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Symbols
In Shakuntala, bees primarily symbolize erotic attraction, particularly the fleeting, teasing touch of flirtation. In the Prologue, for instance, the actress sings an erotic song in which blossoms are “gently brushed by black woodland bees.” In Act 1, when Shakuntala is attacked by a bee in the sacred grove, King Dusyanta envies the “honey-maker” because it brushes her eyelids, murmurs in her ear, and “[wins] her, / While I am stalled.” After he and Shakuntala come together, he likens himself to a bee, who “[kisses] the bud of your unbruised lip / And [floods] my thirsting mouth with nectar.” At the midpoint of the play, however, the symbol changes somewhat, when the cursed King compares himself to “a bee mithering at dawn” because he doesn’t recognize Shakuntala and can’t decide whether to draw close to her or flee. Dusyanta also includes a likeness of a bee in his portrait of Shakuntala and pretends to shoo it away, recalling the significance of the bee attack in his initial attraction to her and suggesting that perhaps bees might signify the confusion of passion as well as its pleasure.
Bees Quotes in Shakuntala
The Shakuntala quotes below all refer to the symbol of Bees. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 3 Quotes
KING. Timid fawn—don't worry about your elders! The father of your family knows the law, and he shall find no fault in what you've done. Besides:
You wouldn't be the first royal sage's daughter
To take a prince for love—
And receive her father's blessings later.
SHAKUNTALA. Let me go now. I need to ask my friends’ advice.
KING. Yes. I shall release you—
SHAKUNTALA. When?
KING. When?
When, like a bee, I kiss the bud of your unbruised lip
And flood my thirsting mouth with nectar.
[With these words, he tries to raise her face. SHAKUNTALA evades him with a dance]
OFF-STAGE VOICE. Red goose, take leave of your gander. Night is falling!
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Explanation and Analysis:
After King Dusyanta and Shakuntala admit their feelings for one another, Shakuntala’s friends withdraw, leaving the pair alone. Shakuntala, modest and unaccustomed to being alone with a lover, keeps trying to leave, but the King tries to calm her, assuring her that their marriage—effected through their mutual declarations of love—is acceptable according to traditional law. Though it was irregular, a woman of royal lineage, like Shakuntala, was allowed to consent to marriage with a prince and even to sleep with him before seeking her father’s approval. In essence, the King is claiming it’s possible at this point for Shakuntala to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta
Act 5 Quotes
VOICE [singing in the air].
Have you forgotten—forgotten so soon,
How you settled on the mango bloom,
Turning nectar to honey with kisses?
Have you really forgotten what bliss is?
To change it so quickly
For the wan and sickly
Night-flowering lotus?
[…]
KING [to himself]. Why should this song fill me with desire, when I'm not even separated from someone I love? But perhaps
It's what survives of love from other lives,
Trapped in certain forms and sounds,
And then released by song,
That keys my mood
From happiness to longing.
[He remains in some bewilderment]
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One day after King Dusyanta has returned to the capital, he hears one of his consorts singing this song. The song basically asks how Dusyanta can have so quickly forgotten the bliss he enjoyed with Shakuntala, now exchanging it for the less passionate affections of his wives in the capital. At least, that’s what the audience is meant to recognize; Dusyanta himself is baffled by his emotional reaction to the words. He doesn’t believe he’s separated from someone he loves, so he figures the reaction comes from embedded memories of loves in past lives. This quote prepares the audience for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo m
KING [staring at Shakuntala; to himself].
They offer me this flawless girl…
Could I have married her? I no longer know.
Like a bee mithering at dawn
Round a jasmine soaked in dew,
I can neither approach her, nor go.
[He remains thinking]
Doorkeeper [to herself]. Ah, duty always comes first for my lord. Who else would hesitate, faced with such a free and beautiful offer?
SARNGARAVA. So, king, why do you remain silent?
KING. Ascetics, however hard I try, I don’t remember marrying this lady. So how can I accept her when she’s obviously pregnant, and I have no reason to believe it’s anything to do with me?
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This quote appears after Shakuntala’s entourage arrives in the capital, and Dusyanta is told that she is his wife. His memory obscured by Durvasas’s curse, the King is perplexed. While he is unable to recognize Shakuntala herself, he is open to the possibility that he might have forgotten, and his will darts back and forth like a hesitating bee. The doorkeeper assumes that duty silences the King; otherwise, who could say no to the offer of love? But Dusyanta is torn between attraction and bewilderment, finally concluding that he can’t accept an unknown woman who will presumably claim his paternity Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui au
Act 6 Quotes
KING [sighing].
I rejected my love when she stood before me,
Yet now I'm obsessed by her painted image:
I crossed the stream of living water
To drink from a mirage.
VIDUSAKA [aside]. It's too late for the river now, but there's no dispelling the mirage.
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King Dusyanta has been working on a portrait of Shakuntala, and in this scene, he stares obsessively at the painting, seemingly unable either to draw comfort from the image or turn aside from it. This quote plays with the theme of concealment and estrangement that comes up so frequently throughout the story. Because Shakuntala is believed to be lost forever, the King seeks consolation in her memory and likeness, yet that very likeness only reminds him of the bitter truth that he rejected her when she was actually present, driving her away for good. As Dusyanta continues to talk with Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptate
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Bees Symbol Timeline in Shakuntala
The timeline below shows where the symbol Bees appears in Shakuntala. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
...for the audience. The actress sings a romantic song about a mimosa blossom brushed by bees. The manager says approvingly that the song carried him away, “Just as the headlong rush...
(full context)
Act 1
...another class, then he could hope to marry her. Meanwhile, Shakuntala is frightened by a bee that’s been disturbed by her watering. Dusyanta envies the bee’s closeness to Shakuntala.
(full context)
Act 6
...crossed the stream of living water / To drink from a mirage.” He notices a bee in the painting and warns it not to harm his beloved. When Vidusaka tells him...
(full context)
