Reading Notes– Rama's Quest

(Image: Rama Returns to Ayodhya Source: 4to40)

Reading Notes: I think it will be productive to read through the Ramayana again– there were several stories that I wanted to write concerning the epic, and revisiting the characters should prove useful towards that end. The two stories I'd still like to develop is Rama's romance with Sita and the National Geographic style story, so I'll be looking out for more information for those stories during this re-reading.

I liked reading about Sita's birth. What is the symbolism that she sprung out of a field? The rendition of the bow bending ceremony was a bit more detailed, but I didn't get too much more out of it. The scene where Sita convinces Rama to let her accompany him into exile is very romantic, that was something I didn't remember from the original reading. The fact that she is willing to abandon her royal finery is truly indicative of how much she cares about Rama. 

Bharata is truly such an honorable character who is deserving of a story. I'm not exactly sure what I'd like to write about him, but he's not the stereotypical ambitious brother.

Lakshmana really does a number on Ravana's family– he kills his son and cuts off his sister's nose. 

Ravana takes advantage of Sita's hospitality in order to kidnap her– is this a serious breach of Indian tradition? I know guest right is very important in many cultures; this may be something I look into.

Nice to read about the Monkey Kingdom again, why do the bears follow the Monkey King? 

This account fo Rama's quest is definitely a super abbreviated version of the story. I like reviewing Rama's story, but I'll likely still do some more in-depth research for my next story. I'm looking forward to seeing how Wilson describes the battle between Rama and Ravana and whether Ravana is still portrayed as somewhat sympathetic.

http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2014/05/reading-guide-week-1-wilson-ramayana.html