Arjuna, third of thePandava (Pandawa)brothers, approx. 1950Indonesia; West JavaWood, cloth, and mixedmediaPromised gift from theMimi and John HerbertCollection, R2000.86.115

Refined characters havewhite faces, bowed heads,and small and downcasteyes. They move in slow,gliding motions and speakin low, melodious voices.Their language is polite,and the thoughts theyexpress are complex.Heroes and heroines areusually of this type. Rama,the hero of the Ramayana,and his wife Sita (Sinta);Arjuna, the hero of theMahabharata, and hiswife, Subhadra (Subadra);Amir Hamzah in themenak cycle and his wife,Munigar—all these charac-ters fall into the refinedcategory.

Shikhandi (Srikandi), awife of Arjuna, perhaps1800–1900Indonesia; Central JavaWood, cloth, and mixedmediaGift from the Mimi andJohn Herbert Collection,F2000.85.27

Semirefined charactershave white or pink faces,slightly more uprightheads, and small eyes thatgaze straight forward.They move in quick butmeasured steps and speakin high-pitched voices.While generally refined,these characters are a bitmore direct than thepurely refined charactersand more inclined towardprecipitous actions.Shikhandi (Srikandi), afemale warrior and a wifeof Arjuna in theMahabharata, fits thischaracter type as doesKrishna (Kresna), an incar-nation of the god Vishnuin the same epic. Rashmoves by members of thischaracter type often moti-vate a story. For example,Shikhandi rushes off, dis-guised as a man, to findher lost husband andencounters fearsomeogres, necessitating a res-cue mission.

The monkey warriorHanuman (Hanoman), aideto Rama, approx. 1960Indonesia; West JavaWood, cloth, and mixedmediaPromised gift from theMimi and John HerbertCollection, R2000.86.160

Strong characters usuallyhave faces of deep pink,blue, or other dark colors,and large, bulging eyes.Their heads are bowed ifthey are modest or heldhigh if they are boastful.The bodies of these pup-pets are larger than thoseof the previous groups.Their voices are deep andgravelly. The puppeteercreates the sound by tight-ening his vocal chords andresonating the voice in hischest cavity. These charac-ters are the worker bees ofthe wayang world. If thereis a battle to be fought, aforest to be cut, or abridge to be built, thestrong characters areready. Ghatotkacha(Gatotkaca), the nephewof Arjuna and the protec-tor of Pringgandani king-dom in the Mahabharata,is an example of this typeof character. Hanuman(Hanoman), the monkeywarrior of the Ramayana,is another strong charac-ter, though his light bodycolor contrasts with thedark ones of others of thistype.

The demon king Ravana(Rawana), enemy of Rama,approx. 1960Indonesia; West JavaWood, cloth, and mixedmediaPromised gift from theMimi and John HerbertCollection, R2000.86.152

Emotionally uncontrolledcharacters have red ordark-colored faces, pro-truding eyes, and openmouths with visible fangs.They hold their heads highand have large bodies.They speak in piercingvoices with a musical lilt.These characters are theantagonists. Duhshasana(Durasasana), whoattempts to rape Draupadiin the Mahabharata, is anexample of this type, as isthe demonic Ravana(Rawana), who opposesRama in the Ramayana.

The jester Semar, approx. 1960Indonesia; West JavaWood, cloth, and mixed mediaPromised gift from the Mimi and JohnHerbert Collection, R2000.86.154

Finally, there are special characters—thosethat do not fall into the other categories.Their voices and characteristics must belearned individually. There are perhapsfifteen characters in this category; manyof them jesters.

The most important jester is Semar, whohas a white face and a black body. He isactually a high god who has descended toearth to help humankind. He is both maleand female, and is both father andmother to his sons. He is always groaningabout how his sons do not pay attentionto the important things that are happen-ing around them. He loves them dearlybut reprimands them regularly. His voiceis slow and sometimes whiny.

Pug-nosed Gareng is the first son ofSemar. While his two siblings fight witheach other, he listens and thinks. If thebrothers see two prongs sticking out of abush, Cepot says “A bull!” and pulls out acape, preparing for a bullfight. Petruktells him the protuberances are TV anten-nas and then starts to argue about whichprogram to watch. Gareng, on the otherhand, shakes his head and mutters“Ogre”; immediately a demon attackshim. A strong fighter, Gareng often levelsthe enemy with a single blow.

The second son, the long-nosed Petruk, isthe consummate nerd. Whatever the lat-est fad or most complicated news, heknows about it. He can program comput-ers and recite verse with ease. He usesbrains where Cepot uses brawn. Petruk’svoice is high and nasal, and his dictionmore complex than that of his brother.

His third son is Cepot, who is a devotee ofmartial arts. In contemporary wayang per-formances Cepot sees all the latest moviesand thinks of himself as a Rambo-likeaction hero when it comes to fighting.When his father tells him to work hard orstudy, he responds like the delinquentBart Simpson. A proud underachiever whodreams of his prowess in battle, Cepotspends most of his time bickering with hisbrother Petruk, but bravely faces anydemon. His voice is deep and guttural.

The demon Sisul, approx.1970Indonesia; Cirebon, WestJavaWood, cloth, and mixedmediaPromised gift from theMimi and John HerbertCollection, R2000.86.142

Rank-and-file ogres, ordemons (buta), bear someresemblance to jesters.They tend to be portrayedas comic oafs, and theycan be created with newspecial features and voicesaccording to the innova-tiveness of the individualdalang. They are theperennial opponents ofthe jesters and are sure tobe defeated by them.