. Therefore, he falls in love with illusion. Chitra’s beauty is
borrowed and temporary. It is not real and permanent.
Thus, love, man-woman equality, women’s liberty and illusion versus reality are the
major themes of the play, “Chitra” by Tagore.

2) Consider “Chitra” as a lyrical play.

OR
3) Consider “Chitra” as a poetic play.
OR
4) Consider “Chitra” as a dance drama.
OR
5) Consider “Chitra” as a verse play.

Ans. Tagore was basically a poet. His talent best suited for poetry rather than drama.
Hence, his dramas have lyrical quality. He uses poetic language in his plays. His plays
have some drawbacks which are – they lack well-knit plot; they are hardly meant for
performing on stage; they do not observe the three unities; they are not full length plays;
some of them are so short that they cannot be called plays. But the poetic qualities of his
plays overcome all these drawbacks.

“Chitra” is a poetic play by Tagore. It is also called a dance-drama or verse drama or

lyrical drama. It is written in ‘blank verse’. It is a love- idyll. It has the theme of passionate
love. Scene – III describes romantic atmosphere in a very poetic way. It is full of beautiful
passages. It contains expressions of passionate love. According to Edward Thompson, “It
is as ardent and throbbing as anything in erotic literature of extremely beautiful”, Like any
lyric, it is full of beautiful expressions. It has many passages describing sensuous love.
Chitra’s narration of her first sensuous love with Arjuna is the best example of this kind.
She describes it in the poetic words as:
“Heaven and earth, time and space, pleasure
and pain, death and life merged together in
an unbearable ecstasy.”

Like a lyric, the play is full of symbols and images. Tagore depicts love-story of
Chitra and Arjuna through symbols and images. Chitra symbolizes an average woman and
Arjuna an average man. Their love stands for the love between common man and woman.
Like every common man and woman they, at first, fall victim to mere physical attraction.
But their love later changes into spiritual one when Arjuna accepts Chitra in her original
form. Madana and Vasanta are symbolic characters. Madana stands for love and sexual
instincts, while Vasanta stands for youth and eternal beauty.

Tagore employs various literary devices which are mostly used in poetry. He uses
figures of speech like simile and personification which are. For example, the sentence-

“..you have dissolved my vow even as the moon

dissolves the night’s vow of obscurity”

is a fine example of it. The use of alliteration and repetition in the sentences like-

“what can you desire, you who are the desire of

the whole world.”

and

“…his name and fame, his bravery and prowess

false or true…”

give musicality to the play.

Thus, “Chitra” is a poetic play by Tagore. It has lyrical qualities. We find a fine fusion
of poetry, passion, love and romance in it.

6) ‘Chitra is an epitome of feminine power, beauty and

youth’. Discuss.
OR
7) Attempt the Character sketch of Chitra.
Ans.

Rabindranath Tagore was a great exponent of women’s liberty. He was a staunch

supporter of man-woman equality. He regards a woman as the primordial energy of the
universe. His women characters are daring, courageous and bold. They display remarkable
vivacity and dazzling variety. The characters of Chitra, Urvashi and Laxmi are the glaring
examples of it.

Development of Chitra’s Character:

Chitra is a princess of Manipur. Her parents bring up her like a boy. She is known as
a warrior. She is adept in archery. She comes across Arjuna and for the first time feels that
she is a woman. She deeply falls in love with Arjuna. The next day, she puts on woman’s
costume and woos Arjuna. But Arjuna rejects her love on the ground of avowed celibacy.
But Chitra implores the Gods of Madana and Vasanta to make her superbly beautiful. Her
prayer is granted. Finally, she wins the heart of Arjuna and indulges in physical union with
him.

Chitra’s character develops from dream (illusion) to reality. There is her transition
from the fire of flowery spring to the mellow fruitfulness of Autumn. She considers her
borrowed beauty mere illusion. Hence, she cries out Arjuna:

“Alas, it is not I, not I, Arjuna! It is the deceit of a God.

Go, go my hero. Go, woo not falsehood,

offer not your great heart to illusion.”

 She knows that this acquired beauty will vanish one day. The only moment of her union
with Arjuna would slip from her, leaving her ashamed of her naked poverty. She prefers to
accept the hard truth sooner than the false happiness.

Chitra: Man in valour and woman in tenderness:

Chitra is depicted as a very brave princess. She is a protector of the people. She is
liked and loved by the villagers for her quality. Villagers tell Arjuna:

“Princess Chitra was the terror of all evil doers.

…….She is our father and mother in one.”

Chitra is described as :

“…in valour she is a man, and

a woman in tenderness.”

When Arjuna hears all these things from the villagers, he himself describes her as a
Goddess of Victory. To him, Chitra seems like a goddess hidden within a golden image.
Thus, Chitra is depicted as a very bold and courageous woman. There is a fusion of two
types of women in Chitra which are - the emotional and tranquillising.

Chitra as an Epitome of Feminine Power, Youth and Beauty:

Chitra is a representation of feminism in India. Long before she meets Arjuna, she
dreams of defeating Arjuna in straight fight. Her dream was:

“…to challenge him in disguise in single combat,

and prove my skill in arms against him.”

Thus, she represents feminine power. She represents man-woman equality. She is
not the woman who nourishes her despair in lonely silence, she is no goddess to be
worshipped, nor yet the object of common pity to be brushed aside like a moth with
indifference.

Short Answer Questions:

1) The use of myth in Chitra.

OR
2) Chitra as a mythological play.
Ans. “Chitra” is a mythological play by Tagore. It is based on the Mahabharata myth of
Chitrangada and Arjuna. In the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas were in Vanawas
(forest), Arjuna had come across Chitrangada who was a daughter of Chitravahana, the
king of Manipur. They fall in love with each other. Therefore, Arjuna meets her father to ask
for her hand. Chitravahana gets ready to get his daughter married to Arjuna on one
condition. The condition is that Arjuna will have to give his first son/child as a heir to the
kingdom as Chitra is the only daughter of his. Arjuna happily gets ready for that and finally
marries Chitra. This is the short story of Chitra- Arjuna myth in the Mahabharata.

Tagore exploits the myth in the play, “Chitra”. But he makes certain changes in it,
perhaps, to heighten the dramatic effect.

3) The Character of Arjuna.

Ans. Arjuna is depicted as a weak-hearted character. He lacks firmness of mind. He is

shadowy. At first, he rejects Chitra for she is in common look. But he gets infatuated with
her voluptuous beauty, after it is granted to her. He even gets ready to break his avowed
celibacy. He finds in her a very peak of perfection. He falls at her feet. Chitra gets
disillusioned with his easy acceptance of hers. She becomes doubtful about his name and
fame. She tells him not to fall prey to her deceptive beauty. But he requests her not to
banish him from her heart. He follows her wherever she goes. When she is fast asleep, he
stares at her. When Chitra stretches her hands towards him, he indulges in intercourse
with her. He feels guilty after that. Yet, continues to stay with her.

Arjuna’s love for Chitra ebbs away after his sexual intercourse with her. He recalls his
past days and becomes a little upset. He narrates Chitra how he, with his brothers, used to
go to hunt dangerous animals and how they used to swim in the furious rivers in rainy
season. He yearns for his past military valour and prowess. He listens to Chitra’s
greatness from the villagers. The warrior in him awakens and he wants to go to protect the
villagers from robbers. He strongly desires to see Chitra. When Chitra finally reveals her
true self to Arjuna, he accepts her. When she tells him that she is carrying his child and
she would like to nourish him as a second Arjuna, Arjuna becomes happy and speaks-

“Beloved, my life is full.”

Thus, though Arjuna is a hero of the play, his is the secondary position in the play. He lacks
firmness of mind and proves that he is weak-hearted.

4) The characters of Madana and Vasanta.

Ans. Madana and Vasanta are minor characters in the play, “Chitra”. They are not living
figures. But they are personifications. Madana personifies sexual impulses and Vasanta
personifies spring season. Madana is represented as ‘the god with five darts.’ One who is
hit by his weapon immediately falls in love. Thus, Madana is a symbolic character. He
stands for love and sexual impulses.

Vasanta is more understanding than Madana. Chitra makes a demand of voluptuous

beauty for one day only. But Vasanta knows that one day is so short span of time. Not
much can be achieved in a day. Therefore, her showers upon her beauty not for one day
but for the whole year. He complaints that it is very difficult to stay with Madana and he
cannot stay with him for a long time. It shows that the spring season remains for a limited
period of year.

Both Madana and Vasanta always appear together in the play. They listen to Chitra’s
story and advise her whenever she is in need of it. When Chitra regrets over her coitus with
Arjuna and requests the gods to return her male look to her, Vasanta consoles and advises
her not to worry and to stay with Arjuna till the end of the year. He tells her that Arjuna will
accept her true self when the right time will come.

It is in the seventh scene, they appear for the last time. It will be the last night of the
year and they advise Chitra not to worry over vanishing her beauty. Her beauty is not going
to disappear but it will be obsorbed in the inexhaustible store of the spring. The red tint of
her lips will reappear in fresh asoka leaves. The white glow of her skin will be born again in
jasmine flowers. The fulfill her final wish that-

“her beauty shall flash its brightest, like the

final flicker of a dying flame.”

Thus, Vasanta and Madana play complementary roles for each other and show that love is
the inevitable role of the spring season.

5) Use of symbolism in Chitra.

Ans. Tagore was first and foremost a poet. Therefore, his plays are naturally full of
symbols and poetic touches. Like his other plays – “Chandalika” and “The Post Office”,
“Chitra” also abounds in symbolism.

The Mahabharata story of Chitrangada and Arjuna used in the play is a symbol of
human love. It is a symbol of human life also. The character of Chitra in the play stands
for a common woman. Like every common woman, she has weaknesses and strengths.
She is has tenderness of heart. When she sees famous and brave Arjuna, her womanhood
arouses. Again, unlike a common woman, she does not confine herself within the four
walls shedding tears, but undergoes hard penance and in this way pleases the Gods of
beauty and love and requests them-

“For a single day, make me superbly beautiful

….Give me but one brief day of perfect beauty ”.

Arjuna stands for common man. He gets infatuated with the beautiful Chitra. He
even breaks his celibacy for that. He shows weakness of heart.

The god Madana symbolizes love and sexual impulses, while Vasanta stands for
youth and eternal beauty. They grant Chitra voluptuous beauty in the words as –

“Not for the short span of a day, but for one whole

year, the charm of spring blossoms shall nestle

round thy limbs.”

 They always appear together in the play. It symbolizes that love and spring go together.
The image of flame stands for the upward, restless love and spring and burning process.

Thus, symbolism gives poetic quality to the play, “Chitra”.

Bird’s Eye-view
Chitra: One-Act-Play, Scenes – nine, was written in 1891 and published in 1893 in
Bengali, Translated into English by Rabindranath Tagore himself, It is a lyrical play or
poetic drama or verse drama or dance drama, based on the Chitra-Arjuna myth in
“the Mahabharata”. Hence, also known as a myth play.

Major Characters:

Chitra: Princess of Manipur, Heroine of the play.

Arjuna: One of the Five Pandava Brothers, a great warrior

Vasanta: A symbolic character, stands for the season ‘spring’, symbol of beauty.

Madana: the God of love

Major themes: Love

Man-woman Equality

Women’s Liberty

Illusion versus Reality

Symbols:

The story of Chitrangada and Arjuna - symbol of human love and human life also.

Chitra - symbol of a common woman.

Arjuna –symbol of a common man

Madana – symbol of love and sexual impulses

Vasanta – symbol of youth and eternal beauty.

Togetherness of Vasanta and Madana – symbolizes that love and spring go

together.

The image of flame – Symbol of the upward, restless love and spring and burning
process.

Ratings:  Platform: Windows

     

 OLDER NEWER 

Letter to Mother for Permission for Trip A Red, Red Rose

Posted by EngEduTech
Prof. Dr. Vijay Shirsath is a highly qualified individual having degrees such as M.A., B.Ed.,
M.Phil., SET, NET (English) and Ph. D. in English. He has a long experience of teaching at UG
and PG level. Teaching English is his cup of tea and using ICT in teaching is his passion. He
believes in hard work and smart work as well. At present, he has been working as an
Assistant Professor in the Department of English in Nanasaheb Yashwantrao Narayanrao
Chavan Arts, Science and Commerce College, Chalisgaon, Dist-Jalgaon (MS). Personality
Development and Body Language are another areas of his interest. He has published many
research papers in local, national and internal conferences and seminars.

YOU MAY LIKE THESE POSTS

 Punctuation Marks : English Mock Test - 1 : स्पर्धा परीक्षांमध्ये इंग्रजी
Correct Usage तलाठी व वनसंरक्षक भरती परीक्षा विषयावरील प्रश्नांचे स्वरूप
२०२३

POST A COMMENT

0 Comments

Please, do not enter any spam link in the comment box.

Emoji

To leave a comment, click the button below to sign in with Google.

SIGN IN WITH GOOGLE

Labels Popular Posts

 Add-On Course (1)

F.Y.B.Com. Sem-I Compulsory English Notes
 American Literature (1) Syllabus w.e.f. 2022-23 PDF
 November 29, 2022
 Basics Of Spoken English (10)

Certificate Course In Communicative English (13)


Notes and MCQs on "Playing the English
 Communication Theory And Skills (46) Gentleman" by M. K. Gandhi
 January 10, 2022
 Communicative English Course (10)

Criticism (3)

Nagamandala
 December 03, 2020
 CTET (1)

 English For Competitive Exams (2)

 English Literature (5)

 Exam. Time Tables (KBC NMU Jalgaon) (29)

 Examination Time Table (2)

 FYBA Comp. English (26)

 FYBA Optional English (7)

 FYBA Sem - II Compulsory English (10)

 FYBA Sem - II Compulsory English (Syllabus 2022-23) (2)

 FYBCo Sem-II Optional English (1)

 FYBCom (38)

 FYBCom Sem-II (16)

 FYBCom Sem-II (Wef 2022-23 Sylabus) (24)

 FYBSc (14)

 Grammar (9)

 Important Instructions (1)

 Indian English Literature (19)

 Internal Tests (2)

 Jalgaon) (1)

 NET/SLET (27)

 Notes On Masterpieces In English Literature (1)

 Offline Examination (2)

 Online Examination (6)

 Original Texts (21)

 Research Methodology (1)

 S.Y.B.Sc. English (13)

 Savitribai Phule Pune University (2)

 Short Cut Links (2)

 Spoken English - Basic Level (18)

 Spoken Skills (27)

 SYBA Comp. English (7)

 SYBA DSE 1 A (5)

 SYBA DSE 1 E (5)

 Syllabi (KBC NMU (10)

 Tests And Mock Tests (3)

 TET (1)

 TYBA AEC (Compulsory English) Sem - I (26)

 TYBA AEC (Compulsory English) Sem-VI 2020-21 Syllabus (13)

 TYBA DSC 1 E (15)

 TYBA DSC 1 F (16)

 University Results (4)

 Voters' Registration (1)

 Writing Skills (14)

Created By Blogspot Template | Distributed By Gooyaabi HOME ABOUT