Within the following pieces of this story, Bheeshma values women, and their right to make their own choices. It is fascinating that Amba does what she wants, then turns around and tries to marry Bheeshma after she went her own way. Bheeshma declining her is his own inalienable right and she decides it is not fair. This flip in gender roles of the woman trying to take away a man's power is quite the spectacle.

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Shantanu is not honest with Gangeya his son. He thought he wasn't aware enough to know that he was enthralled with another woman. Gangeya, showing in this story that he is selfless and wants only to make his father's wishes to come true, does so in striking a deal with Satyavati's father.

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Shantanu is quite bold in his wants. The women portrayed in this tale are immediately depicted as physically appealing, beautiful, and smelling divine. They are not described to have any other values which is another piece that perpetuates toxic masculinity and the writer's who have these biases built into their minds.

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Shantanu once again doesn't know what he truly wants. He has mixed desires in wanting women while also not wanting to give away the lineage and royalty of his own son. The interaction between Shantanu and Satyavati's father is another example of the gender role that the women are not in the discussion, only the men and stating what they desire. Satyavati's father wants an in to royalty and he is pushing hard to make that deal with the King.

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It's almost as if he knew he would find a woman or someone who could fill the gaping hole he felt in his life. Like he was searching along the banks hoping to stumble upon another woman, which points back to his desire which comes across as only wanting women to physically satisfy him. This feeds into the gender roles of men seeming like they only want women for sex and is prevelant in Shantanu's life.

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This piece is interesting because it ties back to the first time Shantanu and his wife met when he was out hunting by the river. What significance do these corellations have? Is Shantanu somehow drawn by a higher diety to keep making life choices when out hunting?

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If he had endured the killings of his children up to this point, why stop her now? His morals are verry off putting and disturbing due to his already lack of respect for women. And in turn it ruined the agreement of his whole marriage. When later he chases another woman in the same manner. King Shantanu cannot make up what he truly wants.

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From a gender role view and assumptions from me being made about this king, he seems to only be following what his body wants from women and not caring what they inherently can have value in besides giving bodily pleasures. I feel sorry for the women in this storyline that he "falls in love" with, if one would even say this childlike king is actually being in love with them.

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