The character within this story that I honestly find the most interesting at this point is Bharata, and while that may seem rather counter-intuitive(he is a large part of the plot against Rama and has little to no speaking parts, period), I think my background in Christian Scriptures makes the dynamic of this character much more interesting. What I love so much about Bharata and his situation is the fact that he serves as a direct gender reversal of the story of men using their desirable and young women to make political moves that are so prevalent in the Bible. He is given little autonomy in the story, but is portrayed as a desirable, loved man-"Laksmana's younger brother loved Bharata in the same way, and Bharata was dearer to Satrughna than life". As opposed to a King uses his desirable daughter to stir up political trouble, now we have an example of the Queen using her desirable son to do the same-"When Rama is banished, he will lose his place in the hearts of his subjects and Bharata, rid of his rival, will establish himself firmly as king." Bharata is seen as someone who has little to no control over their own destiny, but is directly influenced by the political actions taking place around him. When describing how fortunate Bharata is, there is no description of how he put himself in the situation- "Ah, Bharata is so fortunate! He is happy with his wife by his side, enjoying the pleasures of ruling... He alone enjoys the pleasures, since my father is too old and I am stuck in the forest!"
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