Dichotomy

The play explores dichotomies in order to prove that, ultimately, they are all false. The friendship between Devadatta and Kapila is something that the people in the city of Dharmapura marvel at. They think it is exceptionally strange that the brilliant son of a Brahmin would be close friends with the son of an ironworker. While not explicitly stated in the play, readers with a basic understanding of the caste system in India will realize that ironworkers are a part of the lowest caste, Shudras, while Brahmins are the highest caste possible. For the two men to be friends is shocking because the castes are supposed to operate on opposite ends of the spectrum for one another. But Devadatta and Kapila break down the barrier between the dichotomy of their birth caste and exist together as best friends in life and in death.

The most prominent...