Introduction:
Aziz and Aazam as Symbols:
Aziz and Aazam are rogues. They stand for opportunistic and unprincipled people who take undue advantage of the liberal ideals and welfare schemes of the democratic government and fill their own pockets. They are unscrupulous and feel delighted in misappropriating huge public funds sanctioned by the government to relieve people's suffering. They are not affected by other people's death and starvation. In Tughlaq' these two characters symbolise confusion and chaos of Tughlaq' era. Through their misdeeds the dramatist wants to give the impression that corruption was rampant in Tughlaq's period and there was complete lawlessness in the state. Aziz a Muslim Dhobi assumes various roles, befools the whole machinery of the state, kills the royal guest Ghiyasuddin Abbasid and remains undetected. In the end when his identity is disclosed, he is rewarded rather than punished. All this shows that Tughlaq was really whimsical and unjust.
Chess Symbol:
Chess was a favourite game of most of the rulers of the past. Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq was also very fond of chess and in the present play it has a unique significance and it runs throughout the play. In scene two the Sultan is shown bent over a chess board smiling with suppressed excitement. To his step mother, he claims to have solved the most difficult problem in chess which even Al-Adli and Sarakhi failed to solve. In the play it symbolises that the whole kingdom is as complicated and full of problems as the game of chess. The officials, friends, enemies and courtiers are like the pawns used in the game of chess. The ruler must be cunning, intelligent and wise like an expert in the game of chess. He must have full understanding as to when and where a pawn should be used. A single mistake may lead to defeat and ruin. Keeping these things in mind, the Sultan makes good use of Sheikh Imamuddin. He kills two birds with one stone by sending the Sheikh as an envoy to rebel Ainul Mulk. The Sheikh is killed and Ainul Mulk is crushed under obligation by granting him pardon and restoring to him the governorship of Avadh.
The chess symbol implies that Tughlaq manipulates his political rivals and opponents as pawns on the chess board according to his own sweet will.
Python as a Symbol:
A python is known for its fierceness and barbarity. It kills innocent and guilty alike. In scene eight of the play, the python symbolises Tughlaq's utter barbarity and inhumanity, He eliminates the people who may pose danger to him, no matter whether they are great or low, friends or enemies. Sheikh Imamuddin and the step mother are the good illustrations of it. The young sentry has seen a strange and frightening secret passage in the fort of Daulatabad. It is in the shape of an enormous hollow python. It is meant for safety. But the old sentry wants this safety of the Sultan to be destroyed so that the Sultan’s whole set up may collapse. The old sentry says, "Yes it is long passage, coiled like an enormous hollow python inside the belly of the fort. And we shall be far, far happier when that python breaks out and swallows everything in sight-every man, woman, child and beast." The python is a symbol of increased brutality and blood thirstiness of the Sultan. It symbolises the complete degeneration of his personality. From a human being, he has degenerated into a fearful huge python.
Daulatabad as a Symbol:
The Sultan decides to shift his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad because the latter is a Hindu city and by making it his capital, the Sultan wishes to strengthen the bond of unity between Hindus and Muslims. But this scheme ends in smoke. Instead of leading to prosperity and peace, it leads to chaos and starvation. The symbolism is implied in the fact that even the best of plans meant for the welfare of people can be foiled if people who work it are dishonest and vicious.
Prayer Symbol:
In some books prayer has also been told as a symbol. But the writers do not make it explicit of what symbol it is. Actually prayer does not symbolise anything. It has been used in the ironical sense. Prayer which is considered a most pious act and through which man establishes his contact with his Creator-the Almighty God, is vitiated by those that love it dearly. The Sultan is very punctual in saying his prayer and has made it obligatory for every Muslim. But he polluted it by getting his father killed at prayer time. Similarly the men of religion Sheikhs and Sayyids condemn the Sultan for killing his father at prayer time, but they too attempt to kill the Sultan at prayer time. It is ironical that the most pious act is used to achieve a foul end.
Symbolic Use of Birds of Prey:
The vulture and other birds of prey, which thrust their beaks into the flesh of the Sultan and deprive him of his peace, are also symbolic. They are his noble ideals and aspirations which he wants to put into practice but have been frustrated. They are symbolic of the frustration of an idealist and visionary and his spiritual agony.
