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The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

o >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3






7

"Dhritarashtra said, 'When all the foremost of my warriors, O Sanjaya
have perished, I do not think that the remnant of my army will not
perish! When those two heroes, those two mighty bowmen, those two
foremost of the Kurus, Bhishma and Drona, have been slain, what use can I
any longer have with life? I cannot also brook the death of Radha's son,
that ornament of battle, the might of whose arms was as great as that of
10,000 elephants! O foremost of speakers, tell me now, O Suta, who are
yet alive in my army after the death of all the foremost heroes! Thou
hast told me the names of those that have fallen. It seems, however, to
me that those who are still alive are almost all dead!'

"Sanjaya said, 'That hero O king, to whom Drona, that foremost of
brahmanas, imparted many blazing, celestial, and mighty weapons of the
four kinds, that mighty car-warrior, possessed of skill and lightness of
hands, that hero of firm grasp, strong weapons, and powerful shafts, that
high-souled son of Drona, capable of shooting to a great distance, is
still on the field, desirous of battling for thy sake. That dweller of
the Anarta country, that son of Hridika, that mighty car-warrior, that
foremost one among the Satwatas, that chief of the Bhojas, Kritavarma,
accomplished in arms, is on the field, desirous of battle. Artayana's
son, dauntless in battle, that first of warriors, that foremost of all
yet on thy side, he, that abandoned his own sister's sons, the Pandavas,
for making his own words true, that hero endued with great activity who
promised in the presence of Yudhishthira that he would in battle depress
the proud spirit of Karna, that invincible Shalya, who is equal unto
Sakra himself in energy, is still on the field, desirous of battling for
thy sake. Accompanied by his own force consisting of Ajaneyas,
Saindhavas, mountaineers, dwellers of riparian regions, Kambojas, and
Vanayus, the king of the Gandharas stayeth on the field, desirous of
battling for thy sake. Sharadvata's son called Gautama, O king, endued
with mighty arms and capable of fighting with diverse weapons in diverse
beautiful ways, taking up a beautiful and large bow capable of bearing
great strain, stayeth on the field, desirous of battle. That mighty
car-warrior, the son of the ruler of the Kaikeyas, riding on a goodly car
equipped with standard and goodly steeds, stayeth on the field, O chief
of Kuru's race, for battling for thy sake. Thy son also, that foremost of
heroes in Kuru's race, Purumitra, O king, riding on his car possessed of
the effulgence of fire or the Sun, stayeth on the field, like the Sun
himself shining brilliantly in the cloudless firmament. Duryodhana also,
endued with great energy, in the midst of an elephant force and
accompanied by many foremost of combatants, stayeth on his car adorned
with gold, desirous of engaging in battle. In the midst of many kings,
that foremost of men, possessed of the splendour of a lotus, looked
resplendent in his beautiful armour of gold like a fire with little smoke
or the Sun emerged from the clouds. So also thy sons Sushena, armed with
sword and shield, and the heroic Satyasena, are staying with Citrasena,
their hearts full of joy and themselves desirous of battle. Endued with
modesty, the Bharata princes Citrayudha, Srutavarman, and Jaya, Dala, and
Satyavrata, and Dussala, all of whom are possessed of great might, stay
on the field, desirous of battle. The ruler of the Kaitavyas, that prince
proud of his courage, and capable of fearlessly careering in battle and
slaying his foes, possessing foot-soldiers and cavalry, and elephants and
cars, stayeth on the field, desirous of battling for thy sake. The heroic
Srutayu and Srutayudha, and Citrangada and Citravarman, those foremost of
men, those proud warriors capable of smiting effectually and possessed of
sureness of aim, stay on the field, desirous of battle. The high-souled
Satyasandha, the son of Karna, stayeth on the field, desirous of battle.
Two other sons of Karna, possessing a knowledge of high weapons and
endued with great lightness of hands, are both staying, O king, at the
head of forces that are large and incapable of being pierced by warriors
of little energy, desirous of battling for thy sake. Accompanied by these
heroes and by many other foremost of warriors, O king, that are possessed
of immeasurable might, the Kuru king (Duryodhana) is staying like a
second Indra in the midst of his elephant division in expectation of
victory!'

"Dhritarashtra said, 'Thou hast told me duly all that are alive both
amongst us and the foe. From this I plainly see on which side the victory
will be. Indeed, it may be inferred from the facts.'"

Vaishampayana continued, "While saying this, Dhritarashtra the son of
Ambika, having learnt that only a small portion of his army was alive,
for all his foremost of warriors had died, felt his heart to be
exceedingly agitated by grief. The king swooned away. Partially restored
to his senses, he addressed Sanjaya, saying, 'Wait for a moment!' And the
king said, 'O son, having heard of this dire calamity, my heart is
greatly agitated. My senses are being stupefied, and my limbs are about
to be paralysed!' Having said these words, Dhritarashtra the son of
Ambika, that lord of earth, lost his senses and fell down on the earth."



8

Janamejaya said, "Having heard of Karna's fall and the slaughter of his
sons, what, O foremost of regenerate ones, did the king say, after he had
been a little comforted? Indeed, poignant was the grief that he
experienced, arising from the calamity that befell his sons! Tell me, I
ask thee, all that the king said on that occasion!"

Vaishampayana said, "Hearing of the slaughter of Karna that was
incredible and astounding, that was dreadful and capable of paralysing
the senses of all creatures, that looked like the downfall of Meru, or a
never-to-be-believed clouding of the intellect of the wise Shukra, or the
defeat of Indra of terrible feats at the hands of his foes, or the
falling down on the Earth of the resplendent Sun from the firmament, or a
scarcely-to-be-comprehended drying up of the ocean, that receptacle of
inexhaustible waters, or the annihilation, perfectly astounding, of the
earth, the firmament, the points of the compass, and the waters, or the
fruitlessness of acts both virtuous and sinful, king Dhritarashtra,
having earnestly reflected for some time on it, thought that his army had
been annihilated. Thinking that other creatures also, as unslayable as
Karna, would meet with a similar fate, king Dhritarashtra the son of
Ambika, scorched with grief and sighing like a snake, with limbs almost
palsied, long breaths, highly cheerless, and filled with melancholy,
began to lament, saying, 'Oh!' and 'Alas!' And the king said, 'O Sanjaya,
the heroic son of Adhiratha was endued with the prowess of the lion or
the elephant! His neck was as thick as that of a bull, and his eyes,
gait, and voice were like the bull's! Of limbs as hard as the
thunderbolt, that young man, like a bull never flying away from a bull,
never desisted from battle even if his foe happened to be the great Indra
himself! At the sound of his bow-string and palms and at the whizz of his
arrowy showers men and steeds and cars and elephants fled away from
battle. Relying upon that mighty-armed one, that slayer of large bands of
foes, that warrior of unfading glory, Duryodhana had provoked hostilities
with those mighty car-warriors, the sons of Pandu! How then could Karna,
that foremost of car-warriors, that tiger among men, that hero of
irresistible onset, be forcibly slain by Partha in battle? Relying on the
might of his own arms, he always disregarded Keshava of unfading glory,
and Dhananjaya, and the Vrishnis, and all other foes! Often did he use to
say unto the foolish, avaricious crestfallen, kingdom-coveting, and
afflicted Duryodhana even such words as these, "Alone, I shall, in
battle, throw down from their foremost of cars, those two invincible
warriors united together, the wielder of sarnga and the wielder of
gandiva!" He had subjugated many invincible and mighty foes--the
Gandharas, the Madrakas, the Matsyas, the Trigartas, the Tanganas, the
Khasas, the Pancalas, the Videhas, the Kulindas, the Kasi-kosalas, the
Suhmas, the Angas, the Nishadhas, the Pundras, the Kichakas, the Vatsas,
the Kalingas, the Taralas, the Asmakas, and the Rishikas. Subjugating all
these brave races, by means of his keen and whetted arrows equipped with
kanka feathers, that foremost of car-warriors, Radha's son, had caused
all of them to pay tribute to us for the aggrandisement of Duryodhana.
Alas, how could that warrior acquainted with celestial weapons, that
protector of armies, Karna the son of Vikartana, called also Vrisha, of
mighty energy, be slain in battle by his foes, the heroic and mighty sons
of Pandu? As Indra is the foremost of gods, Karna was the foremost of
men. In the three worlds no third person has been heard of by us to be
like them. Amongst steeds, Uccaisravas is the foremost; amongst Yakshas,
Vaishravana is the foremost; amongst celestials, Indra is the foremost;
amongst smiters, Karna was the foremost. Unvanquished by even the most
heroic and the mightiest of monarchs, he had, Duryodhana's
aggrandisement, subjugated the whole earth. The ruler of Magadha, having
by conciliation and honours obtained Karna for a friend, had challenged
all the Kshatriyas of the world, except the Kauravas and the Yadavas, to
battle. Hearing that Karna hath been slain by Savyasaci in single combat,
I am plunged in an ocean of woe like a wrecked vessel in the vast deep!
Indeed, hearing that that foremost of men, that best of car-warriors,
hath been slain in single combat, I am sinking in an ocean of grief like
a person without a raft in the sea! When, O Sanjaya, I do not die of such
grief, I think my heart is impenetrable and made of something harder than
the thunderbolt. Hearing of the defeat and humiliation of kinsmen and
relatives and allies, who else in the world, O Suta, save my wretched
self, would not yield up his life? I desire to have poison or fire or a
fall from the summit of a mountain, I am unable, O Sanjaya, to bear this
heavy load of grief!'"



9

"Sanjaya said, 'The world regards thee to be equal to Yayati the son of
Nahusha, in beauty, birth, fame, asceticism, and learning! Indeed, in
learning, thou art, O king, like a great rishi, highly accomplished and
crowned with success! Summon thy fortitude! Do not yield to grief!'

"Dhritarashtra said, 'I think destiny is supreme, and exertion fruitless
since even Karna, who was like a shala tree, hath been slain in battle!
Having slaughtered Yudhishthira's army and the large throngs of the
Pancala car-warriors, having scorched all the points of the compass by
means of his arrowy showers, having stupefied the Parthas in battle like
the wielder of the thunderbolt stupefying the asuras, alas, how could
that mighty car-warrior, slain by the foe, fall down on the earth like a
large tree uprooted by the tempest? Indeed, I do not behold the end of my
sorrows like a drowning man unable to see the end of the ocean. My
anxieties are increasing, I do not desire to live, hearing of Karna's
death and Phalguni's victory! Indeed O Sanjaya, I regard the slaughter of
Karna to be highly incredible. Without doubt, this hard heart of mine is
made of the essence of adamant, for it does not burst into a 1,000
fragments upon hearing of the fall of Karna! Without doubt, the gods
ordained, before (my birth), a very long life for me, since sore
distressed on hearing of the death of Karna, I do not die! Fie, O
Sanjaya, on this life of one that is destitute of friends. Brought today,
O Sanjaya, to this wretched plight, miserably shall I have to live, of
foolish understanding that I am, pitied by all! Having formerly been the
honoured of the whole world, how shall I, O Suta, live, overridden by
foes? From pain to greater pain and calamity, have I come, O Sanjaya, in
consequence of the fall of Bhishma and Drona and the high-souled Karna! I
do not see that anyone (of my army) will escape with life when the Suta's
son hath been slain in battle! He was the great raft, O Sanjaya, to my
sons! That hero, having shot innumerable arrows, hath been slain in
battle! What use have I of life, without that bull among men? Without
doubt, the son of Adhiratha, afflicted with arrows, fell down from his
car, like a mountain-peak riven by the fall of thunder! Without doubt,
bathed in blood, he lieth, adorning the Earth, like an elephant slain by
an infuriate prince of elephants! He who was the strength of the
Dhartarashtras, he who was an object of fear to the sons of Pandu, alas,
he viz., Karna, that pride of all bowman, hath been slain by Arjuna! He
was a hero, a mighty bowman, the dispeller of the fears of my sons! Alas,
that hero, reft of life, lieth (on the earth), like mountain struck down
by Indra! The fulfilment of Duryodhana's wishes is even like locomotion
to one that is lame, or the gratification of the poor man's desire, or
stray drops of water to one that is thirsty! Planned in one way, our
schemes end otherwise. Alas, destiny is all powerful, and time incapable
of being transgressed! Was my son Duhshasana, O Suta, slain, while flying
away from the field, humbled (to the dust), of cheerless soul, and
destitute of all manliness? O son, O Sanjaya, I hope he did no dastardly
act on that occasion? Did not that hero meet with his death like the
other kshatriyas that have fallen? The foolish Duryodhana did not accept
Yudhishthira's constant advice, wholesome as medicine, against the
propriety of battle. Possessed of great renown, Partha, when begged for
drink by Bhishma then lying on his arrowy bed, pierced the surface of the
earth! Beholding the jet of water caused by the son of Pandu, the
mighty-armed (Bhishma, addressing Duryodhana), said, "O sire, make peace
with the Pandavas! Hostilities ceasing, peace will be thine! Let the war
between thyself and thy cousins end with me! Enjoy the earth in
brotherliness with the sons of Pandu!" Having disregarded those counsels,
my child is certainly repenting now. That has now come to pass which
Bhishma of great foresight said. As regards myself, O Sanjaya, I am
destitute of counsellors and reft of sons! In consequence of gambling, I
am fallen into great misery like a bird shorn of its wings! As children
engaged in sport, O Sanjaya, having seized a bird and cut off its wings,
merrily release it, but the creature cannot achieve locomotion in
consequence of its winglessness; even so have I become, like a bird shorn
of its wings! Weak, destitute of every resource, without kinsmen and
deprived of relatives and friends, cheerless and overpowered by enemies,
to which point of the compass shall I go? He who vanquished all the
Kambojas and the Amvashthas with the Kaikeyas, that puissant one, who,
having for the accomplishment of his purpose vanquished the Gandharas and
the Videhas in battle, subjugated the whole Earth for the sake of
Duryodhana's aggrandisement, alas, he hath been vanquished by the heroic
and strong Pandavas endued with mighty arms! Upon the slaughter, in
battle, of that mighty bowman, Karna, by the diadem-decked (Arjuna), tell
me, O Sanjaya, who were these heroes that stayed (on the field)! I hope
he was not alone and abandoned (by friends) when slain in battle by the
Pandavas? Thou hast, O sire, told me, before this, how our brave warriors
have fallen. With his powerful shafts Shikhandi felled in battle that
foremost of all wielders of weapons, viz., Bhishma, who did nothing to
repel the attack. Similarly, Sanjaya, Drupada's son Dhrishtadyumna,
uplifting his scimitar, slew the mighty bowman Drona who, already pierced
with many arrows, had laid aside his weapons in battle and devoted
himself to Yoga. These two were both slain at a disadvantage and
especially by deceit. Even this is what I have heard about the slaughter
of Bhishma and Drona! Indeed, Bhishma and Drona, while contending in
fight, were incapable of being slain in battle by the wielder of the
thunderbolt himself by fair means. This that I tell thee is the truth! As
regards Karna, how, indeed, could Death touch him, that hero equal unto
Indra himself, while he was engaged in shooting his manifold celestial
weapons? He unto whom in exchange for his earrings, Purandara had given
that foe slaying, gold-decked, and celestial dart of the splendour of
lightning,--he who had, lying (within his quiver) amid sandal-dust, that
snake-mouthed celestial arrow decked with gold, equipped with goodly
wings, and capable of slaying all foes, he who, disregarding those heroic
and mighty car-warriors having Bhishma and Drona at their head, had
acquired from Jamadagni's son the terrible brahmastra, that mighty-armed
one, who, having seen the warriors with Drona at their head afflicted
with arrows and turn away from the field, had cut off with his keen
shafts the bow of Subhadra's son, he who, having in a trice deprived the
invincible Bhimasena endued with the might of 10,000 elephants and the
speed of the wind, of his car, had laughed at him,--he who, having
vanquished Sahadeva by means of his straight shafts and made him carless,
slew him not from compassion and considerations of virtue,--he who, with
Shakra's dart, slew that prince of rakshasas, Ghatotkaca, who from desire
of victory, had invoked a 1,000 kinds of illusions,--he whose feats in
battle, filling Dhananjaya with fear, had made the latter for such a long
period avoid a single combat with him,--alas, how could that hero be
slain in battle? How could he be slain by foes unless one of these had
happened to him viz., the destruction of his car, the snapping of his
bow, and the exhaustion of his weapons? Who could vanquish that tiger
among men, like a real tiger, endued with great impetuosity, Karna, while
shaking his formidable bow and shooting therefrom his terrible shafts and
celestial weapons in battle? Surely, his bow broke, or his car sank in
the earth, or his weapons became exhausted, since thou tellest me that he
is slain! I do not, indeed, see any other cause for (explaining) his
slaughter! That high-souled one who had made the terrible vow "I will not
wash my feet till I slay Phalguni," that warrior through whose fear that
bull among men, king Yudhishthira the just, had not, in the wilderness,
for thirteen years continuously, obtained a wink of sleep,--that
high-souled hero of great prowess relying upon whose valour my son had
forcibly dragged the wife of the Pandavas to the assembly, and there in
the midst of that conclave, in the very sight of the Pandavas and in the
presence of the Kurus, had addressed the princess of Pancala as the wife
of slaves, that hero of the Suta caste, who in the midst of the assembly
had addressed Krishna, saying, "All thy husbands, O Krishna, that are
even like sesamum seeds without kernel, are no more, therefore, seek some
other husband, O thou of the fairest complexion!" and in wrath had caused
her to listen to other expressions equally harsh and rude, how was that
hero slain by the foe? He who had said unto Duryodhana even these words,
viz., "If Bhishma who boasteth of his prowess in battle or Drona who is
invincible in fight, doth not, from partiality, slay the sons of Kunti, O
Duryodhana, even I will slay them all, let the fever of thy heart be
dispelled!" who also said, "What will (Arjuna's) gandiva and the two
inexhaustible quivers do to that shaft of mine, smeared with cool
sandal-paste, when it will course through the welkin?" alas, how could
that warrior possessed of shoulders broad as those of the bull be slain
by Arjuna? He who, disregarding the fierce touch of the arrows shot from
gandiva had addressed Krishna, saying, "Thou hast no husbands now" and
glared at the Pandavas, he who, O Sanjaya, relying on the might of his
own arms, had entertained no fear, for even a moment, of the Parthas with
their sons and Janardana,--he, I think, could not possibly meet with
death at the hands of the very gods with Vasava at their head rushing
against him in fury, what then need I say, O sire, of the Pandavas? The
person could not be seen competent to stay before the son of Adhiratha,
while the latter, putting on his fences, used to touch the bowstring! It
was possible for the Earth to be destitute of the splendour of the Sun,
of the Moon, or of fire, but the death of that foremost of men, who never
retreated from battle, could not be possible. That foolish child of mine,
of wicked understanding, who having got Karna, as also his brother
Duhshasana, for his ally, had made up his mind for the rejection of
Vasudeva's proposals, surely, that wight, beholding the slaughter of the
bull-shouldered Karna and of Duhshasana, is now indulging in
lamentations! Seeing Vikartana's son slain in single combat by Savyasaci,
and the Pandavas crowned with victory, what indeed, did Duryodhana say?
Seeing Durmarshana slain in battle and Vrishasena also, and seeing his
host break when slaughtered by mighty car-warriors, beholding also the
kings (of his army) turn back their faces, intent on flight, and his
car-warriors already fled, I think that son of mine is now indulging in
lamentations! Beholding his host dispirited, what, indeed, did the
ungovernable, proud, and foolish Duryodhana, with passions not under
control, say? Having himself provoked such fierce hostility though
dissuaded by all his friends what, indeed, did Duryodhana, who has
suffered a great loss in battle of friends and followers, say? Beholding
his brother slain in battle by Bhimasena, and upon his blood being drunk,
what indeed, did Duryodhana say? My son had, with the ruler of the
gandharvas, said, "Karna will slay Arjuna in battle!" When he saw that
Karna slain, what indeed, did he say? What, O sire, did Shakuni, the son
of Subala, who had formerly been filled with joy after going through the
match at dice and cheating the son of Pandu, say when he saw Karna slain?
What did that mighty car-warrior among the Satwatas, that great bowman,
Kritavarma the son of Hridika, say when he saw Vaikartana slain? Endued
with youth, possessed of a handsome form, agreeable to the sight, and
celebrated throughout the world, what, O Sanjaya, did Ashvatthama, the
intelligent son of Drona, upon whom brahmanas and kshatriyas and vaishyas
who are desirous of acquiring the science of arms wait, for protections,
say when he saw Karna slain? What did Sharadvata's son Kripa, O sire, of
Gotama's race, that foremost of car-warriors, that teacher of the science
of arms, say when he saw Karna slain? What did the mighty leader of the
Madras warriors, that king of the Madras, the great bowman Shalya of the
Sauvira clan, that ornament of assemblies, that foremost of car-warriors
(temporarily) engaged in driving the car, say when he saw Karna slain?
What also did all the other warriors, difficult of defeat in battle,
those lords of earth that came to fight, say, O Sanjaya, when they behold
Vaikartana slain? After the fall of the heroic Drona, that tiger among
car-warriors that bull among men, who, O Sanjaya, became the heads of the
several division in their order? Tell me, O Sanjaya, how that foremost of
car-warriors, Shalya the ruler of the Madras, became engaged in driving
the car of Vaikartana! Who were they that guarded the right wheel of the
Suta's son while the latter was engaged in fight, and who were they that
guarded his left wheel, and who were they that stood at the rear of that
hero? Who were those heroes that did not desert Karna, and who were those
mean fellows that ran away? How was the mighty car-warrior Karna slain
amidst your united selves? How also did those mighty car-warriors, the
brave Pandavas, advance against him shooting showers of shafts like the
clouds pouring torrents of rain? Tell me also, O Sanjaya, how that mighty
shaft, celestial and foremost of its species, and equipped with a head
like that of a serpent became futile! I do not, O Sanjaya, see the
possibility of even a small remnant of my cheerless host being saved when
its leaders have been crushed! Hearing of the slaughter of those two
heroes, those two mighty bowmen, Bhishma and Drona, who were ever ready
to lay down their lives for my sake, what use have I of life? Again and
again I am unable to endure that Karna, the might of whose arms equalled
that of 10,000 elephants, should be slain by the Pandavas! Tell me, O
Sanjaya, all that occurred in the battle between the brave warriors of
the Kauravas and their foes, after the death of Drona! Tell me also how
the sons of Kunti fought the battle with Karna, and how that slayer of
foes received his quietus in the fight!'"



10

"Sanjaya said, 'After the fall of the mighty bowman Drona on that day, O
Bharata, and after the purpose had been baffled of that mighty
car-warriors, viz., the son of Drona, and after the vasty army, O
monarch, of the Kauravas had fled away, Partha, having arrayed his own
troops, stayed on the field with his brothers. Perceiving him staying on
the field, thy son, O bull of Bharata's race, seeing his own army running
away, rallied them with great courage. Having caused his divisions to
take up their stand, thy son, O Bharata, relying on the might of his
arms, fought for a long time with his foes, the Pandavas, who, having
gained their end, were filled with joy and had been struggling for hours
together. On the approach there of the evening twilight, he caused the
troops to be withdrawn. Having caused the withdrawal of their troops, and
having entered their own encampment, the Kauravas held with one another a
consultation about their own welfare, seated like the celestials on
costly couches overlaid with rich coverlets, and on excellent seats and
luxurious beds. Then king Duryodhana, addressing those mighty bowmen in
agreeable and highly sweet expression, spoke the following words suited
to the occasion.

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We do not know the women's names, but their voices are quite distinct. All are pregnant. But while the first woman awaits the birth of her baby with a moon-like serenity, the other two are not so lucky. One, whose previous pregnancies have failed to go to term, is experiencing a heartbreaking late miscarriage; the other is a young student whose accidental pregnancy will end in her child being put up for adoption.

Sylvia Plath's only play was never intended for the stage, being broadcast instead on BBC radio in August 1962. Less than six months later, Plath killed herself, but not before the burst of astonishing creative energy that produced her extraordinary, terrifying Ariel poems.

Anyone who knows Plath's poetry will see the connection between Three Women and Plath's subsequent poems, particularly in the way she talks about the agony of childbirth, the rush of love for this tiny alien being, and both the wonder and wounded rawness of motherhood. It is a beautiful piece, full of startling imagery that draws you in through the sheer intensity of its femaleness, and because it so precisely articulates the emotions that are often thought but seldom voiced by women - certainly not in the early 1960s - about men, motherhood and our relationship to our bodies.

It's been 20 years since there has been an attempt at a professional stage version and - in a theatre world that happily accepts the poetic offerings of Sarah Kane and Debbie Tucker Green, or the staged possibilities of The Waves, one of Plath's own inspirations for the piece, I see no reason why it shouldn't be brought to life. Sadly, it doesn't breathe here, in a production by Robert Shaw that is clearly a labour of love, but which never finds a way to give the internal a physical reality. Plath's poetry, like most babies, is more robust than it appears - and won't break if treated with a little less reverence and considerably more grit.

Instead, what we are offered is tinkling piano music, mournful mood lighting, an innocuous pale setting, as well as three perfectly good but indisputably ladylike performances that capture none of the wounded redness of Plath's poetry, and do her the disservice of making her sound bleached and somewhat prissy. It's a pity. What might have been a wonder ends up a mere curiosity.

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