Role
The term panakawan comes from the word ''pana'' which means "understand", and ''kawan'' which means "friend". The point is that the panakawans are not just mere servants or followers, but they also understand what is happening to their masters. In fact, they often act as advisors to their masters. The most distinctive thing about the existence of panakawan is they act as a group that spreads humour in the story. Their behavior and speech typically invite laughter from the audience. Apart from being comforters and advisers, they sometimes also act as helpers to their masters in times of adversity. For example, when Bimasena has to face Shakuni in the Baratayuda war, Semar comes up to inform him of Shakuni's weakness. In conversations between panakawans, it is common for the language and terms they use to be modern terms that are not in accordance with their era. But this seems to have become a normal thing and is not a problem. For example, in wayang performances, the Petruk character claims to have a car or cellphone, even though these two objects certainly did not exist in the wayang era back then.References
Further reading
* Brandon, James (1970). ''On thrones of gold - three Javanese shadow plays''. Harvard University Press. * Keeler, Ward (1987). ''Javanese Shadow Plays, Javanese Selves''. Princeton University Press. * Keeler, Ward (1992). ''Javanese Shadow Puppets''. OUP. * Long, Roger (1982). ''Javanese shadow theatre: Movement and characterization in Ngayogyakarta wayang kulit''. Umi Research Press.External links