De-othering Thai Ramayana: the sexual construction and objectification of Mandodari in the eighteenth century Ramakien

Abstract

This study conducted a textual analysis of the Ramakien, or Thai Ramayana, composed in the late eighteenth century. Focusing on the depiction of Mandodari, Ravana’s consort, this investigation employed close reading and cultural context from the early Bangkok period to unpack the nuanced construction of ‘otherness’ in her portrayal. The research found that, given Ravana’s royal status in Thai literary tradition, Mandodari’s portrayal of sexuality and narratives in the Ramakien were intricately constructed to reinforce the inferiority of her husband, Ravana, who is Rama’s main antagonist, and to draw comparisons with Sita, Rama’s consort. The article further delved into the representation of Mandodari as a reflection of Thai monarchical ideology and sexual discourse in Siamese elites of the late 18th century, which arguably influenced till the coming of Western idea of sexuality in the second half of the 19th century, as well as Mandodari’s portrayal in contemporary Thai society. The epic’s genesis in the Siamese royal court underlines the intimate nexus between the Ramakien and the Thai monarchy.

Keywords

• Thai ramayana
• Ramakien
• Mandodari
• chakri monarchs
• sexual otherness
• Oliver Nyambi, University of the Free State, South Africa