SHUDRAKA (Indian, unk. date, perhaps 3rd or 5th century CE)
Three extant Sanskrit plays are attributed to one Shudraka, who may have been a king (perhaps in the Abhira dynasty, which lasted from 203-315 or 370 CE), or could be a mythical figure. But the plays are real:
- Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart), a ten-act drama in which a noble but impoverished young Brahmin (priest) falls in love with a wealthy courtesan, but their relationship is threatened by an aggressive rival.
- Vinavasavadatta, a nine-act play (only eight survive) in which a king tries to "match" his daughter with another king; when the prospective groom refuses, the father imprisons him to break his pride--and it works!
- Padmaprabhritaka, a bhana--a short one-act monologue in which one actor may take many parts.
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