Karna Between Dharma and Identity: Exploring His Tragic Flaw and Subaltern Voice

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1.Karna’s Moral Conflict and Hamartia – The Dilemma of a Tragic Hero

Introduction

Among the many characters in the Mahabharata, Karna remains one of the most compelling and emotionally powerful figures. He embodies bravery, generosity, loyalty, and dignity, yet his life is overshadowed by moral dilemmas and tragic flaws. In Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan’s play The Curse, Karna is not portrayed merely as a warrior but as a tragic hero caught between his inner conscience and outer circumstances.

The two critical elements that define his character arc are moral conflict and Hamartia. While moral conflict refers to the inner struggle between right and wrong, Hamartia is the tragic flaw in a hero’s character that leads to their downfall. Analyzing Karna through these two lenses provides a deeper understanding of his psychological complexity and his ultimate fate.

Moral Conflict in Karna’s Character

Karna’s moral conflict is rooted in his divided sense of loyalty and duty. On one hand, he is a noble soul who respects righteousness (dharma) and recognizes the truth. On the other hand, he owes his entire social identity and royal status to Duryodhana, whose cause is unjust. This tension between what is right and whom he is loyal to defines Karna’s life.

Loyalty to Duryodhana vs. Knowledge of Adharma

Karna’s life changes when Duryodhana befriends him, crowns him as the King of Anga, and treats him with dignity that society had denied him. From that moment, Karna pledges unquestioning loyalty. He knows that Duryodhana’s intentions towards the Pandavas are driven by jealousy and injustice. Yet, because Duryodhana gave him honor when no one else did, Karna cannot abandon him.

This loyalty creates a deep ethical conflict within him. He recognizes the Pandavas as rightful heirs and is aware that Duryodhana’s actions are against dharma. Still, his sense of gratitude and personal commitment outweighs his moral reasoning.

Witnessing Draupadi’s Humiliation

One of the most critical moral moments occurs during Draupadi’s humiliation in the Kaurava court. Karna, aware that this act is morally wrong, does not stop it. Instead, he cruelly taunts her. This moment reveals his suppressed bitterness against the upper-caste elites who once mocked him. His silence and participation go against his inner sense of justice, highlighting the gap between his conscience and his actions.

Refusal of Krishna’s Offer

Krishna reveals his true identity to Karna before the war, offering him kingship and the position of eldest Pandava. Karna is aware that joining the Pandavas is morally correct. Yet, he refuses because he feels bound to Duryodhana’s friendship. His decision shows that he chooses loyalty over righteousness, even when aware of the moral weight of his actions.

These examples show that Karna is constantly aware of what is right, but his emotional bonds, gratitude, and personal pride prevent him from acting accordingly. This unresolved conflict makes him a tragic moral figure.

Hamartia: Karna’s Fatal Flaw

In classical tragedy, Hamartia refers to the tragic flaw or error in judgment that leads to the hero’s downfall. Karna’s Hamartia is twofold: his unquestioning loyalty and his wounded pride.

Unquestioning Loyalty

Karna’s greatest strength — his loyalty — is also his greatest weakness. His refusal to break his bond with Duryodhana, even when he knows it will lead to his death, is a classic example of Hamartia. Loyalty becomes self-destructive when it blinds moral judgment. His noble heart cannot betray his friend, even at the cost of justice and his life.

Wounded Pride and Ego

Karna’s pride as a warrior and his lifelong struggle for recognition shape his decisions. He refuses to accept help from Krishna or reveal his true identity to the Pandavas because he does not want to be accepted out of pity. His ego prevents reconciliation. Even when truth offers him a way out, he sticks to the image he has built over the years. This pride ultimately traps him in his tragic destiny.

 Conclusion

Karna in The Curse is a tragic hero not because he lacks moral understanding but because he cannot act upon it due to his loyalty, pride, and personal pain. His moral conflict makes him a psychologically rich character, and his Hamartia ensures his inevitable downfall. He is torn between gratitude and righteousness, between identity and truth, making his story timeless and emotionally resonant. Karna’s tragedy lies not in ignorance but in the impossibility of reconciling heart and conscience — a dilemma that elevates him to the status of a true tragic hero.

• Karna – The Voice of the Subaltern

Introduction

The concept of the subaltern, introduced by Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci and popularized by postcolonial theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, refers to groups marginalized by social, political, or cultural hierarchies. In Indian literature, Karna from The Curse emerges as a powerful figure representing the voice of the subaltern. Though born into royalty, he grows up as a low-caste charioteer’s son, facing humiliation and exclusion despite his extraordinary talents.

Through Karna’s character, the play highlights the intersection of caste, class, and power, showing how voices from the margins struggle to be heard in dominant social narratives.

 Karna’s Marginalization by Birth

Karna is born to Kunti before her marriage and is set afloat on a river. He is raised by a charioteer’s family, and society labels him based on this upbringing rather than his true heritage. His social identity is determined by caste, not by his qualities or actions.

When he tries to participate in the archery contest, the Pandavas and teachers mock him, questioning his right to compete because of his caste.

Draupadi refuses to allow him to compete in her swayamvar, calling him “a charioteer’s son,” even though he is one of the greatest warriors.

These incidents show how caste discrimination overpowers individual merit, pushing Karna to the margins despite his excellence.

Resistance Through Skill and Alliance

Karna refuses to accept this marginalization passively. He fights back through excellence, mastering archery and becoming a formidable warrior. His friendship with Duryodhana is also a form of strategic resistance.

Duryodhana gives him kingship and honor, allowing him to challenge the dominance of the Pandavas and the Kshatriya elite.

By siding with Duryodhana, Karna creates a space for himself in power structures that otherwise exclude him.

This alliance is not just personal loyalty but also an act of asserting dignity in a system that refuses to recognize his worth.

 Subaltern Voice and Silence

Spivak famously wrote, “The subaltern cannot speak”, meaning their voices are often suppressed or mediated by dominant groups. Karna’s life embodies this idea:

His true identity as Kunti’s son remains hidden until the end, meaning his narrative is controlled by others, not himself.

Even when he proves his worth, society continues to define him by caste, not by merit.

His greatness is often overshadowed by Arjuna’s fame because dominant caste narratives privilege Arjuna’s story over Karna’s.

Karna does speak through his actions, but his voice is never fully heard or acknowledged within the power structures. He becomes both a participant in and a victim of the system.

 Conclusion

Karna stands as a symbol of the subaltern voice — talented, honorable, and aware, yet systematically excluded because of birth. The Curse uses his story to critique caste hierarchies and the silencing of marginalized identities. His struggle to gain recognition, his resistance through skill, and his ultimate silencing reflect broader social realities.

Through Karna, literature gives a face and a voice to those who remain unheard in historical narratives. He is not merely a mythological figure but a representative of marginalized communities, making his story socially and politically relevant even today.

References : 

Kapoor, Kajal. "Karna (the Unsung Hero of Mahabharata: the Voice of the Subaltern)." International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Culture, vol. 2, no. 4, 1 Nov. 2016, pp. 15-25.

Kailasam, T. P. Myths in the Play's of T.P.Kailasam: ¿Father of Modern Kannada Theatre¿. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2017.

Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. Can Sablatrun Speak? Arizona, United States, Northern Arizona University, 1899, https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/Spivak%20CanTheSubalternSpeak.pdf . Accessed 2 Oct 2025.

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