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Durvasas
Marica is the father of the god Indra and a divine sage, the head of the celestial hermitage to which Shakuntala was spirited away by nymphs and has since lived with her son, Sarvadamana. At the end of the play, he explains Durvasas’s curse to Shakuntala and King Dusyanta, blesses their family, and sends them to live together in the King’s court.
Marica Quotes in Shakuntala
The Shakuntala quotes below are all either spoken by Marica or refer to Marica. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 7
Quotes
MARICA. When Menaka came to Aditi, transporting her daughter from the nymphs' ford in such obvious distress, I saw, in meditation, that you had rejected your forest wife because of a curse, spoken by Durvasas. I saw too that the curse would lift when you caught sight of this ring.
KING [sighing with relief]. So—I am not to blame.
SHAKUNTALA [to herself]. It's good to know my husband didn't reject me for no reason at all. And yet I don't remember being cursed. Or perhaps it fell unnoticed through the emptiness of separation that engulfed me then. My friends did urge me to show the ring to my husband.
MARICA. Daughter, now you know the truth. Feel no resentment towards your lord:
When his memory was cursed,
Your husband was cruel to you,
But that darkness has lifted
And your power's renewed;
The mirror was tarnished,
The image obscure,
But with polishing
It all becomes clear.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Shakuntala LitChart as a printable PDF.
Marica Quotes in Shakuntala
The Shakuntala quotes below are all either spoken by Marica or refer to Marica. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 7
Quotes
MARICA. When Menaka came to Aditi, transporting her daughter from the nymphs' ford in such obvious distress, I saw, in meditation, that you had rejected your forest wife because of a curse, spoken by Durvasas. I saw too that the curse would lift when you caught sight of this ring.
KING [sighing with relief]. So—I am not to blame.
SHAKUNTALA [to herself]. It's good to know my husband didn't reject me for no reason at all. And yet I don't remember being cursed. Or perhaps it fell unnoticed through the emptiness of separation that engulfed me then. My friends did urge me to show the ring to my husband.
MARICA. Daughter, now you know the truth. Feel no resentment towards your lord:
When his memory was cursed,
Your husband was cruel to you,
But that darkness has lifted
And your power's renewed;
The mirror was tarnished,
The image obscure,
But with polishing
It all becomes clear.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
