The Bull Summary (Class 12: Com. English)

The Bull

- Bhimnidhi Tiwari

Brief and Simple Summary:

The one-act play “The Bull” written by Bhimnidhi Tiwari is about an incident related to Ranabahadur Shah’s craze for a bull to satirize the feudal system. The play depicts the dehumanization and oppression of feudal rulers on their workers.

The play takes place in Laxminarayan’s yard in the month of Ashoj in 1854, and it centers on the death of king Ranabahadur’s bull named Male and the painful condition of the bull doctor Laxminarayan and two cowherds Jitman and Gore

Two cowherds Jitman and Gore come to Laxminarayan’s house to inform about the death of the bull. After getting the information, Laxminarayan starts trembling with fear. So, being fearful of the king's punishment, Laxminarayan warns not tell the king about the bull’s death because he can even give them death penalty.

Then Laxminarayan goes to Basantpur Palace to inform the king about the bull’s ill health. He does not tell him that the king bull is dead. He even says that the bull sire does not wake up, eat breakfast, speak and move, but stares with still eyes. He even starts praising its beauty, and proposes to take it to the hills for its better treatment.

After this, the king decides to check the bull’s condition himself with his convoy. In the shed, both cowherds Jitman and Gore are waiting. They even think of running away from there to save their life. Laxminarayan instructs the cowherds to massage the bull’s feet and wave a fan at the bull to show that the bull is alive.

Finally, the king realizes the bull is dead because the bull has no movements. But Laxminarayan and the cowherds cannot declare it death due to fear. At last, the king decides that the bull is dead. After listening to his declaration, Jitman starts crying and tells him that he has become an orphan after the bull’s death. After this, the king tells Laxminarayan to console him. He also declares 400 rupees tip and tells him to be quiet. After that, Gore also does the same as Jitman. Then the king again declares 500 rupees tip to Gore. At last, Laxminarayan starts weeping and pretends to be in pain. But the king scolds him to be quiet and orders him to bury the bull and manage funereal rites. With this, Jitman and Gore become happy to be alive, and the play ends