In both iterations of the Ramayana of Valmiki epic poem, the main characters are portrayed as ideal figures in society and portray a high standard of what it means to be a man or woman. The titular character Rama, the eldest and most favored son of King Dasharatha is portrayed as the perfect son, husband and an excellent warrior – he is referred to as “the best of men” on occasion and lives his life on the principle of righteousness. As a result, these qualities have earned him the praise and respect of everyone in their kingdom, as well as the favor of the Gods. The extent of his righteousness is showcased when he is banished by Kaikeyi in a scheming attempt to secure power for her own son and herself, but Rama does not challenge or question
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Men are portrayed as kings, princes and powerful warriors and the world revolves around their actions, and the women just happen to be a part of that world. This is most evident in the animated film “Sita Sings the Blues” when Rama, who was for the most part depicted as kind and just simply discarded Sita, who was supposedly the love of his life when she was inconvenient to him. He struggled with the thought of Sita being with another man even though she was proven innocent of the accusation, but whatever the case, in their culture men were allowed to have multiple wives, as his father did and being a King himself Rama would most probably have followed the tradition. The righteous protagonist in the end is simply an insecure man with an inflated ego which is made obvious when he states “Please understand I did not undertake this great war effort—on your account. Instead I did this all in order to protect my reputation and in every way to wipe clean the insult and disgrace to my illustrious lineage.” (Page …show more content…
The real world parallel in “Sita Sings the Blues” remedies this fact -- when the modern couple faces tribulations within their relationship, it has some stark similarities to the epic poem of Ramayana, but it ends on a better note. After the bad break-up and going through the phases of sulking and depression, the woman bounces back and continues on without her former partner, signifying that the roles of women in today’s society are far from what they were expected to be in the past and that a woman does not need a man and can remain independent and content with life without
Men are portrayed as kings, princes and powerful warriors and the world revolves around their actions, and the women just happen to be a part of that world. This is most evident in the animated film “Sita Sings the Blues” when Rama, who was for the most part depicted as kind and just simply discarded Sita, who was supposedly the love of his life when she was inconvenient to him. He struggled with the thought of Sita being with another man even though she was proven innocent of the accusation, but whatever the case, in their culture men were allowed to have multiple wives, as his father did and being a King himself Rama would most probably have followed the tradition. The righteous protagonist in the end is simply an insecure man with an inflated ego which is made obvious when he states “Please understand I did not undertake this great war effort—on your account. Instead I did this all in order to protect my reputation and in every way to wipe clean the insult and disgrace to my illustrious lineage.” (Page …show more content…
The real world parallel in “Sita Sings the Blues” remedies this fact -- when the modern couple faces tribulations within their relationship, it has some stark similarities to the epic poem of Ramayana, but it ends on a better note. After the bad break-up and going through the phases of sulking and depression, the woman bounces back and continues on without her former partner, signifying that the roles of women in today’s society are far from what they were expected to be in the past and that a woman does not need a man and can remain independent and content with life without