Dorai's Roles In 'Mangalam By William Shakespeare'

Dorai says to Thangam that he could leave her sister because his life was in complete control of his father (in-law). He had got him a job, provided money for his sister’s marriage whereas also looked after his own father in his last days; everything was looked upon by her father, he did not even had to pay the hospital bills of his father. He was tied from all corners. But he clears that his anger had hyped because she would not tell him anything. She used to hide from him which had lead to such a situation when he became violent on her. He says,
Dorai: “she wouldn’t tell me; first I used to ask her softly, sweetly. She wouldn’t tell me, and then I beat her. She stayed quiet, she wouldn’t even cry out in pain. She was so obstinate that … then
And now with Act 2, the story changes but the interesting thing about the play and especially the playwright is that she makes the same characters play the role in Act 2; though a complete new family, new characters but the roles are played by the same people who were actors on stage in Act 1. Sengupta says, “in Mangalam I have used the same actors in both ‘plays’ as an indication that nothing really changes; the sameness of it all, to me, is deeply disturbing.” (1) In Act 2, issues like gender discrimination, violence and molestation come up. This act centres around two families of - Sreeni and Thangam, their son, Suresh and daughter Sumati and the other family of Nari and Vaidehi, their son Vikram and daughter Radha. We see the first family in conversation- the Mother Thangam, her younger son Suresh and the elder daughter Sumati. They are discussing about the play and Suresh comments that the play was terrible, like Tamil film in English- rape, wife beating, illegitimate son etc. Sumati who is lecturer in a college for English Literature analyses the play her way saying that women have always been oppressed whether be in her father’s house or her husband’s house. She is complaining that the mother had never given that much attention on her as much she gave on her
The son of the house is always given more importance as compared to the daughter of the house. People experience simple ascribed biases and discriminations recognizing it to be attached to a particular gender like a girl are not allowed to laugh loudly; she is not allowed to sit scruffily. If the girl laughs loudly she is asked by the elders of the house to keep quite whereas she is told why you are laughing loudly like a boy! Which straight away brings the questions that are only boys allowed to laugh loudly? Are girls not allowed to express them loudly? Are the girls not allowed any expression? Women don’t have their own voice? These plain discriminations are present in most of the houses even today and the women without any cause become victims of such oppression. This act brings forth such incidences where we see that Sumati feels that she was always left to grow by herself by her whereas Suresh not only because he ws younger one but only because he was a son, mother had taken his extra care. Suresh mentions that Sumati always wanted to rule over him because she was the older one. He olso