At its heart, Anarkali dramatizes the tragic love story between Prince Salim, later Emperor Jahangir, and the courtesan Anarkali, whose very name evokes the fragrance of spring and the doom of beauty in the grip of empire. Their love, portrayed with emotional intensity and poetic restraint, stands in direct opposition to the unyielding authority of Emperor Akbar, a figure who represents imperial order, discipline, and patriarchal control. The resulting clash between personal longing and political power forms the play’s tragic core.