A land, where darkness dwells, hopes dash, fear is the sole factor that fuels the people’s will to survive. Mourning and screaming are daily routine for the people living there as they see their loved ones become victims of death. Yes, in the darkest part of the swamp where no light is able to penetrate through its fog, There resides a hideous and ruthless monster who terrorises the lives of the villagers, The Naga. It toys with the innocent lives of many, causing them to cower in fear yet not able to retaliate against its existence. Until a prince, along with his sister and courtiers, chance upon the land on his quest to establish his new kingdom. The local chief reveals the information of the monster, the Naga, to ward the young Prince off the land. However, this in turn spurs the heroic Prince in removing the threat of the monster, the Naga, to accomplish his great undertaking. Though there are countless warnings and dissuasions from the people, these did not stop the young prince’s unwavering heart. Thus, without any reinforcements, he ventures into the swamp in search of the monster, Naga. Countless days flash by, yet there is no news of the young prince. All hopes seems dim as the people start to question the survival of the prince. But surprisingly the fatigue Prince is able to overcome his ordeal and return without harm. The Prince mentions that he is unable to find the monster. In disappointment, the Prince no longer has the the will to push on. Taking the initiative, the princess lead the villagers to clear the swamp. As the final struggle, the Naga emerges. The Prince makes his last heroic effort to defend against the Naga. The weak monster drops to the ground and perish restoring peace to the land once again. The people celebrates their freedom from the evil clutches of Naga.
The Naga, Image By: OmniaVanitus (DeviantART)
The Swamp, Image By: jjpeabody (DeviantART)
Character Analysis
Sri Mahkota
The play forms an impression that Sri Mahkota is a courageous person. This can be seen from ‘whether you aid me or whether you don’t, I will fight alone’. This shows that Sri Mahkota is courageous to go kill the monster all by himself when everyone else is afraid of it. Sri Mahkota showed courage in wanting to conquer the Naga. Moreover, he went all alone. Despite the fact that the people dissuaded him, Sri Mahkota picked up the courage to try to free the villagers from the Naga. Therefore, Sri Mahkota is courageous as he dares to go look for and kill a monster that everyone is afraid of all by himself.
The play forms an impression that Sri Mahkota is a determined person. This can be seen from ‘I will kill the monster; I will set you people free from fear’. This shows that he is a man of determination. The Rakyats and Penghulu were doubtful that they can kill Naga together even with the help of Mahkota, but Mahkota himself was very determined in killing Naga, that he went alone. Mahkota jeopardised his own safety to kill the Naga, showing his determination. Therefore the play forms an impression that Sri Mahkota is a determined person, as he was persistent in wanting to kill the Naga, even when no one else supported him.
The Prince, Image By: leejun35 (DeviantART)
The Princess, Image By: Lunatique-SF (DeviantART)
Princess (Sri Mahkota ’s sister)
The play forms an impression that the Princess is a confident person. This can be seen from ‘Take up your familiar tools… I will teach you how to use them’. This shows that the Princess is a confident person as she confidently led the people and taught them how to use their tools to dry the land and clear the jungle. She took the initiative to lead the Rakyat and the Courtiers to kill the Naga. Even though her brother had tried so long to find the Naga and fight it but did not succeed, she was confident that her idea would work. Therefore, the play forms an impression that the Princess is a confident person as she was not afraid to take over her brother’s place and lead the people to deal with the Naga.
The play left me an impression that the Princess is a calm person. This can be seen from ‘Brother, rest for a while. Lie down and sleep, Forget your struggle. Rest a while’. This shows that the Princess is calm as she did not panic when she saw her brother in a state of extreme fatigue. She asked her brother to rest, instead of questioning him about his trip and getting all panicky. Also, she did not worry too much about her brother that she forget about the workers or killing the Naga. Therefore, the play forms an impression that the Princess is a calm person as she was able to maintain her composure and still handle the chaotic situation.
Themes
Perseverance
One of the themes that the plot tells is perseverance. Perseverance is the persistence in doing something despite the difficulty in achieving success. The act of persevering can be clearly seen from ‘But I will not give up. Whether you aid me or whether you don’t, I will fight alone!’ This suggests the Prince’s firm decision to attempt to kill the Naga even when the villagers refused to fight with him. The fact that he had to face the possible dangers when battling the Naga alone did not sway him from his intention to get rid of the Naga for good. Also from 'Surely this is the reason that God has brought me here, so that I can battle this evil thing', perseverance is displayed. with his persistence in wanting to found his kingdom right at the village although he had been warned not to start his kingdom there because of the Naga. Moreover, from 'don’t let it escape to grow strong again; finish it now, don’t let it get away! ', it can be seen that he was determined to get rid of the Naga even when his failed for the first time. Although the Prince could have just leave the village to search for a new place, he did not change his mind to found his kingdom in that village. Instead, he persevered and continue with the decision he made. All of these display the theme of perseverance, as Sri Mahkota did not sway from his original intentions nor give up, even when he faces setbacks and challenges.
Courage
The other theme shown in the play is courage. Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one. This theme is shown in the drama from how the Prince, Sri Mahkota was fearless in wanting to kill the Naga despite hearing from the people that the Naga was highly dangerous and life threatening. The theme of courage can be clearly seen from the Prince’s thoughts, 'truly, it is hard to set men free, if they dare not help themselves'. This shows his disappointment towards the villagers as they feared to follow him to fight the Naga. Even though he knew about the risks and the danger he was setting himself, he was courageous to battle the Naga for the villagers’ sake. Also, from 'I will kill the monster; I will set you people free from fear!' It shows the prince’s courage to conquer the Naga that was feared by everyone else. Furthermore, from 'whether you aid me or whether you don’t, I will fight for myself!' It can be seen clearly that although he had heard from the people that the Naga threatens people’s lives, he was fearless and not hesitant to kill it to free the villagers from the nightmare. Thus, the courage which the Prince possess is suggested by his bravery to challenge the Naga all by himself, when all the villagers were afraid of it. The prince's actions displays the theme of courage.