The Concept of ‘New Women’ in Mahesh Dattani’s Bravely Fought the Queen

Authors

  • Vinita Marigold , Dr. Helen Unius Backiavathy

Abstract

Women have played an important role in laying the foundation of society, but still they have
failed to secure their true position. In the 21st century when we are moving towards modernization, though
we say that all are equal, our Indian culture and tradition fails to remove the discrimination we hold towards
women. The equality of men and women is still a debatable issue and especially when it comes to
relationships women are considered as slightly lower only to subdue. Earlier, women were worshipped as
incarnations of goddesses and there was no problem regarding their status. However this is the irony of the
fate of Indian women that their status which should have been an identity to reckon with has become a topic
of debate. A common contemporary idea that everyone is talking about is the ‘New Woman ‘and this new
image is constantly hitting at the fetters of society and breaking away from the traditional ideas of women as
home makers and sexually voracious images. The new woman is essentially a woman who is aware and
conscious of her position and is trying to make her voice heard. The play is a powerful domestic tragedy
which highlights the circumstances of a woman fighting against all the odds that the forces of patriarchy
have piled up
against her. This new woman is the Queen referred to in the title of the play, a title from a translation of a
Hindi poem about the indomitable Rani of Jhansi. The playwright shows two women Dolly and Alka who
fight like men against emotional adversities to create an identity for themselves though their position in the
Trivedi household is a stereotyped subjugated one

Published

2020-04-30

Issue

Section

Articles