The Natyashastra also describes the various types of plays, distinguishing between the major category (Rupaka) and the minor category (Uparupaka).
Rupaka includes ten subtypes, two of which are particularly notable: the Nataka, which are plays based on myths and heroic stories, and the Prakarana, which are plays built around fictional narratives where less important characters take the lead.
The idealized plot structure of Sanskrit drama is composed of five transitions, which guide the events towards a final resolution.
The first transition is the “origin” (mukha), which introduces the plot’s beginnings.
The second is the “incident” (pratimukha), where the plot develops further through both positive and negative events.
The third is the “germ” (garbha), where good actions or events seem to steer the narrative towards the “aim” (phala).
The fourth is the “crisis” (vimarsa), where negative actions or events begin to outweigh the positive and veer the plot away from the “aim.”
The fifth and final transition is “completion” (nirvahana), which brings together all the plot elements to conclude the story definitively.
A distinctive feature of Sanskrit drama is its bilingual nature.
Characters from upper castes, such as Brahmins and Kshatriyas, typically spoke in Sanskrit, while characters from other social classes, including soldiers, servants, women, and children, spoke various Prakrit languages.
In contrast to the ban on female actors in European classical drama, the Sanskrit tradition had no such restrictions.
Female roles could be performed by either male or female actors, or a combination of both, depending on the plot.
This flexibility allowed for a more diverse range of performances.
