I think the fact that this story really has it all (love, power, a hero, a villain, etc.) is what makes it so compelling and why it has become so famous. If it were a movie it'd be action and romance which seems to often be a hit. I like that the hero, Rama, immediately starts his journey with adversity and conflict. He lays it all on the line for Sita and fights to get her back. I also like that our main characters like Sita and Rama symbolize certain things through their character and they're not just one dimensional characters. I think one thing that confused me was the army of monkeys (???). It may be a cultural trope but that seemed to be a bit out of left field. Another thing that left me with questions was how Kaikeyi convinced Dasaratha to banish Rama and Sita. If Dasartha was so broken hearted over the fact that Rama left that he died how could he have been convinced to banish him?