To Fulfil Promises is To Die: A Study of Gatotkaca Falls in Javanese Shadow Puppet Canon

Authors

H. B. Prasetya, Department of Puppetry, Faculty of Performing Art, Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta, P.O. Box 1210, Yogyakarta, IndonesiaFollow
J. Batubara, Department of Music, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas HKBP Nommensen, P.O. Box 20234, Medan, IndonesiaFollow
H. Herman, Department of English Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Universitas HKBP Nommensen Pematangsiantar, P.O. Box 21132, Pematang Siantar, IndonesiaFollow
W. N. Christianto, Department of Cultural and Media Studies, Sekolah Pascasarjana, Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta, P.O. Box 16, Yogyakarta, IndonesiaFollow

Abstract

Bharatayudha is the main source in wayang (shadow puppet) performances. This is very interesting to study because the events of the war which in Indian stories are very cruel, sadistic, after becoming a puppet show are very different. The hero or importans figures death is not caused by the violence of the weapon, but by someones promise. This study aims to understand the bharatayudha war in Javanese society. Data was collected by observing the performance of the play Gatutkaca Fall staged by a famous puppeteer, Manteb Sudarsono. This study uses qualitative methods to present data descriptively using a critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach. This research shows that the bharatayudha war according to Javanese society is not understood as a physical war, but as a means of fulfilling the promises of heroes or important figures. Gatutkacas death was not due to the effectiveness of Karnas Kuntawijayadanu weapon, but because of a promise made by Kalabendana, ie Gatutkacas uncle. This study suggests further research on other Bharatayudha serial plays and other puppeteers to get a more comprehensive picture of the Baratayudha play in wayang performances.

Recommended Citation

B. Prasetya, H.; Batubara, J.; Herman, H.; and N. Christianto, W. (2023) "To Fulfil Promises is To Die: A Study of Gatotkaca Falls in Javanese Shadow Puppet Canon," Information Sciences Letters: Vol. 12 : Iss. 6 , PP -.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/isl/vol12/iss6/11