रत्नावली नाटिका (सम्राट हर्षवर्धन - शास्त्रीय नाटिका रत्न सम्पूर्ण ४ अङ्क सान्वय सटीक)

XXX RATNAVALI
looked. Its author flourished at such a period when Sanskrit
poetry was having a transit from originality to artificiality. H. H.
Wilson observes, "the Ratnávalí in short may be taken as one of
the connecting links of the old and the new school as a not
unpleasing production of that middle region through which Hindu
poetry passed from elevation to extravagance."
Characters.—C. R. Devadhara observes, "most of the
characters in the play are traditional and the poet has delineated
them in exact conformity with the legend." The main interest
of the play depends upon the incidents that have helped the
action of the drama to move towards the successful end of the
plot. As the action of the play is circumscribed within the limit
of a few days, the characters have not been given the opportunity
of displaying their individual peculiarities which mostly ensure
the abiding interest in the drama. Wilson remarks, in the circum-
scribed limits of the action "we have no right to entail much
contrast or development of character and it is enough that all the
individuals introduced preserve their identity." The principal
characters are :—
(I) Yaugandharáyana :—He is an astute farsighted politician
bent heart and soul on the welfare and future good of his master.
He was alert to the foretelling of a fortune-teller that the marriage
with Ratnávali would ensure the paramount monarchy of his
master and so he caught the first opportunity of removing all
obstacles from this marriage. From the beginning to the
end he has uniformly and unerringly manipulated the matters
to a successful end. He knew that the girl rescued from the
sea was Ratnávali ; yet he did not disclose it at once and put her
under the care of Vásavadattá so that the King might have a
hankering for having her as his bride when she would get the
opportunity of coming across his sight. He became satisfied
and attained self-complacency when Ratnávali was given to the
King by Vásavadattá ( इदानीं सफलपरिश्रमोऽस्मि संवृत्तः,—IV ). His