The Ramayana

Attributed to: Valmiki

Written: Unknown

Retold by: Ramesh Menon

Publisher: North Point Press (2004 Edition)

Bought from: Book Depository

Introduction

This, together with The Mahabharata, are the two major Sanskrit epics from ancient India. It is attributed to Valmiki (who pops up a few times himself in the story). It is thought that the original story was composed in the 5th or 4th century BC. Some scholars believe the first and last books were added much later.

The events in The Ramayana cannot be timed in our usual sense. According to the story itself, the events take place during the Tetra Yuga, the second of the 4 yuga (eons) of Hindu Chronology.

What is it about?

The story of the Ramayana (or Rama’s Journey) is a simple one. It tells of the age-old struggle between good v evil, of dharma v adharma. On one side: a noble prince (Rama), a faithful wife (Sita), a devoted brother (Lakshmana), a monkey deity (Hanuman) and an army of magical monkeys and brave bears. On the other side: evil incarnate itself (Ravana) and his demons.

Rama and Sita are expelled by a misguided stepmother. Lakshmana joins them. During their exile, Ravana sees Sita and is entranced. He kidnaps her and takes her to his kingdom of Lanka. Rama and Lakshmana enlists the help of various mythical creatures including Hanuman and wage war on Ravana and his horde.

The climatic battle between Rama’s followers and Ravana’s horde is as exciting as any battle in modern classics such as The Lord of The Rings. While the gods do not participate directly in the battle (as the Greek gods did for example in The Iliad), the combatants do battle with unearthly weapons of mass destruction provided by the gods themselves.

The story explores many themes besides good v evil. It is a study in loyalty - to parents, brothers, brother-in-arms and last but not least to one’s husband and wife. The story also obviously has philosophical and religious significance especially for Hindus. The hero Rama is an incarnation (avatar) of the God Vishnu.

What about the book?

This is not a complete translation. Instead, the publisher calls it a “modern retelling”. An unabridged translation may be too long in any event (the original poem is about 5,000 lines long). Ramesh Menon has written in prose that is descriptive yet accessible to the casual reader. There is a useful glossary at the end of the book.

Finally

Highly recommended. The Ramayana is one of the most-loved and influential story in all South and South-east Asia. I vaguely recall childhood stories and movies about Hanuman from Thailand, Indonesia etc.

The Merchant Of Venice

Author: William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Written: c 1596-1597
Editors: Jonathan Bale and Eric Rasmussen
Publisher: Modern Library (2010 Edition)
Bought from: Book Depository


Introduction

This is one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies. However, for me, the humour is undermined by the anti-Semitism that runs through the play.


What is it about?

The play is set in Venice, possibly in the 16th century itself. Bassanio asks his friend Antonio for a loan so that he can woo the heiress Portia. Antonio needs what today would be called a bridging loan and he goes to Shylock although there is clearly no love lost between them. Shylock sees an opportunity to get back at Antonio. He lends the money to Antonio interest-free but on the condition that if Antonio defaults, Shylock will take a pound of his flesh. Antonio does indeed default and it is up to Portia in the guise of a lawyer to save the day - she finds a legal technicality and turns the table on Shylock.

The eponymous Venetian merchant Antonio is little more than a plot device. His character is not fleshed out at all. It is not clear what drives him to accept Shylock’s onerous term for the loan (leading to modern speculation that it is his love for Bassanio). The one thing that is explicit about him is his hatred of Shylock - he has a habit of abusing, spitting at and kicking Shylock (1.3.105-118). After all he goes through, he is left all alone while 3 pairs of lovers celebrate at the end of the play. No happy ending for him!

Bassanio is nominally the lead male character. But I think he is truly the lamest hero Shakespeare ever created. It is possible that his pursuit of Portia is really driven by her wealth. He may even have taken advantage of Antonio’s friendship (love?) to get the funds to woo Portia. And last but not least, it is entirely possible that he would not have chosen the right casket without some nudging from Portia’s singer (3.2.65-74).

The main female lead is Portia. In the Rumpole books and tv series written by John Mortimer, the eponymous barrister refers fondly to his one-time favourite pupil and later High Court Judge as the “Portia of our Chambers”. However, the Shakespearean Portia evokes a more ambiguous feeling. Her bravura court room performance with the famous speech (“The quality of mercy is not strained / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven / Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: / It blesseth him that gives and him that takes” (4.1.188-191) is admirable. Yet, one cannot help but detect a nasty streak in her. After she outwits Shylock, she has the chance to show the same mercy she preached only moments earlier. Instead, she brings the full weight of the Venetian legal system to bear on Shylock. Shylock is forced to convert to Christianity and is financially ruined. Mercy indeed!

Portia also shows her racist attitude in her interaction with a Moorish (ie. black) suitor. She says “If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me” (1.2.111-113).

Is the play anti-Semitic? Whatever Shakespeare had in mind when he wrote the play, The Merchant of Venice certainly can be interpreted as anti-Semitic. There is no disguising the fact that Shakespeare has made Shylock very much the villain of the play. He is depicted as a vindictive, cruel and avaricious money-lender who values his wealth more than his daughter. The other characters describe him and other Jews using extremely abusive language. And Shylock does himself no favours in his speech and action. In one of the most famous passages from the play, he starts off with a heart-felt plea for acceptance and tolerance before descending into self-justification for his determination to extract his pound of flesh :

“I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. ”
          (3.1.49-62)

One of the main themes of the play is disguises and false fronts. Antonio is depressed but refuses to say why. Bassanio needs Antonio’s (financial) help to impress Portia. Portia’s suitors have to choose from 3 caskets whose outer appearances belie their hidden contents. Shylock detests Bassanio but feigns civility to lure Bassanio into accepting his terms for the loan. Portia disguises herself as a man (one of Shakespeare’s many cross-dressing female characters) to defend Antonio. She even - while in disguise - plays a prank on her husband Bassanio. This theme is repeated with the caskets which Portia's suitors are faced with. Inside the golden casket is a message that says, “All that glisters is not gold” (2.7.67).


What about the book?

Each of the books in the RSC Shakespeare series published by The Modern Library comes with very informative footnotes, helpful scene-by-scene analysis and, best of all, commentary on past and current productions that comes with interviews with leading directors and actor. The books are also very reasonably priced. Best of all, the introductions are not overly long and focus on a few talking points for each play. The paper quality is not particularly good though. Also, the covers are not very attractive.


Finally …

This can only be called a comedy if you find the institutionalized humiliation and deprivation of Shylock funny. The Merchant of Venice is definitely NOT one of my favourites.


Et cetera

The message in the golden casket paraphrases a saying that is still popular today. There is a poem that carries a somewhat similar message in J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings. It reads:

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”

Three Kingdoms

Author: Luo Guanzhong (c 1315-1400)
Written: not known
Translator: Moss Roberts
Publisher: Foreign Language Press (2009 edition)
Bought from: Book Depository


Introduction

Three Kingdoms, together with Water Margin, Journey to the West and Dreams of the Red Chamber, are considered the four great classical novels of Chinese literature.

Three Kingdoms (sometimes called Romance of the Three Kingdoms) is set in a tumultuous period at the end of the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) had been the golden age of Chinese history. Today, the major ethic group in China sometimes refer to themselves as Han people and Chinese characters are known as Han characters.

As the Han Dynasty drew to an end, however, it was wracked by unrest, including the Yellow Turban Rebellion that broke out in 184 AD. For some commentators, this marked the start of the period that came to be known as the Three Kingdoms period. From 184 – 220 multiple warlords (in ever shifting alliances) vied to fill the vacuum caused by the collapsing Han Dynasty. From 220 – 263, power began to coalesce in the three states of Wei, Shu and Wu. The kings of each state declared himself Emperor, starting with Cao Pi, king of the state of Wei in 220. This marked the formal end of the Han Dynasty. From 263 – 280, the three states fell one after another to be replaced ultimately by the new Jin Dynasty. Shu fell to Wei in 263 and Wei in turn fell to the Jin Dynasty in 265. Jin defeated Wu and reunited China in 280.

Who first reduced the mythology of the Three Kingdom period into written form, and when, are the subject of much debate. The novel is traditionally attributed to Luo Guanzhong (c 1315 – 1400). However, the oldest complete printed version, titled Sanguozhi Tongsu Yanyi, was published only in 1522.

In the 1660s, during the Qing Dynasty, Mao Lun and his son Mao Zonggang revised the text of the 1522 version and added his commentary. They reduced the text from 900,000 to 750,000 characters, fitting the story into 120 chapters and abbreviating the title to Sanguozhi Yanyi. This is the standard version most commonly read and translated today.

While the story is a mix of fact and fiction, it reads like a historical account. There is little supernatural, romantic or other diversions from the narrative.


What is about?

“The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide.” With this, begins the epic of the power struggle between the three kingdom-states, Shu, Wei and Wu, that competed for power in the vacuum caused by the collapse of the Han Dynasty.

The protagonists are Liu Bei (founder of Shu), his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and his strategist Zhuge Liang. Another legendary warrior on Liu Bei’s side is Zhao Zilong. Liu Bei is portrayed as a kind and righteous leader. Without a stronghold, he stumbles from province to province, winning and losing territories all his life. He has one undoubted ability - the ability to rally valiant and noble men to his cause.

Then there is Cao Cao, founder of Wei and one of the most interesting characters in the story. Although clearly the villain of the piece, Cao Cao is also an accomplished poet, a courageous warrior and wily strategist. He envies Liu Bei’s ability to persuade heroes to fight for him. He tries unsuccessfully to secure Guan Yu’s loyalty.

Other major figures are Sun Quan and Zhou Yu from the Wu kingdom.

Finally, look out for the various members of the Sima family. This family is to play a major role in ending the period of the Three Kingdoms.

Diaochan (one of the “Four Beauties” of ancient China) has a small but important role early on in the story. She uses her feminine wiles to cause dissension between the usurper Dong Zhuo and his formidable general Lu Bu.

Coming in at 2,339 pages over 4 volumes, this is not something to be rushed through. The main difficulty is keeping track of the literally hundreds of characters. There is no other way but to focus on the main characters and just follow the main thread of the story. Thankfully, the story develops briskly and there are no long dull moments.

Themes

The main theme explored in this epic is loyalty - whether it be to the Emperor or to comrades. The classic example of loyalty is the famous oath sworn by Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei at the Peach Garden. They remain true to each other throughout their lives. Arguably, the story could have ended differently if Zhang Fei and Liu Bei were not so obsessed with avenging Guan Yu’s death.


What about the book?

This is a translation of the version edited by the Maos. The four volumes come in a simple and not especially sturdy box. The publishers could have done with better proof readers or even a spell check utility. The presence of spelling errors is annoying but does not detract too much from the overall reading pleasure. The paper quality is extremely poor - so thin you could see the words from the other side of a page. There are a number of illustrations (not very good quality, no description) and maps (barely adequate).

The Afterword is worth reading.


Finally ...

The story is highly recommended. This is my favourite of the three classical Chinese novels that I've read. Until there is a better version, the Moss Roberts translation will have to do.


Et cetera

Also recommended is a cartoon adaptation jointly produced by Beijing Glorious Animation, CCTV Animation and Future Plant. Only complaint - no English subtitles.

Introduction

In the middle of 2010, I decided to pick up reading again after many many years. I thought I should start with the classics. Stories that have captivated readers and listeners for hundreds, even thousands, of years. Here are my thoughts about each in no particular order.