The Use of Myth in Indian English Drama during the Post-Independence Era (1947–1970s)

Abstract

The decades following Indian independence witnessed a significant transformation in Indian English drama, marked by a renewed engagement with myth as a powerful dramaturgical and ideological tool. Playwrights of the post-1947 period drew upon mythological narratives from epics, Puranic lore, and regional traditions to negotiate questions of identity, nationhood, morality, and socio-political transition. Rather than merely reproducing traditional myths, dramatists reinterpreted them in modern contexts, turning myth into a dynamic medium for critique and reconstruction of contemporary realities. This paper examines the use of myth in Indian English drama from 1947 to the 1970s, focusing on its thematic, structural, and symbolic functions. Through an analysis of major playwrights such as Girish Karnad, Asif Currimbhoy, and others, the study demonstrates how myth served as a bridge between tradition and modernity, enabling dramatists to articulate the complexities of a newly independent nation. The paper argues that myth in post-independence Indian English drama was not escapist but rather deeply political and existential, reflecting tensions between past and present, individual and society, and faith and rationality.