Week 9 Story: The Trial of the Princes
Drona surveyed arena. Banners flew above the stone benches that surrounded the dirt floor. The sun was still low, so no one had shown up yet. Today the boys that Drona had been diligently instructing were going to show off their skills in the arts of combat. He was most excited to showcase the five Pandu brothers: Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. He had been so impressed by their natural ability that he was shuddering with anticipation at the thought of having thousands of people watch them.
As the sun moved higher in the sky, people started to find seating. The chatter kept to a dull roar while they filed onto the benches. Eventually, trumpets blared, and the boys marched into the center of the arena. Everyone in the arena cheered as the marched up to in front of where Drona stood. They turned and faced Drona, who stood on a stone pavilion overlooking arena floor. When the boys had all made it into the arena, Drona announced to the entire crowd that the brave princes would perform amazing feats of combat and show off all they had learned.
The princes started by riding horses and manning chariots. They went back and forth across the arena to show their control. They threw javelins and spears both from horse back and chariot. Some even showed off their skill with a bow.
Drona was quite bored with these performances. He wanted to show off the sons of Pandu. He called let the people on horseback all come to a halt, and then he announced that there would be a contest between Bhima and Duryodhana. Duryodhana and Bhima fought so fiercely that many in the crowd thought they were going to kill one another. They fought so hard that even Drona thought that it would only end if one of them killed the other. He commanded them to stop. He did not want blood shed on this day of celebration.
Next Arjuna took the stage to show off his archery skill. Drona was particularly excited for him. Arjuna dazzles the crowd with his ability as an archer. Many attending murmur to one another that he must have the lineage of the gods within him. He continues with these feats until an unknown man enters from the side of the arena. He lifts a bow and matches all that Arjuna had just done. He then walks up to the pavilion and tells the whole arena that his name is Karna, and that he is here to challenge Arjuna. Duryodhana, angry that Drona favored the Pandu children, walked up to Karna and greeted him. He offered back him for his bid to face Arjuna. Drona, fearing that things would escalate, announces the end of the event and send the Pandu brothers somewhere else.
He sits and contemplates what might happen in the future. He fears that it may come to an all out war.
Author's note:
I found this story interesting the first time I read it. I kind of wanted to explore what was going through Drona's mind through all of this. In the end I kept it similar to the original for ease of reading.
Bibliography
Richard Wilson, The Indian Story Book, Source
As the sun moved higher in the sky, people started to find seating. The chatter kept to a dull roar while they filed onto the benches. Eventually, trumpets blared, and the boys marched into the center of the arena. Everyone in the arena cheered as the marched up to in front of where Drona stood. They turned and faced Drona, who stood on a stone pavilion overlooking arena floor. When the boys had all made it into the arena, Drona announced to the entire crowd that the brave princes would perform amazing feats of combat and show off all they had learned.
The princes started by riding horses and manning chariots. They went back and forth across the arena to show their control. They threw javelins and spears both from horse back and chariot. Some even showed off their skill with a bow.
Drona was quite bored with these performances. He wanted to show off the sons of Pandu. He called let the people on horseback all come to a halt, and then he announced that there would be a contest between Bhima and Duryodhana. Duryodhana and Bhima fought so fiercely that many in the crowd thought they were going to kill one another. They fought so hard that even Drona thought that it would only end if one of them killed the other. He commanded them to stop. He did not want blood shed on this day of celebration.
Next Arjuna took the stage to show off his archery skill. Drona was particularly excited for him. Arjuna dazzles the crowd with his ability as an archer. Many attending murmur to one another that he must have the lineage of the gods within him. He continues with these feats until an unknown man enters from the side of the arena. He lifts a bow and matches all that Arjuna had just done. He then walks up to the pavilion and tells the whole arena that his name is Karna, and that he is here to challenge Arjuna. Duryodhana, angry that Drona favored the Pandu children, walked up to Karna and greeted him. He offered back him for his bid to face Arjuna. Drona, fearing that things would escalate, announces the end of the event and send the Pandu brothers somewhere else.
He sits and contemplates what might happen in the future. He fears that it may come to an all out war.
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| The Showcase of the Princes. Source |
I found this story interesting the first time I read it. I kind of wanted to explore what was going through Drona's mind through all of this. In the end I kept it similar to the original for ease of reading.
Bibliography
Richard Wilson, The Indian Story Book, Source
Hey John,
ReplyDeleteGlad to be in another class with you again (miss those comp II days). I thought your story was told well and stayed true to the original. I like that you put yourself into Drona's place and asked yourself how he might feel about and react to the situations he found himself in. Looking through the eyes of a charter has proved to be a great strategy for retelling a story!
Hi John! So I am about two paragraphs in and I am already so impressed!! The imagery you utilize is beautiful and really helps provide context to the read. The sun is a major part of the entrance, it might be cool if you added an actual image of a sunrise? Just an idea. Overall, very impressed with the story and your writing skills! Who knows! You might have to add possible author to the list of future jobs.
ReplyDeleteHi, John great story. I really enjoyed reading it. It was a fast read and very fun to read. You are excellent at painting a picture of what is going on. I was able to imagine exactly what was happening. your imagery is top notch. You do a great job describing what is going on. Keep up the great work I can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteHi John! I enjoyed reading your take on the story. Arjuna and Karna's battle is my favorite story of the Mahabharata, so it was interesting to read the events leading up to it! I like how you chose Drona to be the eyes of this story since the Mahabharata doesn't focus on first story point of view! You did a great job writing about the setting and I was able to imagine how everything was.
ReplyDelete