মাইকেলের ‘শর্মিষ্ঠা’ নাটক : একটি পুনঃপাঠ/ Michael’s Play ‘Sharmishtha’: A Re-reading

Abstract

Michael Madhusudan Dutt stands as one of the most exceptional and influential figures of the nineteenth-century Bengal Renaissance. Just as the intellectuals of fourteenth-century Italy rediscovered the classical past through a renewed vision and re-established humanistic values, Michael, a multilingual genius, may be regarded as their worthy successor in Bengal. He revisited ancient literary traditions with a modern sensibility, interpreting them through the lens of humanism, individualism, and Romantic imagination.

            This paper focuses on ‘Sharmistha’, Michael’s first Bengali play, written in 1858. The playwright adapted its narrative from the epic Mahabharata, reimagining the familiar mythological tale in a dramatic form that foregrounds the psychological and emotional conflicts of its three principal characters—Jajati, Devajani, and Sharmistha. Through this triangular relationship, Michael explored themes of love, desire and jealousy.

            An important question emerges here: why did Michael choose this particular love triangle from the vast canvas of the Mahabharata? Was it merely an arbitrary literary selection, or was there a deeper connection between the text and the playwright’s own lived experiences? Could ‘Sharmistha’ be read as an autobiographical play, reflecting Michael’s personal emotional conflicts and romantic entanglements?

            In this context, researcher Golam Murshid, in his book ‘Aashar Chhalane Bhuli’, offers significant insights that suggest possible autobiographical resonances within the play. This discussion, therefore, seeks to examine how Michael articulates his own inner conflicts through the dramatic structure of ‘Sharmistha’.