Characteristics Of Kathakali Theatre

Kathakali Theatre Kathakali literally means story-play (katha=story, kali=play). It is one of the oldest practices of theatre to date and originated in Kerala, a state in southwest India. Most of which are based on Hindu legends. Kathakali uses an advanced language of gestures called mudras which are used to tell the stories. One of the most famous Kathakali Theatre pieces is The Ramayana. The Ramayana is a Hindu epic written by Peter Oswald. Ramayana means “Rama’s Journey”. Rama is the main character and hero of Ramayana. He is- "the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, and above all, the ideal king."( Swami Vivekananda) He is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu and was put on Earth to defeat all evil. He represents the perfect man and virtuous king (when he becomes one). His wife’s name is Sita. She is beautiful, compassionate, and generous. Rama wins Sita’s love at a ceremony called “Swayamvara”, planned by her father against many other suitors by being the only one able to lift the mighty bow and even break it in two. Together they represent the perfect royal couple. Rama’s step mother wants her son to be king, but he is preordained to die. However, instead of being crowned the king of Ayodhya, Rama is sent into exile in the forest for fourteen years. In the forest …show more content…
The students must undergo intense eye training every morning. They train their eyes to display emotion. The actors hold their eyes open with their fingers, to help strengthen their eyelid and have many other eye exercises. The mudras are often coordinated with eye movements. “Where the hand goes, there the eyes go" a Kathakali saying. In many Kathakali performances the actor very rarely blinks. They most likely use this technique because the eyes are the window to the soul, and it will make their acting more emotional, especially since their makeup and costume covers a lot of their