16. Summary of the play "The Jungle Book"

“The Jungle Book” is written by Rudyard Kipling. It takes place on the Seeone hills in India.

 

Father Wolf and Mother Wolf are a pair of wolves raising a family of cubs. While Father Wolf was about to go for his hunting, Tabaqui, the jackal, visits them. They are upset to learn from Tabaqui that Shere Khan, the lame tiger, is hunting in their territory. Later, the wolves realise that Shere Khan was hunting men, and they become furious because killing a human might bring human retribution upon the jungle. However, the tiger ends up losing his prey as he falls into a campfire.

 

While the wolves are at the cave, they hear something approaching them. They fear that it is the tiger, and Father Wolf springs up to attack him. However, it turns out to be a naked human baby. Mother Wolf (Raksha) decides to adopt the Man’s cub. Her determination gets reinforced by Shere Khan’s arrival, who demands the Man’s cub for his meal. When the wolves resist, the tiger warns them that their wolf-pack is likely to be against the fostering of a Man’s cub. The wolves chase the tiger away, and despite the warning, Raksha decides to keep the boy. She also names him Mowgli the Frog because of the lack of hair on him.