A History of Sanskrit Literature c19.22

c19.22

It is a fact worth noting, that the beginning of one of the most famous of modern European dramas has been modelled on that of a celebrated Sanskrit play. The prelude of *Çakuntalā* suggested to Goethe the plan of the prologue on the stage in *Faust*, where the stagemanager, the merryandrew, and the poet converse regarding the play about to be performed (*cf.* p. 351). Forster's German translation of Kālidāsa's masterpiece appeared in 1791, and the profound impression it produced on Goethe is proved by the well-known epigram he composed on *Çakuntalā* in the same year. The impression was a lasting one; for the theatre prologue of *Faust* was not written till 1797, and as late as 1830 the poet thought of adapting the Indian play for the Weimar stage.