Reading Notes: Ramayana Part One

For this week's reading I choose to read the novel version of the Ramayana. I love reading novels because I feel like they are able to go so much more in-depth into the story, which will really help inspire my writing! 

Wikipedia lists the different characteristics that Rama "Morality, Virtue, Ideal son, Ideal king, Ideal student, Ideal teacher, Ideal brother, Ideal husband, Ideal man"

• I think idea for the character of Ravana is really interesting and could potentially make a good evil character for a India Horror movie. I think it is interesting that it is a demon that ruins holy places, it sounds a lot like the beginning of The Exorcist to me
• Vishnu could be an interesting character to explore. What I would like to possible do for a story is have Rama be visited by the different gods who "train" him for his destiny (to slay Ravana)
• Rama is the avatar of Vishnu 
• Four boys born from the gods: Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna   
• Viswamitra is like Rama's Virgil. Would be interesting to have a Virgil versus Viswamitra battle. 
• Tataka-basically a women who was turned into a demon because she tried to seduce a holy man. She now is like a vampire
• why is killing her the only way to break the curse? Do they not believe in redemption
• rakshasas would also make a great villain or evil character 
• If Maricha was purified with Rama's arrow why did he also have to be killed? 
• Kaikeyi is an interesting character. It is interesting that she is so worried about what her maid tells her to do, in terms of casting Rama out 
• I really enjoy the love story between Rama and Sita. I think that she is willing to support him through anything. Their story would be a really interesting thing to focus on 
• The Bow of Sita (which Rama lifts) is the equivalence to Excalibur in Arthurian Literature 
Manthara says that Rama will advance the interests of his own mother, Kausalya, and may even kill Kaikeyi and her son Bharata- She acts like the devil on the queens shoulder-Leading Kaikeyi to use her two wishes to make the king exile Rama

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan