Shaw as an iconoclast always breaks the conventional and so called traditional rule in the art of characterization for his plays. The play "Arms and the Man" is not exceptional. In the praise of his characterization, Edward Albert commented that, "after Shakespeare no English dramatist equals Shaw in the variety and vividness of characters".

       In our present concern, we can also see that how Shaw makes his character jolly, humorous, witty as well as with a good and real sense of love and war. The character of Bluntschli in this play does not romanticize or idealise love or war as most of the common people do. Shaw here very playfully and cunningly shows the two contradictory aspects of love and war through the two characters, the 1st one or the romantic view is presented by Sergius and the 2nd by Bluntschli. Here the 2nd character is acted as the mouthpiece of Shaw himself.

       Bluntschli is depicted as the leading character of the play and as an anti herowho has that charm to attract any beautiful ladies as we see in the case of Raina. He is also a soldier who is very much realistic about the war, he fought for money, not because of patriotism.Even when Raina gets offended at his speaking rudely of her would be, he cries out with a gesture of despair. He says, "It is no use dear lady: I cannot make you see it from a professional point of view."

         Bluntschli is not only the mouthpiece of Shaw, he is a typical Shavian hero who is neither a coward, nor a man of sensual indulgence. His conduct is instinctive and so he is noble and generous. Like heroes, he too may indulge in the pleasure of love and sex, but at the call of business he can rise above such weaknesses.

        Through the character of Bluntschli,  Shaw ridicules and satirises the romantic concept of love and war and exposes and clarifies the reality, the matter if fact to the audiences and to the readers.

In "Hayavadana", the dolls are used as a prop by Girish Karnad in order to suggest the inner conflict of the beautiful Padmini. Though in writing this play, Karnad was influenced by the folk theatrical convention, doll-episode is remarkably his own innovation which helps him clarifying to the audience the psychological dilemma of the characters.

           After the transposition of the heads, initially Padmini was very happy with Devadatta's "fabulous brain" and Kapila's "fabulous body", but it doesn't last very long. Devadatta's mind gradually makes Kapila's body accustomed with him. And when Devadatta's body again becomes like a "young girl's", Padimini is again longing for "powerfully built" and "darker" body of Kapila. Even in sleep, she has the dream of Kapila. The dolls' comment is:
    Doll 1: She is dreaming.
    ........
    Doll 1: A man
    Doll 2: But not her husband
    Doll 1: No, someone else.

        Devadatta's gradual change from darker body to the soft one again is conveyed by the dolls' commentary: "His palms! They were so rough once, when he first brought us here. Like a labourers'. But now they are soft - sickly soft - like a young girl's. "

       The doll is also preparing an excuse for Padmini to convince Devadatta to go to the fair and bring new dolls for their child. And when Devadatta goes, Padmini goes to meet Kapila in the "dark forest". The progression of time is also reported by their conversation: Doll 2: Six months - and not a soul has come near us.

Girish Karnad, one of the major dramatists of the Kannada theatre, seized with the theme of incompleteness, imperfection in his successful play, "Hayavadana". Moutushi Chakravartee in "Myth and Symbol as Metaphor: A Re-consideration of Red Oleanders and Hayavadana" calls such an attempt "man's eternal quest for completeness". Manchi Sarat Babu Baby in "Dionysian Ego in Girish Karnad's Hayavadana" terms such incompleteness and imperfection as "alienation".


             The main plot of the play is based on the story of the "Transposed Heads" in the Sanskrit "Vetala Panchavinsati" which forms part of Kshemendra's "Brihat Katha Mariyan" and Somadeva's "Kathasaritsagara". Karnad has taken ths mythical story and combined it with his reading of Thomas Mann's "reworking of the tale" in "The Transposed Heads". "Hayavadana" is the retelling of the old story in order to express the modern theme of the search for a completeness.


             Girish Karnad very cunningly opens his play with the occassion of the worshipping the Lord Ganesha. The choice of Ganesh Puja is very significant in the context of the problem of incompleteness because Lord Ganesha , the harbinger of success with human body and animal head suggests the entire theme of incompleteness. As the Bhagavata says,
       An elephant's head on a human body, a broken task and a cracked belly -- whichever way he is looked at, he is the embodiment of imperfection, incompleteness."
     However, this "Vakratunda Mahakaya" is the Lord and master of all success and perfection.


               The perfect combination of the spirit and flesh on human life is next to impossible. Girish Karnad as a great dramatist, to suggest the theme of incompleteness more vividly and more lucidly, innovates the subplot of the play,  "Hayavadana", the horse-headed man. It provides the framework for the play both as a prologue and an epilogue. As Krishna Gandhi writes,
       "The theme of the play is an old one.....man's yearning for completeness, for perfection...... But the ideal of perfection itself is ambiguous. The character of Hayavadana is invented as an example of this ambiguity."


              Hayavadana is a man with the head of horse and he wants to get rid of his horse's head and become a complete man. Later he goes to Kali Temple and the goddess grants him his boon, "make me complete", but in a hurry to fulfil it, she makes him a complete horse instead of a complete man. Though previously he has the human voice, but with the child's help his laughter turns into neigh. In the Introduction of the play, Girish Karnad wrote,
         "The horse man's search for incompleteness ends comically with his becoming of complete horse."


              The main plot of the play is also concerned with the theme of imperfection. Here Karnad is influenced by Thomas Mann's "The Transposed Heads". The plot centres round two young man from Dharmapura, Devadatta and Kapila whom Bhagavata describes as "one mind, one heart" and a beautiful young lady, Padmini. Devadatta is in love with Padmini and Kapila helps him to get married to her, knowing fully that Padmini is not meant for the likes of Devadatta. She is not only beautiful (Kalidas's Shyamanayika), but also sharp and intellectual, while Devadatta is simple and gentle.


               After marriage, Kapila frequently comes to Devadatta's house and Devadatta begins to feel jealous. But Padmini enjoys Kapila's company very much. Actually Padmini wants the intelligent mind of Devadatta and the "powerfully built" and "darker" body of Kapila.


             Being failed to be digested with the nameless love of Padmini for Kapila, Devadatta sacrifices his head to the Kali temple. Kapila folloes him there and he also sacrifices his head because he can't live without his friend, "No Devadatta, I can't live without you. I can't breathe without you." Left alone, Padmini is also about to sacrifice her life, but the Goddess stops her and says her to join the heads and touch them with a sword to restore their lives. But Padmini, intentionally or inadvertently mixes up the two heads. When the two come back to life , there is a confuconfusion about the head and the body -- "What indeed is the solution to this problem which holds the future of these three unfortunate beings in a Balance?" However, finally Devadatta's head and Kapila's body win over as Padmini says, "It's my duty to go with Devadatta. But remember I'm going with your body. Let that cheer you up." With this transposition Padmini becomes happiest because her desire of a perfect body and mind is now fulfilled.


              But the problem raises again when Devadatta's mind makes Kapila's body  accustomed with him. Padmini's mental agony and her longing for Kapila is conveyed in the play through the fragmented conversation of the dolls Devadatta has bought from Ujjain Fair. Soon after that, in the absence of Devadatta, Padmini goes to Kapila to meet and Devadatta comes looking for his wife with a sword and they fight with each other and die -- "No grounds for friendship now. No question of mercy. We must fight like lions amd kill like cobras." And finally Padmini performs Sati -- "Make me a large funeral pyre" after handing over her child to Bhagavata.


              The search for completeness leads the characters to their tragic and poignant death. The play explores the theme of incompleteness at three levels--- the animal, the human and the divine. If Lord Ganesha represents the imperfection at the divine level, Padmini, Devadatta and Kapila at human level and Hayavadana at animal level. Incompleteness is inevitable and human relationships are bound to be influenced by it and Karnad very tactically represents the theme in his play.

Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher in his famous book, "Poetics" deduces the qualities of a tragic hero. From his point of view, ideal tragic hero "must be an intermediate kind of person, a man not pre-eminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is bought upon him not by vice or depravity but by some error of judgement." This "error of judgement" is termed as 'hamartia'. He also asserts, the tragic hero must occupy a position of lofty eminence in society. According to him, "Higher the state the greater the fall that follows." This fall evokes the pity and fear in the mind of the audience.


            "Justice", a notable problem play and social tragedy by Galsworthy is the result of Galsworthy's grim experience after visiting the convict prison of Dartmoor in September, 1907. In this play, Folder is the tragic hero, but he is not conventional. In some places, he distinguishes from the conventional or Aristotlian tragic hero.


             Falder, the tragic protagonist of the play, is a clerk in the firm form of solicitors. Whereas the heroes of the Greek or the Shakespearean are grand, sublime in conception, Titanic and superhuman in vigour and force, gigantic and mammoth in dimensions, Falder belongs to the common rank of humanity. He does not occupy any eminent place. Here he deviates from the concept of conventional tragic hero like Oedipus, Macbeth, Hamlet.


              Falder is not a person who is too good or too bad. He is an intermediate kind of person. And he does not face his tragedy because of some 'hamartia' or 'tragic flaw' or 'error of judgement'. He only makes the offence of forgery from nine to ninety. But he has done it not because of any bad intention,  but because he wants to save Ruth from the torture of her brutal husband. But before his flight with Ruth, his crime is discovered and he is arrested. From this point of time, his tragedy begins as Mr. Frome, the defence counsel says in the Trial Scene, "The rolling of the chariot wheels of justice over this boy began when it was decided to prosecute him."


             Galsworthy is a realistic writer and he shows the problems of society and law through the tragedy of Falder. In the Trial Scene, Mr. Frome considers Falder as 'a patient' and not a criminal and compares 'justice' to a "machine that when someone has once given it the starting push rolls on of itself." He also considers 'justice' as a 'chariot' and the "chariot wheels of justice" finish the life of Falder. According to him, "Men, like the prisoners are destroyed daily under our law for want of that human insight."


             A conventional tragic hero suffers from his "tragic flaw". But in the case of Falder, he is not dominated by any flaws. He does not work in a "momentary solace", in a "moment of aberration." Falder is a weak-willed character as Mr. Frome says to the Judge, "bred and born with a weak character." He is a victim of the maligned force of society. Though Mr. Frome pleads to judge him from the humanitarian point of view, Mr. Cleaver considers it as "one of the most serious known to our law" and the Judge asserts, "The crime you have committed is a very serious one." And finally he is sentenced to imprisonment.


              Through the "Mute Scene", Galsworthy shows the deep rooted agony of a prisoner during the time of his solitary confinement. Though the scene is without any dialogue, it is capable enough to arouse pity for Falder Calder and fear for the system of prison administration. However, after two years he has been released from the prison, but he is ordered to report in the police station regularly. But he does not do this. So he is again found by the Detective Sergeant Wister. And finally he "throwd up his head and goes out through the outer office" and surrenders to death and a "dead silence" swallows the situation.


         Thus though Falder does not occupy any eminent place or higher state, his death occurs pity and fear in the mind of of us and helps in bringing out the catharsis of these emotions. Falder is not a conventional tragic hero, but he is an impo8

Galsworthy, "The humanitarian moralist" is very careful about the delineation of his characters as he thinks that character is the most important element of his dramatic technique. According to him, character is the foundation of the plot. He feels that the plot is subservient to character. He opines, " The perfect dramatist rounds up his characters and facts within the ring fence of a dominant idea which fulfils the craving of his spirit..... Take care if character......with take care of themselves." At another place, he says, "The dramatist who hangs his characters to his plot, instead of hanging his plot to his characters is guilty of cardinal sin."



               Galsworthy draws characters from his observation of persons around him. "Justice", one of the most remarkable social tragedies and problem plays, is the exact specimen of this. In it, he also draws characters from common place like home, office, law court etc. "Justice" is the result of Galsworthy's grim experience when he visited the convict prison of Dartmoor in September, 1907. In this play, Cokeson plays a very important role to establish Galsworthy's tragic outlook on society.



              Cokeson is the man of "sixty, wearing spectacles, rather short, with a bald head and an honest pug-dog face." He is a man full of humanity, sympathy, a strong sense of justice, a timid impartiality and generosity. Cokeson is a law abiding and disciplined person. He says about himself ---- "I'm a plain man -- never set myself against authority." His honesty is shown in the 'Trial Scene', where he does not use any single word of his own, rather he quotes the exact words told by Ruth i. e. "It's a matter of life and death."



              Here in the play, "Justice", Cokeson plays the role of the chorus. He is the character who introduces the most important two characters of the play, Ruth and Falder. He acts as the mediator and connects the characters of the play with the audience or the reader. In this serious play, Cokeson is the only person who provides fun and humour. The chief source of his humour is the misuse of words and their wrong pronunciation. He uses the word 'eurotic' for 'neurotic'. He uses the Latin phrase "Quite compos", but originally it is "noncompos mentis". He also uses "sign quanonne" for "some qua non" and "prime facey" for "prima facie".



            Through  the character of Cokeson,  Galsworthy also shows the problems of the then society. Firstly, when Ruth comes to visit Falder, Cokeson firmly asserts, "It's all against the rules" and "we don't allow private callers here." And when Falder kisses Ruth, he says "This isn't right" and "It's an improper use of these premises." Here he shows the hard rules of the solicitors' office. Again, in Act IV, after the release of Falder from prison, when he comes to the office for a job, Cokeson requests to James that,  "I'm bound to tell you all about it. He's quite penitent. But there's prejudice against him...."Actually, Galsworthy here very authentically shows the problem of social and economic rehabilitation of the prisoners after their release from the jail.



             Thus, Cokeson's character is too important to avoid. Without Cokeson , the plot of the play is not build up and the theme is not established. He is the character who gives start to the play and it ends with his remark ---- "No one'll touch him now! Never again! He's safe with gentle Jesus." Though he is a round character and remains same from beginning to end  "under the stress of circumstances" (Skemp), Cokeson is an omnipotent character to fulfil Galsworthy's ambition.

In "Hayavadana", Girish Karnad represents the Goddess Kali ironically. She appears as a character in the play, and she does not help the characters in solving their problems, rather she puts all three unfortunate beings, Kapila, Devadatta and Padmini through a series of cruel difficulties. When Devadatta and Kapila sacrifice their lives, the Goddess instead of expressing sympathy,  calls them "rascals" who were "lying to their last breathes".


          Not only that, but when Hayavadana goes to the Kali temple to fulfil his boon i. e. "Make me complete", the Goddess grants him his boon, but in hurry to fulfil it, she makes him a complete horse instead of a complete man. Thus the Goddess also makes his life problematic.


          Karnad here is critical enough of the world of Gods and Goddesses who are no better than human beings in respect of jealousy and petti- mindedness. Still they rule human destiny. Through this ironical representation of the mother Goddess, Karnad seems to suggest that it is better for human beings not to seek divine guidance because both the mediators and divinities are sadistic. Thus in "Hayavadana", Karnad debunks the false structures of certain dominant beliefs and practises but affirms the reality of human life in its real motives.

Girish Karnad is one of the most important Indian English playwrights who creates characters in order to expose his intention and to fulfil his intention as well. In "Hayavadana", one of the most successful stage-plays by him, he also does not deviate from his thought. Here he creates the character of Padmini's son to show the modern theme of the play.


            Padmini's son interestingly has no name in the play. This child represents all children in modern times, who are born to parents who have a split and disturbed relationship. The death of Devadatta and Padmini has an adverse effect on the child who becomes autistic and withdrawn. The child is also representative of the play's main theme i. e. the theme of incompleteness as he has lost the child's natural privilege to laugh and enjoy as Padmini says, "My son had never laughed with the river or shivered in the wind or felt the thorn cut his feet."


              In creating a connection between the two plots, the boy has also an important role. Though he is the son of Padmini and Devadatta, the characters from the main plot, he has also a connection with Hayavadana, the character of the subplot. The boy also helps in making Hayavadana completely complete as when he laughs with the boy, suddenly "his human voice is gone" and "......Hayavadana has become complete." And finally the boy himself also becomes complete as he is "also enjoying himself, singing bits of the song and urging the horse on."


           He also helps as a mediator between the tradition and modernity. When Padmini was going to perform Sati, She delivered the boy to Bhagavata and said him to transfer the boy to the people who are close to Kapila and who lived in jungle and therefore when he became a grown- up boy, then he must be delivered to Devadatta's family who lived in town. Here jungle suggests tradition and modernity is represented by the city. And the boy is the mediator between these two.


            Thus in the development of the plot as well as in expressing the main theme of the play and to show the modernity of Karnad's invention, Padmini's son has a crucial role to play. 

These words of Cokeson at the end of Galsworthy's famous problem play, "Justice"(1910) shows his sane and sympathetic attitude toward Falder. He has genuine affection and love for Falder. He visits the prison to see the poor condition of him. He has pleaded for reinstatement of Falder, so that he may get a chance to lead a decent normal life.

             But finally Falder has to  face the biggest punishment i. e. death and Ruth cries out,"No, no! No, no!", Cokeson's heart melts with pity and is full of sorrow at the harrowing sight of Falser dead and Ruth is bending over his body calling, "pretty", "dear". Cokeson utters these words which bring out his warm- hearted humanity. Falder has been hunted out of life by the blood-hounds of law. He is now beyond the rich of law ans Society. They cannot touch him now.

             Cokeson becomes philosophical in his speech. He means to say that Jesus is the savior of all man. Jesus can save him from injustice which has meted out to Falder in the name of justice in human society. Jesus gives shelter to all- the virtuous and the vicious. He is merciful and loving. Cruelties of so-called justice have completely crushed him. By committing suicide Falder has gone to heaven and will get the love,  mercy and shelter if he kind- hearted Jesus.

In Galsworthy's famous problem play, "Justice" Falder is accused of forgery from nine to ninety and Frome is the defence counsel and pleads to the Judge for mercy by bringing in the story of love between Falder and the married woman, Ruth Honeywill and her distress under the torment of her husband. He emphasizes the emotional background under which he has acted this forgery. He says that Falder has done this under the "temporary insanity caused by the violent distress."

                  But the Judge tells Falder about his crime and law before giving the final judgement. He says that, "I have to consider on the one hand the grave nature of your offence, the deliberate way in which you subsequently altered the counterfoil, the danger you caused to an innocent man - and that to my mind is a very grave point - and finally I have to consider the necessity of deterring others from following your example." He then defines law as "a majestic edifice, sheltering all of us, each stone of which rests on another."

             According to the Judge, law is not a cage but a magnificent building that has been erected through ages by the efforts of civilized man. It is a system that shelters all from vices and corruption. Those who violate the rules and principles of civilized life, and thus threaten the order and security of social life and punished by law. The Judge as a custordian of law, has thus the sacred responsibility not only to Falder, 'but to the community', to the administration with right spirit of reason and mortality.

         The Judge through this concepttion of law takes an orthodox conservative view of morality and law. He considers Falder's crime as 'a very serious one' and he does not agree with Frome to release him because it is quite harmful to the society, according to the Judge.

In Galsworthy's famous problem play, "Justice"(1910), Falder, the young fellow has been arrested for the offence of forgery, but in Act IV, we see that he has been released from the prison and comes to the solicitor's office to join the job again. He says to Cokeson, "I just want a chance, Mr. Cokeson. I've paid for that job a thousand times and more."

               Cokeson appeals to James to give Falder the job back by saying that "he's quite penitent" and "he's had his lesson". Though first James does not agree with Cokeson, but after sometime, he is quite melted and gives Falder two conditions. The 1st one is, "It's no good coming here as a victim" and the 2nd one is that " this woman you are mixed up with - you must give us your word, you know, to have done with that: There's no chance of your keeping straight if you're going to begin your future with such a relationship."

           But Falder refused to dissociate himself from Ruth because "it's the one thing" he "looked forward to all that time." He also says, "I couldn't give her up. I couldn't. .......I'm all she's got to look to. And I'm sure she's all I have got." He adds that, "There's been nothing between us". He promised James that they will keep apart till the affair of divorce is over. But he cannot fully depart from her at any cost.

            Here his deep attachment with Ruth is clearly suggested. His loyalty, his deep and intense love is indicated in his words. He is quite serious in this matter and he does not leave her because she is in a helpless condition.

This is told by Ruth Honeywill, an unhappy married woman of twenty six years, to Cokeson, the managing clerk of solicitors' office in John Galsworthy's famous problem play, "Justice".

              Ruth wants to visit Falder because of some 'personal matter', but Cokeson does not permit her to meet with him. He says sternly that "we don't allow private callers here" because "it is all against the rules". He also says that if one of the employers come then it becomes a matter of problem Ruth "mustn't take up his time in office hours". But Ruth is obstinate to meet with Falder and makes this remark.

                Through this short but significant remark, Galsworthy shows a problem of the then society - the problem of the livelihood of those women whose marriage prices unhappy and troublesome. Here he uses the character of Ruth as the representative of those women. She is tortured everyday by her husband, cruel and brutaland it has gone to the extreme limit as "he tried to cut" her "throat last night". She comes to Falder to settle the matter of their elopement. She has come with her children with readiness to leave her husband's house. If Cokeson does not allow her. to meet it will be unfortunate for her.This remark also has an ironical suggestion. She does not know what is waiting for her. The phrase "life and death" indicates the coming misfortune of both Ruth and Falder.

In Galsworthy's play, "Justice", a social tragedy, Falder, the hero of the story has been arrested for the crime of forgery from nine to ninety. Frome, the councel for the defence gives his evidences to make Falder free. He pleads to judge him as 'a patient' and not as 'a criminal' because he is a young fellow and he has done this act of forgery in 'a momentary solace', in 'a moment of aberration'.

              He first compares justice to 'a machine', then with a cage out of which no body comes out unhurt when one has fallen into it. Then he says that, "the rolling of the chariot wheels of justice over this boy began when it was decided to prosecute  him." The contention of Frome is that the 'wheels' of justice have been crushing and trampling Falder for the last two months. He means to say that he has already suffered in the prison. When he was prosecuted and handed over to the police, his misery began. The metaphor used here is that justice moves on in a chariot as it were and its wheels roll on over the criminal and crush them at the end. In Falder, the wheels of justice have already began to roll and he must be finished, if he does not make himself free.

              Goldsworthy is a realistic writer who writes plays with the deliberate purpose to protest against the problems of society. Here he makes a campeign against the system of justice, law, prison administration, particularly of solitary confinement. Here Galsworthy is trying to elaborate the real meaning of justice and he wants to make his readers understand that a man commits a crime 'out of a moment' but he has to pay all throughout his life. This metaphor of 'wheel' strikes "a crushing blow at a custom which continues to darken our humanity and good sense" of Galsworthy's time.