skip to main | skip to sidebar
Look Back in Anger gives us a glimpse into the mood and temper of England after World War II. The British Labour Party after coming to power, introduced some social reform to build up a welfare state in their country.  Yet some young idealists were not satisfied . The people found themselves in precisely the same situation that Jimmy Porter, the hero of the play faces .

Mood and Temper of England after World War II

When the play opens we find Jimmy speaking in a discontented, restless manner . He is discontented with the Sunday newspapers ;he is discontented with his wife Alison, and he is dissatisfied with his friend Cliff. The Sunday newspaper , he complains , makes one feel ignorant.  His wife Alison,  he complains , hardly listens to him but goes to sleep when he begins to speak . As for Cliff, he is too ignorant to understand what the newspapers have to say. Jimmy then goes on to make fun of the Bishop of Bromley and of the women who in her religious fervour got four of her ribs broken and got kicked in the head at a religious assembly.  He cynically declares that  those who ostensibly make sacrifices- whether of their careers, their beliefs of sexual pleasures-never wanted those things in the first place. Jimmy is also against class-distinctions. He himself comes from a working - class family , while his wife comes from a rich middle class family . Alison's parents had opposed her marriage to jimmy,  and Jimmy has never been able to forget this fact even though four years have passed. He keeps criticising not only Alison but also her father's family.

Throughout the play we find Jimmy raging against things ,persons , and institutions . The ringing of church -bells annoys him because he is opposed to formal religion and its ritual . He feels very irritated with Alison when he learns that under Helena's influence ,she is going to church .Jimmy deplores the fact that there are no good,brave causes left in the world so that people of his generation are not able to die for anything nobel.

Jimmy,  in spite of the university degree that he holds , has not been able to settle down in life.  He has been drifting from one profession to another . For example , he tried his hand at many things-journalism, advertising,  even vacuum cleaning , sweets selling,  etc.  but has not been able to settle down anywhere . This attitude of boredom, uncertainty and drift id typical of aimless youth of post -war England.

To sum up, the post- war generation had many reasons to be angry,  and the post war youth were particularly angry . All this anger id voiced by Jimmy Porter in his constant vituperations throughout the play.

In what way does Osborne's Look Back in Anger reflect the mood and temper of post -war England?

Green Land | May 31, 2018 | 0 comments
Look Back in Anger gives us a glimpse into the mood and temper of England after World War II. The British Labour Party after coming to power, introduced some social reform to build up a welfare state in their country.  Yet some young idealists were not satisfied . The people found themselves in precisely the same situation that Jimmy Porter, the hero of the play faces .
Look back in anger reflect the mood and temper of post war england

Mood and Temper of England after World War II

When the play opens we find Jimmy speaking in a discontented, restless manner . He is discontented with the Sunday newspapers ;he is discontented with his wife Alison, and he is dissatisfied with his friend Cliff. The Sunday newspaper , he complains , makes one feel ignorant.  His wife Alison,  he complains , hardly listens to him but goes to sleep when he begins to speak . As for Cliff, he is too ignorant to understand what the newspapers have to say. Jimmy then goes on to make fun of the Bishop of Bromley and of the women who in her religious fervour got four of her ribs broken and got kicked in the head at a religious assembly.  He cynically declares that  those who ostensibly make sacrifices- whether of their careers, their beliefs of sexual pleasures-never wanted those things in the first place. Jimmy is also against class-distinctions. He himself comes from a working - class family , while his wife comes from a rich middle class family . Alison's parents had opposed her marriage to jimmy,  and Jimmy has never been able to forget this fact even though four years have passed. He keeps criticising not only Alison but also her father's family.

Throughout the play we find Jimmy raging against things ,persons , and institutions . The ringing of church -bells annoys him because he is opposed to formal religion and its ritual . He feels very irritated with Alison when he learns that under Helena's influence ,she is going to church .Jimmy deplores the fact that there are no good,brave causes left in the world so that people of his generation are not able to die for anything nobel.

Jimmy,  in spite of the university degree that he holds , has not been able to settle down in life.  He has been drifting from one profession to another . For example , he tried his hand at many things-journalism, advertising,  even vacuum cleaning , sweets selling,  etc.  but has not been able to settle down anywhere . This attitude of boredom, uncertainty and drift id typical of aimless youth of post -war England.

To sum up, the post- war generation had many reasons to be angry,  and the post war youth were particularly angry . All this anger id voiced by Jimmy Porter in his constant vituperations throughout the play.
readmore

Major themes of The Caretaker

The Caretaker is a play that stimulates its audience to a wide range of topics,  and on a number of levels but leaves the audience to draw their own conclusions.  It deals with various ideas and suggestion which are the reasons for its wide popularity . The major themes of the play are: loneliness and isolation,  personal identity , lack of communication,  violence and menace, love of power , primitive instincts,  human nature, dreams and illusions,  etc.

Let us now discuss some of the themes:

(I) Loneliness and isolation :

Loneliness is The Caretaker is largely expressed through the characters of Davies and Aston. Davies is alone when Aston rescues him from the brawl at the cafe , and after a brief interlude he is left alone again at the end of the play . Davies is an outcast,  a vagrant, cut off from society but Pinter's double -edged vision shows that some of this isolation is self -imposed . Davies is aggressive , truculent , and unstable.
Aston's isolation is a different case. His offer to Davies of a room and a job ,and his kindness towards him, suggest a man desperate for human companionship ,as isolated and lonely in his way as Davies is in his.  Yet Aston's isolation is not as simple as that of Davies, and springs from a different cause . Aston's fault seems to have been exactly the opposite ; he seems to have trusted people too much.

(ii) Lack of communication:

Loneliness and communication are closely linked. The characters in The Caretaker hsve a desperate yearning to communicate with their fellows but time and again they are thwarted in this desire . The words go out from the mouth of the speaker , but either fail to arrive or fail to say what is meant . Even when something is said , it is misunderstood . This happens to Aston at the end of Act Two when he speaks of his experience in the hospital .

(iii) Violence and menace:

Pinter is expert in creating a dramatic world in which violence and menace exist in disguise.  For example,  Mick represents someone who finds pleasure in frightening others. His movements are often swift and silent ; he is unpredictable in his behaviour, subjecting Davies to physical violence at first and then to more subtle but very unsettling exhibitions of verbal menace.


What are the Major themes of The Caretaker?

Green Land | May 31, 2018 | 1comments

Major themes of The Caretaker

The Caretaker is a play that stimulates its audience to a wide range of topics,  and on a number of levels but leaves the audience to draw their own conclusions.  It deals with various ideas and suggestion which are the reasons for its wide popularity . The major themes of the play are: loneliness and isolation,  personal identity , lack of communication,  violence and menace, love of power , primitive instincts,  human nature, dreams and illusions,  etc.

Let us now discuss some of the themes:

(I) Loneliness and isolation :

Loneliness is The Caretaker is largely expressed through the characters of Davies and Aston. Davies is alone when Aston rescues him from the brawl at the cafe , and after a brief interlude he is left alone again at the end of the play . Davies is an outcast,  a vagrant, cut off from society but Pinter's double -edged vision shows that some of this isolation is self -imposed . Davies is aggressive , truculent , and unstable.
Aston's isolation is a different case. His offer to Davies of a room and a job ,and his kindness towards him, suggest a man desperate for human companionship ,as isolated and lonely in his way as Davies is in his.  Yet Aston's isolation is not as simple as that of Davies, and springs from a different cause . Aston's fault seems to have been exactly the opposite ; he seems to have trusted people too much.

(ii) Lack of communication:

Loneliness and communication are closely linked. The characters in The Caretaker hsve a desperate yearning to communicate with their fellows but time and again they are thwarted in this desire . The words go out from the mouth of the speaker , but either fail to arrive or fail to say what is meant . Even when something is said , it is misunderstood . This happens to Aston at the end of Act Two when he speaks of his experience in the hospital .

(iii) Violence and menace:

Pinter is expert in creating a dramatic world in which violence and menace exist in disguise.  For example,  Mick represents someone who finds pleasure in frightening others. His movements are often swift and silent ; he is unpredictable in his behaviour, subjecting Davies to physical violence at first and then to more subtle but very unsettling exhibitions of verbal menace.

To sum up, Harold Pinter's Caretaker is a small play of three acts but within this brief compass the playwright has left scope for various interpretations . The picture of human nature that Pinter presents is not a pleasant one. He seems to suggest that beneath the civilized exterior of people there lurks a basic savagery and primitive instinct for domination over others.
Harold Pinter's Caretaker theme

readmore
Othello is essentially a play of intrigues.  It is one of the finest tragedies of William Shakespeare. Othello is a tragic hero in this tragedy. He is a victim of intrigues and plots hatched by a very clever wicked villain named Iago. It is lago who catches Othello in his net of fraud and destroys him. So, it is rightly a tragedy of intrigues which are all planned and executed by Iago. A single person plans and executes the intrigues. In each and every case the villain is Iago.  The plot of Othello is dominated by the intrigues of Iago. If we go through the play,  We experience four well-defined intrigues -

I. His intrigues against Roderigo ;

ii. His intrigues against the place of Cassio;

iii. His intrigues against the love of Othello and Desdemona ;

iv. His intrigues against the life of Cassio.

At the beginning of the play,  the logo intrigues Roderigo. He uses Roderigo as his tool. Roderigo is a fool and is easily duped by the logo. the logo uses his purse freely as if it were his own.  He always promises that he was spending his money to give presents to Desdemona. Lago knows that Roderigo is a rejected suitor of Desdemona.  He also uses Roderigo to bring about Cassio's dismissal from the post of Lieutenant and then again to murder him. In the end, when Roderigo becomes petulant,  he charges logo for having deceived him. and demands his money and jewels back from him, lago does not feel the slightest hesitation in killing him in the dark. Then lago intrigues Cassio. Lago hates Othello because he believes that the Moor has done a great injustice to him by appointing Cassio as his Lieutenant. He thinks himself to be a far more deserving candidate for that post. He decides to take revenge upon Cassio for his insult. Besides this, Cassio has a beauty in his daily life which is unbearable to him. So, he intrigues to bring about his downfall. Othello is very angry at Cassio's irresponsible behavior and dismisses him from the post of lieutenant  Thus llogosucceeds in his intrigues against Cassio.

The main intrigue of Iago the in the play is directed against Othello and Desdemona. His intrigue against Othello and Desdemona is successful. He poisons Othello's mind with the false suspicion that Desdemona has an unlawful relationship with Cassio. When Othello takes a firm resolution to murder Desdemona, logo thinks that it is safer for him to plan the murder of Cassio also. Here his intrigue is obvious. Finally, the logo intrigues the life of Cassio. Cassio. Cassio is a handsome, light - hearted, and good-natured young man. He is evidently very attractive and popular. Othello is fond of him. Desdemona likes him.  But the logo wants to make Cassio's life impossible.  He knows that he is very inferior to Cassio as far as personal appearance and pleasing manners are concerned and so thinks of killing Cassio.

In fine, we can add that logo uses Roderigo as his tool for killing Cassio in the dark. But Roderigo fails to wounds Cassio.  Then lago himself succeeds only in cutting Cassio's leg. In this way, Cassio escapes death and Iago's intrigue against his life misfires. Thus Othello introduces us to the four intrigues of Iago.  These intrigues play a vital role in the development of the plot of his tragedy,. So, Othello is a tragedy of Intrigues.

Consider Othello as a tragedy of Intrigues

Green Land | May 30, 2018 | 0 comments
Othello is essentially a play of intrigues.  It is one of the finest tragedies of William Shakespeare. Othello is a tragic hero in this tragedy. He is a victim of intrigues and plots hatched by a very clever wicked villain named Iago. It is lago who catches Othello in his net of fraud and destroys him. So, it is rightly a tragedy of intrigues which are all planned and executed by Iago. A single person plans and executes the intrigues. In each and every case the villain is Iago.  The plot of Othello is dominated by the intrigues of Iago. If we go through the play,  We experience four well-defined intrigues -

I. His intrigues against Roderigo ;

ii. His intrigues against the place of Cassio;

iii. His intrigues against the love of Othello and Desdemona ;

iv. His intrigues against the life of Cassio.

At the beginning of the play,  the logo intrigues Roderigo. He uses Roderigo as his tool. Roderigo is a fool and is easily duped by the logo. the logo uses his purse freely as if it were his own.  He always promises that he was spending his money to give presents to Desdemona. Lago knows that Roderigo is a rejected suitor of Desdemona.  He also uses Roderigo to bring about Cassio's dismissal from the post of Lieutenant and then again to murder him. In the end, when Roderigo becomes petulant,  he charges logo for having deceived him. and demands his money and jewels back from him, lago does not feel the slightest hesitation in killing him in the dark. Then lago intrigues Cassio. Lago hates Othello because he believes that the Moor has done a great injustice to him by appointing Cassio as his Lieutenant. He thinks himself to be a far more deserving candidate for that post. He decides to take revenge upon Cassio for his insult. Besides this, Cassio has a beauty in his daily life which is unbearable to him. So, he intrigues to bring about his downfall. Othello is very angry at Cassio's irresponsible behavior and dismisses him from the post of lieutenant  Thus llogosucceeds in his intrigues against Cassio.

The main intrigue of Iago the in the play is directed against Othello and Desdemona. His intrigue against Othello and Desdemona is successful. He poisons Othello's mind with the false suspicion that Desdemona has an unlawful relationship with Cassio. When Othello takes a firm resolution to murder Desdemona, logo thinks that it is safer for him to plan the murder of Cassio also. Here his intrigue is obvious. Finally, the logo intrigues the life of Cassio. Cassio. Cassio is a handsome, light - hearted, and good-natured young man. He is evidently very attractive and popular. Othello is fond of him. Desdemona likes him.  But the logo wants to make Cassio's life impossible.  He knows that he is very inferior to Cassio as far as personal appearance and pleasing manners are concerned and so thinks of killing Cassio.

In fine, we can add that logo uses Roderigo as his tool for killing Cassio in the dark. But Roderigo fails to wounds Cassio.  Then lago himself succeeds only in cutting Cassio's leg. In this way, Cassio escapes death and Iago's intrigue against his life misfires. Thus Othello introduces us to the four intrigues of Iago.  These intrigues play a vital role in the development of the plot of his tragedy,. So, Othello is a tragedy of Intrigues.

readmore

"A Passage to India" is  one of the best novel in English Literature . 

The novel A passage to India open with a short description of Chandrapore and an overview of the surrounding countryside.Written by E.M. Forster. We first gain an impression of the town as filthy and nondescript from ground level. It is an uninteresting city situated on the banks of the Ganges . This river is not considered to be holy because there is no ghat for bathing . Inside the city one can find an egg shaped ground,  a hospital and unattractive temples. The railway line divides the European locality from the Indian locality. The Eurasians ( mixed stock born of the European and the Asians )live on the rise further up near the little civil station.  From this place,  the city of Chandrapore looks like a garden.  The Marabar hills are at twenty miles distance towards the south . The city appears to be a part of the natural world.  The description of the town shows that in India the strength of the natural world of earth and sky in the only thing certain -the rest is all illusory.

The small city of Chandrapore is like a mini India . It symbolizes the estranged relation between the ruling class (Britishers)and the subjects (Indians). The British rulers enjoy their life but their arrogance and contempt for the Indian.
E.M.Forster A passage to India
E.M.Forster

Theme of Friendship

Aziz -Fielding relationship in 'A Passage to India' is a complex study of human behaviour. It points to the difficulties that men of different races face in trying to understand one another. There are real differences of opinions between the two , but it is the much more subtle and pervasive differences of temperament and mutual misunderstanding,  common to persons of two different races that finally separate Dr.Aziz and Fielding .The fundamental differences of character and outlook between Aziz and Fielding rise to the surface after Aziz's arrest and release . Aziz is determined to take revenge upon Adela for ruining his career .Fielding , moved by pity for helpless Adela urges Aziz not to persist in his demand for compensation.  Aziz refuses and Fielding is distressed to find that Aziz's unforgiving and revengeful attitude is based on his sexual snobbery.  Aziz thinks that Fielding is pleading for Adela because he wants to marry her for her money,  and this idea leads him to break with Fielding on this issue.

When Aziz and Fielding meet each other again in the last section of the novel,  there is no joyous reunion between the two friends. During the festival of Sri Krishna's  birthday Aziz  happens to meet Ralph,  son of Mrs. Moore. At first aziz wants to take revenge on the helpless boy for what the British had done to him.But the memory of Mrs. Moore softened his mind and he also finds Ralph like his mother. So he warms towards the boy and in friendship takes him out on the river where the festivities are taking place . Meanwhile Fielding and his wife are also in another boat , having come to witness the Hindu ceremony of pushing a clay -model of Gokul, Krishna's birthplace , into the waters. Aziz and Fielding in boats are so absorbed in enjoying the ceremony that their boats collode with each other and there is total confusion . The boats capsize and Fielding , Ralph and Stella together are plunged in water and undergo a sort of purification , a sort of spiritual baptism. The holy water seemed to wash away all the suspicious,  hatred and pettiness . Aziz finds that not Adela but Stella is Fielding's wife.  The relationship between Aziz and Fielding becomes somewhat normal once again .The day before Fielding's departure,  Aziz accompanied his friend for a ride in the jungle of mau. They bring their horses nearer to embrace each other, but the horses swerve apart . This indicates that sub -human India is hostile to inter -racial friendship and therefore, their union by necessary is transitory.

To sum up, in the concluding chapter the writer makes it clear that friendship is possible only among equals.  As long as the Britishers were masters in India, there could be no lasting,  bond of friendship between the English and the Indians .


Comment on Forster's treatment of the theme of friendship in A Passages to India

Green Land | May 29, 2018 | 0 comments

"A Passage to India" is  one of the best novel in English Literature . 

The novel A passage to India open with a short description of Chandrapore and an overview of the surrounding countryside.Written by E.M. Forster. We first gain an impression of the town as filthy and nondescript from ground level. It is an uninteresting city situated on the banks of the Ganges . This river is not considered to be holy because there is no ghat for bathing . Inside the city one can find an egg shaped ground,  a hospital and unattractive temples. The railway line divides the European locality from the Indian locality. The Eurasians ( mixed stock born of the European and the Asians )live on the rise further up near the little civil station.  From this place,  the city of Chandrapore looks like a garden.  The Marabar hills are at twenty miles distance towards the south . The city appears to be a part of the natural world.  The description of the town shows that in India the strength of the natural world of earth and sky in the only thing certain -the rest is all illusory.

The small city of Chandrapore is like a mini India . It symbolizes the estranged relation between the ruling class (Britishers)and the subjects (Indians). The British rulers enjoy their life but their arrogance and contempt for the Indian.
E.M.Forster A passage to India
E.M.Forster

Theme of Friendship

Aziz -Fielding relationship in 'A Passage to India' is a complex study of human behaviour. It points to the difficulties that men of different races face in trying to understand one another. There are real differences of opinions between the two , but it is the much more subtle and pervasive differences of temperament and mutual misunderstanding,  common to persons of two different races that finally separate Dr.Aziz and Fielding .The fundamental differences of character and outlook between Aziz and Fielding rise to the surface after Aziz's arrest and release . Aziz is determined to take revenge upon Adela for ruining his career .Fielding , moved by pity for helpless Adela urges Aziz not to persist in his demand for compensation.  Aziz refuses and Fielding is distressed to find that Aziz's unforgiving and revengeful attitude is based on his sexual snobbery.  Aziz thinks that Fielding is pleading for Adela because he wants to marry her for her money,  and this idea leads him to break with Fielding on this issue.

When Aziz and Fielding meet each other again in the last section of the novel,  there is no joyous reunion between the two friends. During the festival of Sri Krishna's  birthday Aziz  happens to meet Ralph,  son of Mrs. Moore. At first aziz wants to take revenge on the helpless boy for what the British had done to him.But the memory of Mrs. Moore softened his mind and he also finds Ralph like his mother. So he warms towards the boy and in friendship takes him out on the river where the festivities are taking place . Meanwhile Fielding and his wife are also in another boat , having come to witness the Hindu ceremony of pushing a clay -model of Gokul, Krishna's birthplace , into the waters. Aziz and Fielding in boats are so absorbed in enjoying the ceremony that their boats collode with each other and there is total confusion . The boats capsize and Fielding , Ralph and Stella together are plunged in water and undergo a sort of purification , a sort of spiritual baptism. The holy water seemed to wash away all the suspicious,  hatred and pettiness . Aziz finds that not Adela but Stella is Fielding's wife.  The relationship between Aziz and Fielding becomes somewhat normal once again .The day before Fielding's departure,  Aziz accompanied his friend for a ride in the jungle of mau. They bring their horses nearer to embrace each other, but the horses swerve apart . This indicates that sub -human India is hostile to inter -racial friendship and therefore, their union by necessary is transitory.

To sum up, in the concluding chapter the writer makes it clear that friendship is possible only among equals.  As long as the Britishers were masters in India, there could be no lasting,  bond of friendship between the English and the Indians .


readmore

The symbolic significance of the 'Marabar Caves' in 'A Passage to India' of E.M Forster is very complex. 

In fact, the central point of the novel is the nightmarish experience of two English women , Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested in these Caves.  Mrs. Moore is destroyed both spiritually and physically ; Adela is driven to the brink of madness . Aziz is ruined and the passage to India which the two women have undertaken seems to save failed .

The 'Marabar Caves' are a mystery and so is India . They are extraordinary but why they are so is left unexplained.  We are told that the Marabar Caves were pre-historic. They pre-dated Islam, Christianity and even Hinduism,  which are the oldest religion in the world . They stand for chaos,  darkness and evils. The westerners were brought face to face with the reality of evil that forms a part of the universe.

The horrible experiences of Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested posed a challenge to the comfortable Christianity of the former and the rationalistic liberal claims of the other.  Mrs.Moore shocked in the very first cave ,was a mystic who had wished to communicate with God looking on this communion as something beautiful . The dark and empty caves revealed the hollowness of life where nothing mattered.  The vacuum and littleness of the caves produced an echo that was frightening.

In a moment , Mrs. Moore finds herself becoming completely uninterested in everyone around her,including her children.  Even the Christian God,  on whose love and understanding she had based her entire existence , becomes completely meaningless.

The same echo which destroyed Mrs. Moore physically  destroys Adela Quested psychologically in the next scene when she visits the caves with Dr. Aziz.The darkness of the cave destroys her balance of  mind so much that she even gets a hallucination that someone is trying to rape her. She goesnad with horror and, in sheer shock and exhaustion she rushes down the caves , goes to the nearest police station , hysterically accusing Aziz of trying to rape her. Her delusion starts the machinery that will send Aziz to jail and shatter the peace of Chandrapore.

Thus the incident at "Marabar Caves ' is merely an echo , a kind of monotonous meaningless "bou-oum " sound.But by hearing this echo in the caves,  two British women unwilling and against their best intentions , have released Evil which spreads everywhere. 

Discuss the symbolic significance of the Marabar Caves in A Passage to India

Green Land | May 29, 2018 | 0 comments

The symbolic significance of the 'Marabar Caves' in 'A Passage to India' of E.M Forster is very complex. 

In fact, the central point of the novel is the nightmarish experience of two English women , Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested in these Caves.  Mrs. Moore is destroyed both spiritually and physically ; Adela is driven to the brink of madness . Aziz is ruined and the passage to India which the two women have undertaken seems to save failed .

The 'Marabar Caves' are a mystery and so is India . They are extraordinary but why they are so is left unexplained.  We are told that the Marabar Caves were pre-historic. They pre-dated Islam, Christianity and even Hinduism,  which are the oldest religion in the world . They stand for chaos,  darkness and evils. The westerners were brought face to face with the reality of evil that forms a part of the universe.
Marabar Caves on a passage to India

The horrible experiences of Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested posed a challenge to the comfortable Christianity of the former and the rationalistic liberal claims of the other.  Mrs.Moore shocked in the very first cave ,was a mystic who had wished to communicate with God looking on this communion as something beautiful . The dark and empty caves revealed the hollowness of life where nothing mattered.  The vacuum and littleness of the caves produced an echo that was frightening.

In a moment , Mrs. Moore finds herself becoming completely uninterested in everyone around her,including her children.  Even the Christian God,  on whose love and understanding she had based her entire existence , becomes completely meaningless.

The same echo which destroyed Mrs. Moore physically  destroys Adela Quested psychologically in the next scene when she visits the caves with Dr. Aziz.The darkness of the cave destroys her balance of  mind so much that she even gets a hallucination that someone is trying to rape her. She goesnad with horror and, in sheer shock and exhaustion she rushes down the caves , goes to the nearest police station , hysterically accusing Aziz of trying to rape her. Her delusion starts the machinery that will send Aziz to jail and shatter the peace of Chandrapore.

Thus the incident at "Marabar Caves ' is merely an echo , a kind of monotonous meaningless "bou-oum " sound.But by hearing this echo in the caves,  two British women unwilling and against their best intentions , have released Evil which spreads everywhere. 
readmore

Theme of Imperialism

The theme of the evil of imperialism lies at the centre of the novel,  Heart of Darkness . Perhaps Joseph Conrad's main objective in this novel is to show the imperialism explanation of a backward country by a civilized nation . Conrad's treatment of this theme was inspired mainly by his own visit to the Congo and his exploration of that dark country.

The keynote of the theme of imperialism may be traced at the very beginning of Marlow's narration.  The conquest of another country , says Marlow, mostly means the taking away all things from those who have a different complexion.  Marlow's (Conrad's himself)experiences in the Congo clearly show that the whitemen there failed to perform their duties . Instead of civilizing the savage natives the whitemen turned into exploiters. The Congo was at that time being governed by the Belgian king Leopold II,  and the Belgian Trading Company was sending its agents into the Congo for trading purposes.Ivory was the chief commodity they sought for. Later on, we see that ivory not only dominates that thoughts of Mr. Kurtz , the agent of the Belgian Trading Company  but also has become an obsession with him.  The ivory symbol the whitemen's greed and commercial mentality . Their ivory symbol the whitemen's  greed and commercial mentality .Their chief concern in the Congo is to collect ivory , although they profess that they have come to civilize the natives . Nowhere do we find any mention of any service being rendered by these whitemen to the natives of Congo.
conrad heart of darkness imperialism

A glorious example of evil and selfishness we find in Mr. Kurtz.  He has begun to identify himself with the savages . Instead of improving their way of life,  he has himself become a savage in their company.  Actually  Heart of Darkness portrays in nutshell the deceit,  robberies , murder, slave trading and general policy of cruelty of the Belgian rule in the Congo.  Conrad in this novel not only exposes the hollowness and the weakness of the Belgian imperialist rule over the Congo but also reminds us of the British imperialism in various countries of the world of his time. 

To sum up, the Belgian Trading Company went to the then dark continent,  "the Congo" to civilize the natives there . But ironically they became uncivilized and brutish for material gains.  They turned out to be seasoned schemers and plotters.  Joseph Conrad conveys his strong disapproval of these whitemen to us most effectively and his purpose is to raise in us the greatest possible contempt for these whitemen.

How does Conrad tread the theme of colonial exploitation in Heart of Darkness?

Green Land | May 28, 2018 | 0 comments

Theme of Imperialism

The theme of the evil of imperialism lies at the centre of the novel,  Heart of Darkness . Perhaps Joseph Conrad's main objective in this novel is to show the imperialism explanation of a backward country by a civilized nation . Conrad's treatment of this theme was inspired mainly by his own visit to the Congo and his exploration of that dark country.

The keynote of the theme of imperialism may be traced at the very beginning of Marlow's narration.  The conquest of another country , says Marlow, mostly means the taking away all things from those who have a different complexion.  Marlow's (Conrad's himself)experiences in the Congo clearly show that the whitemen there failed to perform their duties . Instead of civilizing the savage natives the whitemen turned into exploiters. The Congo was at that time being governed by the Belgian king Leopold II,  and the Belgian Trading Company was sending its agents into the Congo for trading purposes.Ivory was the chief commodity they sought for. Later on, we see that ivory not only dominates that thoughts of Mr. Kurtz , the agent of the Belgian Trading Company  but also has become an obsession with him.  The ivory symbol the whitemen's greed and commercial mentality . Their ivory symbol the whitemen's  greed and commercial mentality .Their chief concern in the Congo is to collect ivory , although they profess that they have come to civilize the natives . Nowhere do we find any mention of any service being rendered by these whitemen to the natives of Congo.
conrad heart of darkness imperialism

A glorious example of evil and selfishness we find in Mr. Kurtz.  He has begun to identify himself with the savages . Instead of improving their way of life,  he has himself become a savage in their company.  Actually  Heart of Darkness portrays in nutshell the deceit,  robberies , murder, slave trading and general policy of cruelty of the Belgian rule in the Congo.  Conrad in this novel not only exposes the hollowness and the weakness of the Belgian imperialist rule over the Congo but also reminds us of the British imperialism in various countries of the world of his time. 

To sum up, the Belgian Trading Company went to the then dark continent,  "the Congo" to civilize the natives there . But ironically they became uncivilized and brutish for material gains.  They turned out to be seasoned schemers and plotters.  Joseph Conrad conveys his strong disapproval of these whitemen to us most effectively and his purpose is to raise in us the greatest possible contempt for these whitemen.
readmore

Significance of the title "Heart of Darkness"

Heart of Darkness, the title of Conrad's novel,bears two meaning .One is literal and the other symbolical.Literally the title refers to the dark continent of Africa ,especially the territory known as the Congo.Symbolicallly,it means the dark region or the sub-conscious state of human mind which is even more difficult to explore than the exploration of dark country like the Congo.

Darkness is suggested by many descriptions of the wild scenery of the thick ,almost impenetrable jungle from where the natives peer at the intruders from behind the trees in a stealthy, and suspicious manner,and even attack them on all a sudden . Marlow refers to the great stillness that prevails in the impenetrable forests where the air is warm, thick, heavy and sluggish. The barbarism of the natives and the evil designs of Mr.Kurtz give us an impression of darkness. On one occasion,  the natives of Congo see Marlow's steamer sailing up the river and drew near the riverbank to launch an attack upon the intruders. In the encounter the helmsman of the steamer is killed with a spear hurled at him by a native.  This attack of the natives is made out of ignorance and on direction  from Mr . Kurtz who has become a part of the darkness of the Congo.

Marlow's Exploration

The phrase "Heart of Darkness"bears another meaning . Marlow's exploration of the dark country is accompanied by an exploration of the depths of his own mind or soul. The human mind may also be regarded as a kind of dark continent . The exploration of this dark continent is perhaps even more difficult than the exploration of a dark country like the Congo. The novel certainly describes a physical journey but at the same time, it is a psychological and mystical journey.  In many passages of Marlow's narration,  he gives us glimpses of his own mind.  In this connection we may refer to his feelings of isolation in the steamer , his reaction to the suffering of the black men chained with one another and each wearing an iron collar around his neck , the ill-treatment of the cannibal crew by the white owner of the ship,  his reflections on manager of the central station , Brickmaker,  and finally  Mr. Kurtz . When marlow meets Mr. Kurtz he begins to admire him despite his demonic character . He remains loyal to him even when he returns to Europe and tells a lie to Kurtz's fiancee that his last word was her own name . This loyalty to Mr. Kurtz expresses his own response to primitivism and barbarism. This means , if Marlow had stayed for sometime longer in the Congo region , he too, would have followed the same path of evil as Mr. Kurtz had done.

Thus Heart of Darkness is an exploration not only of a dark continent but also in the sub-conscious state of the mind , which is also a dark region.  Therefore the title of the novel is appropriate as it refers to the both kinds of exploration .

Discuss the significance of the title Heart of Darkness or, How does Conrad explore the different shades of meaning of 'Darkness ' in Heart of Darkness?

Green Land | May 27, 2018 | 0 comments

Significance of the title "Heart of Darkness"

Heart of Darkness, the title of Conrad's novel,bears two meaning .One is literal and the other symbolical.Literally the title refers to the dark continent of Africa ,especially the territory known as the Congo.Symbolicallly,it means the dark region or the sub-conscious state of human mind which is even more difficult to explore than the exploration of dark country like the Congo.

Darkness is suggested by many descriptions of the wild scenery of the thick ,almost impenetrable jungle from where the natives peer at the intruders from behind the trees in a stealthy, and suspicious manner,and even attack them on all a sudden . Marlow refers to the great stillness that prevails in the impenetrable forests where the air is warm, thick, heavy and sluggish. The barbarism of the natives and the evil designs of Mr.Kurtz give us an impression of darkness. On one occasion,  the natives of Congo see Marlow's steamer sailing up the river and drew near the riverbank to launch an attack upon the intruders. In the encounter the helmsman of the steamer is killed with a spear hurled at him by a native.  This attack of the natives is made out of ignorance and on direction  from Mr . Kurtz who has become a part of the darkness of the Congo.
heart of darkness Marlow's exploration

Marlow's Exploration

The phrase "Heart of Darkness"bears another meaning . Marlow's exploration of the dark country is accompanied by an exploration of the depths of his own mind or soul. The human mind may also be regarded as a kind of dark continent . The exploration of this dark continent is perhaps even more difficult than the exploration of a dark country like the Congo. The novel certainly describes a physical journey but at the same time, it is a psychological and mystical journey.  In many passages of Marlow's narration,  he gives us glimpses of his own mind.  In this connection we may refer to his feelings of isolation in the steamer , his reaction to the suffering of the black men chained with one another and each wearing an iron collar around his neck , the ill-treatment of the cannibal crew by the white owner of the ship,  his reflections on manager of the central station , Brickmaker,  and finally  Mr. Kurtz . When marlow meets Mr. Kurtz he begins to admire him despite his demonic character . He remains loyal to him even when he returns to Europe and tells a lie to Kurtz's fiancee that his last word was her own name . This loyalty to Mr. Kurtz expresses his own response to primitivism and barbarism. This means , if Marlow had stayed for sometime longer in the Congo region , he too, would have followed the same path of evil as Mr. Kurtz had done.

Thus Heart of Darkness is an exploration not only of a dark continent but also in the sub-conscious state of the mind , which is also a dark region.  Therefore the title of the novel is appropriate as it refers to the both kinds of exploration .

readmore

Heart of Darkness exploration

Heart of Darkness is a record of a two-fold Journey -a journey into the Congo,which had at Conrad's time not yet been fully explored, and a journey into the dark recess of Marlow's mind and in a sense into the dark realm of the human mind in general .While narrating his experiences on board,  the Nellie to the small group of his friends, Marlow gives them not only his experience of outward happenings but also his inward reactions to those experience .

Marlow's encounter with the manager of the Central Station and the Brick -maker there also gives rise to many thoughts in his mind.The manager seemed to be a man of empty brain ,while the Brick-maker appeared to be a clever and curious man who asked Marlow whether he had any influence over the higher officials of the trading company. Although Marlowe hats telling lies ,he let the Brickmaker assume that he did have a lot of influence over the high officials of the company .

Marlow also reflect upon work ethic .He had to work very hard to pull the wrecked steamer out of the river and repair it.He did not like the work ,but he liked what was in the work , becsuse, work gives a man the chance to find himself and his own reality. In command of a steamer ob strange and unknown river, Marlow felt like a blind -folded man driving his motor -van over a bad road .He also reacted to scenery ,"we penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness."
heart of darkness
Heart of Darkness

Further Marlow's reflection on hunger and self-restraint of the cannibals crew are noteworthy. The hungry cannibals could easily kill the whitemen on board the steamer and eat their flesh ,but they did not do so.Marlow sees the cannibals with great admiration and curiosity about their impulses, motives, capacities and weaknesses.

Again we find him admiring Mr. Kurtz despite his demonic character.

Even after returning to Europe , Marlow remains loyal to Mr . Kurtz's memory ,because ,when Mr. Kurtz's fiancee asks him what his last words were before his death , Marlow tells her a lie and says that Mr. Kurtz's last word was her own name. This loyalty to Mr. Kurtz may be explained as Marlow's own response to the primitivism and barbarism,Which mr.Kurtz had been practising among the savages . This means that if Marlow had stayed for sometime longer in the Congo and had begun to mix with the savages,  he too would have followed the same path as Mr. Kurtz had begun to tread.

Thus Herat of Darkness certainly describes a physical journey but at the same time , a psychological and mystical journey also.Marlow conveys to us indirectly and subtly the influence of Mr.Kurtz's primitivism upon himself.This sub-conscious mind is also the heart of darkness,which Marlow or Conrad tries to explore.

Heart of Darkness is Marlow's exploration of his own mind as much as his exploration of the Congo?.Discuss.

Green Land | May 26, 2018 | 1comments

Heart of Darkness exploration

Heart of Darkness is a record of a two-fold Journey -a journey into the Congo,which had at Conrad's time not yet been fully explored, and a journey into the dark recess of Marlow's mind and in a sense into the dark realm of the human mind in general .While narrating his experiences on board,  the Nellie to the small group of his friends, Marlow gives them not only his experience of outward happenings but also his inward reactions to those experience .

Marlow's encounter with the manager of the Central Station and the Brick -maker there also gives rise to many thoughts in his mind.The manager seemed to be a man of empty brain ,while the Brick-maker appeared to be a clever and curious man who asked Marlow whether he had any influence over the higher officials of the trading company. Although Marlowe hats telling lies ,he let the Brickmaker assume that he did have a lot of influence over the high officials of the company .

Marlow also reflect upon work ethic .He had to work very hard to pull the wrecked steamer out of the river and repair it.He did not like the work ,but he liked what was in the work , becsuse, work gives a man the chance to find himself and his own reality. In command of a steamer ob strange and unknown river, Marlow felt like a blind -folded man driving his motor -van over a bad road .He also reacted to scenery ,"we penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness."
heart of darkness
Heart of Darkness

Further Marlow's reflection on hunger and self-restraint of the cannibals crew are noteworthy. The hungry cannibals could easily kill the whitemen on board the steamer and eat their flesh ,but they did not do so.Marlow sees the cannibals with great admiration and curiosity about their impulses, motives, capacities and weaknesses.

Again we find him admiring Mr. Kurtz despite his demonic character.

Even after returning to Europe , Marlow remains loyal to Mr . Kurtz's memory ,because ,when Mr. Kurtz's fiancee asks him what his last words were before his death , Marlow tells her a lie and says that Mr. Kurtz's last word was her own name. This loyalty to Mr. Kurtz may be explained as Marlow's own response to the primitivism and barbarism,Which mr.Kurtz had been practising among the savages . This means that if Marlow had stayed for sometime longer in the Congo and had begun to mix with the savages,  he too would have followed the same path as Mr. Kurtz had begun to tread.

Thus Herat of Darkness certainly describes a physical journey but at the same time , a psychological and mystical journey also.Marlow conveys to us indirectly and subtly the influence of Mr.Kurtz's primitivism upon himself.This sub-conscious mind is also the heart of darkness,which Marlow or Conrad tries to explore.
readmore
In many of his poems W.B.Yeats refers to the rise and fall of civilizations.  According to him the nature of civilization changes after almost every two thousand years.His view of history or the rise and fall of civilizations as a cyclic process involves the symbols of wheel and gyre. A gyre spins quickly round a fixed centre. Initially a civilization is intense and narrow and as it progresses , it broadens and slowly loses its intensity and finally disintegrates.Thus when one civilization advances towards disintegration. its "antithetic " one emerges with a slow pace. This idea has been aptly illustrated through 'The Second Coming ',a remarkable poem of W.B.  Yeats.

The poem starts most effectively with the picture of the world after the First World War as it is seen by Yeats .The falconer has lost its control over the falcon which does not hear the falconer's call .In other words,the people of the modern world have gone astray and Christianity as symbolised by "Falcon ,cannot control the world .Man has gone astray and does not heed the words of God.The centre cannot hold and absolute anarchy has been loosed upon the world.Traditional and aristocratic values of life have been damaged beyond repair. The best people do not know what is good for them;the worst people are full of passion and intensity. In other words , an atmosphere of fanaticism and violence has overtaken everything. All these signs,according to Yeats,are the indication that a Second Coming is about to occur.Ina vision the poet sees a vast shape,with the head of a man and the body of a lion ,energing out of "Spiritus Mundi". It is a collection of images which recur endlessly in myths and effect is terrifying.

This terrifying figure resembles the Egyptian Sphinx and the poet's eyes are troubled by this image .This beast frightens the desert birds and beasts, as it slow thighs move onward .During the twenty centuries of  the Christian civilization ,this beast has been sleeping, but now it is about to make its appearance in the world. This will be the "second coming".It will supersede Christ who was born two thousand years ago at Bethlehem. This new period in human history will be one of monstrous animal power.This "rough beast. "the violent and terrifying beast will in due course dominate the corrupt world,spreading violence and evil.

To sum up, The Second Coming illustrates beautifully the poet's prophetic vision.Christianity is been as falcon that has lost its touch with the falconer. He visualises the reversal of the world's gyre, and the birth of a new violent , bestial anti -civilization in the destruction of the two thousand years Christian cycle.

Yeats's concept of history and civilization with reference to The Second Coming

Green Land | May 26, 2018 | 0 comments
In many of his poems W.B.Yeats refers to the rise and fall of civilizations.  According to him the nature of civilization changes after almost every two thousand years.His view of history or the rise and fall of civilizations as a cyclic process involves the symbols of wheel and gyre. A gyre spins quickly round a fixed centre. Initially a civilization is intense and narrow and as it progresses , it broadens and slowly loses its intensity and finally disintegrates.Thus when one civilization advances towards disintegration. its "antithetic " one emerges with a slow pace. This idea has been aptly illustrated through 'The Second Coming ',a remarkable poem of W.B.  Yeats.

The poem starts most effectively with the picture of the world after the First World War as it is seen by Yeats .The falconer has lost its control over the falcon which does not hear the falconer's call .In other words,the people of the modern world have gone astray and Christianity as symbolised by "Falcon ,cannot control the world .Man has gone astray and does not heed the words of God.The centre cannot hold and absolute anarchy has been loosed upon the world.Traditional and aristocratic values of life have been damaged beyond repair. The best people do not know what is good for them;the worst people are full of passion and intensity. In other words , an atmosphere of fanaticism and violence has overtaken everything. All these signs,according to Yeats,are the indication that a Second Coming is about to occur.Ina vision the poet sees a vast shape,with the head of a man and the body of a lion ,energing out of "Spiritus Mundi". It is a collection of images which recur endlessly in myths and effect is terrifying.

This terrifying figure resembles the Egyptian Sphinx and the poet's eyes are troubled by this image .This beast frightens the desert birds and beasts, as it slow thighs move onward .During the twenty centuries of  the Christian civilization ,this beast has been sleeping, but now it is about to make its appearance in the world. This will be the "second coming".It will supersede Christ who was born two thousand years ago at Bethlehem. This new period in human history will be one of monstrous animal power.This "rough beast. "the violent and terrifying beast will in due course dominate the corrupt world,spreading violence and evil.

To sum up, The Second Coming illustrates beautifully the poet's prophetic vision.Christianity is been as falcon that has lost its touch with the falconer. He visualises the reversal of the world's gyre, and the birth of a new violent , bestial anti -civilization in the destruction of the two thousand years Christian cycle.
readmore
W.B. Yeats like many other poets noticed the contrast between youth and old age.  A young man is active and energetic and full of wonderful dreams. But an old man lacks vitality and energy, although he has desires like that of a young man. This problem of old age concerned Yeats very much even in his early years.  His earlier poem When You are old deals with this problem.  This rage and revolt against the limitations of old age occurs again and again in Yeats's poetry.  Sailing to Byzantium shows the passionate old man "sick with desire ".but he can no longer sing sensual songs.Here Yeats faces old age with the wish to forget his decaying body and educate his soul for immortality.  He makes it clear that the world of senses is not a fit place for an old man .In this world the young men and women are found in close  embrace,  birds in the trees ,singing out of the excitement of the mating season and fish like salmons and mackerel swimming in the waters of the seas and copulating as they move about .Thus fish , fish and fowl are all caught in the sensual urge of the generation which is only a process ending in death .In this universal pre-occupation with sex and complete inversion in the flux of life. They can spare no thought for those masterpieces of art which are the product of ageless intellect.

Under these circumstances an old man is scarcely a man. He is an empty artifice ,an effigy merely of a man ; he is "a tattered coat upon a stick".In such a situation the soul must clap its hands and sing,  and its songs must grow louder as the outer garment gets more and more tattered.  This means , if an old man can free himself from sensual passion , he may rejoice in the liberation of the soul ; he is admitted into the realm of the spirit, and his rejoicing will increase in accordance with his realization of the magnificence of the soul. But the soul can best earn its own greatness from the great works of art .That is why the poet turns to those great works of art , but in turning to them he finds that these are by no means mere effigies or monuments but things which have souls also. These live in the noblest element of God's holy fire free from all corruptions.So he prays for death, for release from his mortal body.Since the insouled monuments exhibit the possibility of the soul's existence in some other matter than flesh , he wishes reincarnation, not now in a mortal body, but in the immortal and changeless embodiment of art. Similarly the poems such as Among School Children,  The Wild Swans at Coole , A Dialogue of Self and Soul,  The Spur,  An Acre of Grass Speak of the problem of old age and youth.

To sum up, 
W.B. Yeats sees old age as a time when the continuing vigour of the mind revolts against the increasing feebleness of the body.  On the one hand he seems to suggest that one should shake off the sensual desires in old age . On the other hand, he commends the value of desire and vigour of mind even if the body is decaying  , because in that lies the spirit of action and ability of man.

Discuss Yeats's attitude to old age and youth as revealed in his poems

Green Land | May 26, 2018 | 0 comments
W.B. Yeats like many other poets noticed the contrast between youth and old age.  A young man is active and energetic and full of wonderful dreams. But an old man lacks vitality and energy, although he has desires like that of a young man. This problem of old age concerned Yeats very much even in his early years.  His earlier poem When You are old deals with this problem.  This rage and revolt against the limitations of old age occurs again and again in Yeats's poetry.  Sailing to Byzantium shows the passionate old man "sick with desire ".but he can no longer sing sensual songs.Here Yeats faces old age with the wish to forget his decaying body and educate his soul for immortality.  He makes it clear that the world of senses is not a fit place for an old man .In this world the young men and women are found in close  embrace,  birds in the trees ,singing out of the excitement of the mating season and fish like salmons and mackerel swimming in the waters of the seas and copulating as they move about .Thus fish , fish and fowl are all caught in the sensual urge of the generation which is only a process ending in death .In this universal pre-occupation with sex and complete inversion in the flux of life. They can spare no thought for those masterpieces of art which are the product of ageless intellect.

Under these circumstances an old man is scarcely a man. He is an empty artifice ,an effigy merely of a man ; he is "a tattered coat upon a stick".In such a situation the soul must clap its hands and sing,  and its songs must grow louder as the outer garment gets more and more tattered.  This means , if an old man can free himself from sensual passion , he may rejoice in the liberation of the soul ; he is admitted into the realm of the spirit, and his rejoicing will increase in accordance with his realization of the magnificence of the soul. But the soul can best earn its own greatness from the great works of art .That is why the poet turns to those great works of art , but in turning to them he finds that these are by no means mere effigies or monuments but things which have souls also. These live in the noblest element of God's holy fire free from all corruptions.So he prays for death, for release from his mortal body.Since the insouled monuments exhibit the possibility of the soul's existence in some other matter than flesh , he wishes reincarnation, not now in a mortal body, but in the immortal and changeless embodiment of art. Similarly the poems such as Among School Children,  The Wild Swans at Coole , A Dialogue of Self and Soul,  The Spur,  An Acre of Grass Speak of the problem of old age and youth.

To sum up,  W.B. Yeats sees old age as a time when the continuing vigour of the mind revolts against the increasing feebleness of the body.  On the one hand he seems to suggest that one should shake off the sensual desires in old age . On the other hand, he commends the value of desire and vigour of mind even if the body is decaying  , because in that lies the spirit of action and ability of man.
readmore
W.B Yeats is one of the greatest modern poets in English literature. He like most of the other poets had two main methods of poetic creation , one spontaneous,  and the other a laborious process involving much alteration and substitution .The second method is more characteristic of Yeats. He was a conscious artist who polished and re-polished his verse to say, What he had to say in the best possible words.

It is admirable that Yeats, the artist tried to grow and mature gradually as a craftsman throughout his long poetic career. His early poetry is marked by a dreamy luxuriant style, full of sleepy languorous rhythm . The tone is mostly wistful and nostalgic in these poems. There is plenty of ornate word - pictures as in Spenser. But Yeats soon grew dissatisfied with his early style. He did away with archaisms and poeticism . His imagery also became more definite and accurate , and acquired a new pithy quality . Verbiage and superfluity started giving way to vigour and intensity.  His diction now became epigrammatic and terse and his poetry grew in density . At the same time, Yeats develop his skill remarkably in modulating his rhythm in tune with the spirit of the poem. This skill may be noticed in poems like The Second Coming, Sailing to Byzantium, The Tower , Easter 1916 and Among School Children and even in one of his earliest poems, When You Are Old. The confidence and assurance that we find in his later poetic style is a matter of astonishment.  His language became very functional and rhythms very definite and accurate ,and above all, he could now justice to the demands of grandeur and sublimity with effortless ease.

Thematic content

In his later poetry I'm keeping with his thematic content ,Yeats was able to develop subtler, more varied and dramatically more adjustable cadences. His vocabulary had also become more inclusive.  As a result, the metaphors were freshers and their range of reference wider. The imaginative structure of the poem and its actual manifestation came to be more firmly worked out and more spontaneous and natural in effect.

As an artist Yeats continued to mature and grow up to the end of his days. He acquired  greater confidence and assurance and handled words with perfect ease like a master . His language became racier, his rhythms quicker , and he could rise effortlessly to grandeur  and sublimity.  He no longer speaks hesitantly or timidly but asserts his faith defiantly , even arrogantly.  His absolute artistic integrity and sincerity compel him to express himself in a downright , trenchant manner, without any reservation or concealment.

To conclude, W.B. Yeats was a conscious and gifted artist who has few equals in the whole range of English poetry .It is true that there are some serious faults in the style of his poetry but they do not in anyway detract from his true greatness as an artist . He wrote from  an inner compulsion like a true greatness as an artist. He wrote from an inner compulsion like a true artist and it is this unusual urgency of spirit that gived to his poetry its peculiar charms to the readers.

Comment on Yeats's poetic technique

Green Land | May 23, 2018 | 0 comments
W.B Yeats is one of the greatest modern poets in English literature. He like most of the other poets had two main methods of poetic creation , one spontaneous,  and the other a laborious process involving much alteration and substitution .The second method is more characteristic of Yeats. He was a conscious artist who polished and re-polished his verse to say, What he had to say in the best possible words.

It is admirable that Yeats, the artist tried to grow and mature gradually as a craftsman throughout his long poetic career. His early poetry is marked by a dreamy luxuriant style, full of sleepy languorous rhythm . The tone is mostly wistful and nostalgic in these poems. There is plenty of ornate word - pictures as in Spenser. But Yeats soon grew dissatisfied with his early style. He did away with archaisms and poeticism . His imagery also became more definite and accurate , and acquired a new pithy quality . Verbiage and superfluity started giving way to vigour and intensity.  His diction now became epigrammatic and terse and his poetry grew in density . At the same time, Yeats develop his skill remarkably in modulating his rhythm in tune with the spirit of the poem. This skill may be noticed in poems like The Second Coming, Sailing to Byzantium, The Tower , Easter 1916 and Among School Children and even in one of his earliest poems, When You Are Old. The confidence and assurance that we find in his later poetic style is a matter of astonishment.  His language became very functional and rhythms very definite and accurate ,and above all, he could now justice to the demands of grandeur and sublimity with effortless ease.

Thematic content

In his later poetry I'm keeping with his thematic content ,Yeats was able to develop subtler, more varied and dramatically more adjustable cadences. His vocabulary had also become more inclusive.  As a result, the metaphors were freshers and their range of reference wider. The imaginative structure of the poem and its actual manifestation came to be more firmly worked out and more spontaneous and natural in effect.

As an artist Yeats continued to mature and grow up to the end of his days. He acquired  greater confidence and assurance and handled words with perfect ease like a master . His language became racier, his rhythms quicker , and he could rise effortlessly to grandeur  and sublimity.  He no longer speaks hesitantly or timidly but asserts his faith defiantly , even arrogantly.  His absolute artistic integrity and sincerity compel him to express himself in a downright , trenchant manner, without any reservation or concealment.

To conclude, W.B. Yeats was a conscious and gifted artist who has few equals in the whole range of English poetry .It is true that there are some serious faults in the style of his poetry but they do not in anyway detract from his true greatness as an artist . He wrote from  an inner compulsion like a true greatness as an artist. He wrote from an inner compulsion like a true artist and it is this unusual urgency of spirit that gived to his poetry its peculiar charms to the readers.
readmore
A soliloquy is a speech in which a character expresses his feelings and thoughts while he is alone on the stage. In other words, Soliloquy is a speech in which a character speaks his thought without addressing a listener. It is an accepted dramatic convention and is an important technique to reveal the mind of the character. However, in the course of the play, Hamlet has seven long soliloquies.

The first soliloquy occurs before he has seen the Ghost. In this Soliloquy, Hamlet reveals the grief that has been annoying in his mind. He wishes that religion did not forbid suicide so that he could kill himself and be rid of this grief. He deplores the fact that his mother should have remarried barely two months after the death of her first husband. The Soliloquy shows Hamlet's meditative nature. We note hamlet's generalizing tendency when he says, "Frailty -thy name is women !"His second soliloquy comes just after the Ghost leaves him, after charging him with the duty of taking revenge upon the murderer of his father. Hamlet resolves to wipe out everything else from his memory and to remember only the Ghost's command. We again note his generalizing tendency when he says that"one may smile, and smile, and be a villain."

In his third soliloquy, Hamlet bitterly scolds himself for having failed to execute his revenge so far. Then he dwells upon his plan to stage a play saying-
"The play's the thing, Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the  king"
Hamlet now seeks confirmation of the Ghost's charge against Claudius. This is rather strange; because it has taken him long to doubt the authenticity of the Ghost's version.

Hamlet's fourth soliloquy, his most famous and most celebrated, is the most philosophical of all. Here we have a mental debate,  with the speaker on the horns of a dilemma-"To be, or not to: that is the question ". Hamlet asks himself whether it is nobler to suffer the cruelties of fate silently or to put up a fight against the misfortunes of life. It would be better perhaps to commit suicide if death were to mean a total extinction of consciousness. In his fifth soliloquy, Hamlet describes his mood as one in which he could "drink hot blood, and do such bitter business as the day would quake to look on."In this mood, he can even kill his mother, but he would not follow Nero's example -"Let me be cruel, not unnaturally."

Hamlet's sixth soliloquy shows him shrinking from an act for which he has long been preparing and for which he now gets an excellent opportunity. Hamlet's reason for not killing his uncle at this moment is that the uncle is in prayers and that killing him at such a time Hamlet would be sending him straight to heaven, Hamlet decides to wait for an opportunity when his uncle is drunk asleep, or in his rage. His last soliloquy is again full of self-reproach -
"How all occasion does inform against me And spur my dull revenge!"
To sum up, we may say that the soliloquies of  Hamlet undoubtedly throw a flood of light on his character and personality. These soliloquies enable us to understand his reason for delaying his revenge. They show Hamlet to be a scholar, a philosopher, and a poet.

What is soliloquy? Comment on the use of soliloquies in Hamlet.

Green Land | May 22, 2018 | 0 comments
A soliloquy is a speech in which a character expresses his feelings and thoughts while he is alone on the stage. In other words, Soliloquy is a speech in which a character speaks his thought without addressing a listener. It is an accepted dramatic convention and is an important technique to reveal the mind of the character. However, in the course of the play, Hamlet has seven long soliloquies.

The first soliloquy occurs before he has seen the Ghost. In this Soliloquy, Hamlet reveals the grief that has been annoying in his mind. He wishes that religion did not forbid suicide so that he could kill himself and be rid of this grief. He deplores the fact that his mother should have remarried barely two months after the death of her first husband. The Soliloquy shows Hamlet's meditative nature. We note hamlet's generalizing tendency when he says, "Frailty -thy name is women !"His second soliloquy comes just after the Ghost leaves him, after charging him with the duty of taking revenge upon the murderer of his father. Hamlet resolves to wipe out everything else from his memory and to remember only the Ghost's command. We again note his generalizing tendency when he says that"one may smile, and smile, and be a villain."

In his third soliloquy, Hamlet bitterly scolds himself for having failed to execute his revenge so far. Then he dwells upon his plan to stage a play saying-
"The play's the thing, Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the  king"
Hamlet now seeks confirmation of the Ghost's charge against Claudius. This is rather strange; because it has taken him long to doubt the authenticity of the Ghost's version.

Hamlet's fourth soliloquy, his most famous and most celebrated, is the most philosophical of all. Here we have a mental debate,  with the speaker on the horns of a dilemma-"To be, or not to: that is the question ". Hamlet asks himself whether it is nobler to suffer the cruelties of fate silently or to put up a fight against the misfortunes of life. It would be better perhaps to commit suicide if death were to mean a total extinction of consciousness. In his fifth soliloquy, Hamlet describes his mood as one in which he could "drink hot blood, and do such bitter business as the day would quake to look on."In this mood, he can even kill his mother, but he would not follow Nero's example -"Let me be cruel, not unnaturally."

Hamlet's sixth soliloquy shows him shrinking from an act for which he has long been preparing and for which he now gets an excellent opportunity. Hamlet's reason for not killing his uncle at this moment is that the uncle is in prayers and that killing him at such a time Hamlet would be sending him straight to heaven, Hamlet decides to wait for an opportunity when his uncle is drunk asleep, or in his rage. His last soliloquy is again full of self-reproach -
"How all occasion does inform against me And spur my dull revenge!"
To sum up, we may say that the soliloquies of  Hamlet undoubtedly throw a flood of light on his character and personality. These soliloquies enable us to understand his reason for delaying his revenge. They show Hamlet to be a scholar, a philosopher, and a poet.
readmore
Shakuntala, a play written by Kalidasa, is one of the masterpieces of world literature. It is a thrilling love story of the exquisitely beautiful Shakuntala and the mighty king Dushyanta .Dushyanta is the hero of the play. He possesses almost all the qualities of a brave and nobel minded hero.Dushyanta was the founder of the Puru Dynasty. He was the rular of a great empire. He was a powerful king and his subjects were happy and prosperous under his rule. King Dushyanta loved hunting .Once , while hunting in a forest , Dushyanta happens to meet Shakuntala, a beautiful young lady living in a hermitage. He falls in love with Shakuntala, and is enthralled to find that she is attracted to him Shakuntala, and is enthralled to find that she is attracted to him in the same manner. Shakuntala and Dushyanta do not wait for the actual rites of marriage and engage themselves in a secret marriage .Then Dushyanta leaves for his capital to attend to his royal duties . Unfortunately he forgets Shakuntala under the spell of curse . When Shakuntala goes to her husband Dushyanta ,he can not recognize her. Heart -broken, Shakuntala is forced to leave the royal place. But the truth is discovered when the spell is broken. The king suffers from an intense feeling of guilt and injustice .Shakuntala forgives Dushyanta and they are reunited happily .Their son named Bharata became one of the greatest kings of India.

Dushyanta is a man of striking personality. He is seen as youthful, handsome , majestic and of sweet address . Another point that is notable in his personality is the extreme nobility of his mind.It was quite natural on his part to be struck with the fascinating youth and superb charms of Shakuntala .The dramatist himself ,through the mouth of Dushyanta, depicts the beauty of Shakuntala.There is no wonder in Dushyanta falling in love with such an uncommon beauty . He id indeed, a lover of beauty .Being a Sovereign, He was in a position to have it and enjoy it irrespective of it price . But at the same time, he maintains the dharma of his great puru pedigree .Otherwise it was impossible for an ordinary man to check his first burst of love .It is only after ascertaining the parentage of Shakuntala, and further that she was not married , that he allows his mimd to harbour the feeling of love. Another important feature of Dushyanta is his utmost respect for the sages. The king,though himself commanding universal respect, has unbounded reverence for the sages.There are many incidents in the play which testify to his high martial power. He was so brave that even Indra,the lord of the gods, sought his help .His love for Shakuntala,through carnal to a certain extent is deep-rooted and permanent .His mental affliction ,after the unconscious dismissal and rejection of Shakuntala ,is so touching as to give a full idea of what his real feelings were.In this Sixth Act of the play ,just to console his soul ,he begins to psint the picture of Shakuntala.After the completion of the picture, his remark is really an impartial judgement of the beauty of Shakuntala .He is at home in almost all the fine arts .He can appreciate music and be senstive to its impressions .He is a unique Sovereign, and the various traits of his character are shown in bold relief by the dramatist.

Dushyanta's filial love finds a forceful expression when he sees a young boy playing with a lion.The king greets the boy amazed by his boldness and strength . Later,Dushyanta gets astonished and thrilled when he discovers that the boy is his own son.Thus, Dushyanta's character is exalted by the imagination of the dramatist.
character sketch of king Dushyanta






Give a character sketch of king Dushyanta from Kalidasa's Shakuntala

Green Land | May 22, 2018 | 11comments
Shakuntala, a play written by Kalidasa, is one of the masterpieces of world literature. It is a thrilling love story of the exquisitely beautiful Shakuntala and the mighty king Dushyanta .Dushyanta is the hero of the play. He possesses almost all the qualities of a brave and nobel minded hero.Dushyanta was the founder of the Puru Dynasty. He was the rular of a great empire. He was a powerful king and his subjects were happy and prosperous under his rule. King Dushyanta loved hunting .Once , while hunting in a forest , Dushyanta happens to meet Shakuntala, a beautiful young lady living in a hermitage. He falls in love with Shakuntala, and is enthralled to find that she is attracted to him Shakuntala, and is enthralled to find that she is attracted to him in the same manner. Shakuntala and Dushyanta do not wait for the actual rites of marriage and engage themselves in a secret marriage .Then Dushyanta leaves for his capital to attend to his royal duties . Unfortunately he forgets Shakuntala under the spell of curse . When Shakuntala goes to her husband Dushyanta ,he can not recognize her. Heart -broken, Shakuntala is forced to leave the royal place. But the truth is discovered when the spell is broken. The king suffers from an intense feeling of guilt and injustice .Shakuntala forgives Dushyanta and they are reunited happily .Their son named Bharata became one of the greatest kings of India.

Dushyanta is a man of striking personality. He is seen as youthful, handsome , majestic and of sweet address . Another point that is notable in his personality is the extreme nobility of his mind.It was quite natural on his part to be struck with the fascinating youth and superb charms of Shakuntala .The dramatist himself ,through the mouth of Dushyanta, depicts the beauty of Shakuntala.There is no wonder in Dushyanta falling in love with such an uncommon beauty . He id indeed, a lover of beauty .Being a Sovereign, He was in a position to have it and enjoy it irrespective of it price . But at the same time, he maintains the dharma of his great puru pedigree .Otherwise it was impossible for an ordinary man to check his first burst of love .It is only after ascertaining the parentage of Shakuntala, and further that she was not married , that he allows his mimd to harbour the feeling of love. Another important feature of Dushyanta is his utmost respect for the sages. The king,though himself commanding universal respect, has unbounded reverence for the sages.There are many incidents in the play which testify to his high martial power. He was so brave that even Indra,the lord of the gods, sought his help .His love for Shakuntala,through carnal to a certain extent is deep-rooted and permanent .His mental affliction ,after the unconscious dismissal and rejection of Shakuntala ,is so touching as to give a full idea of what his real feelings were.In this Sixth Act of the play ,just to console his soul ,he begins to psint the picture of Shakuntala.After the completion of the picture, his remark is really an impartial judgement of the beauty of Shakuntala .He is at home in almost all the fine arts .He can appreciate music and be senstive to its impressions .He is a unique Sovereign, and the various traits of his character are shown in bold relief by the dramatist.

Dushyanta's filial love finds a forceful expression when he sees a young boy playing with a lion.The king greets the boy amazed by his boldness and strength . Later,Dushyanta gets astonished and thrilled when he discovers that the boy is his own son.Thus, Dushyanta's character is exalted by the imagination of the dramatist.
character sketch of king Dushyanta






readmore
Shakuntala is an immortal play which is considered as the greatest work of Kalidasa, a great poet and dramatist of ancient India. The play narrates the love story of a beautiful girl named Shakuntala is the heroine of the play . She was the daughter of the sage Viswamitra and the the heavenly numph 'Menaka'.But as she was abandoned by her parents in a forest, She was fed by birds for sometime after which she was brought up by Kanwa as his daughter.

Due to her close association with the hermitage environment and with the men leading ascetic lives, She too had imbibed the spirit of that life. As she was the daughter of Menaka, She had inherited heavenly beauty from her mother. She was a youthful maiden with full development of her limbs .There was nothing artificial in her beauty ;it was essential nature. Her heart too, was equally natural and beautiful.

Shakuntala stands for all that is beautiful in Indian womanhood . She would risk her honour as a woman for the love of man, and yet she would not take one harsh word that goes against her dignity from that man. She has the softness of the softest flower and yet she is as fierce as fire itself . She is strength that knows how to bend . She is the courage to trust.  She is silence that knows how to be eloquent when the need arises.
Womenhood Shakuntala
Shakuntala
Shakuntala is the gracious ashram hostess who receives the honoured visitor Dushyanta who has just entered sage Kanwa's hermitage. King Dushyanta was the on a hunting trip and had reached the banks of the Malini where numerous hermitage were situated . The most famous among them was that of sage Kanwa and it was to pay his respect to Kanwa that Dushyanta had gone to the hermitage.

Dushyanta is surprised to see the beautiful young maiden in the hermitage . Her beauty takes his breath away. Desire for her is instantly born in him. On inquiry , he comes to know that Shakuntala is the adopted daughter of sage Kanwa who is away from the hermitage. Shakuntala and Dushyanta fall in love with each other. Dushyanta asks her to marry him by the 'gandharva' ceremony , a from of marriage by mutual consent, without waiting for the approval of parents and elders, without priests and rituals. The wedding is consummated immediately in the presence of only the friends of Shakuntala. Without waiting for the return of Kanwa, Dushyanta decides to depart immediately , telling Shakuntala that his men would soon come to escort her to his palace.

Shakuntala waits for Dushyanta's people to come and take her to his palace .But nobody comes to fetch her. Her father sends her to Dushyanta as she is pregnant with Dushyanta's child.Under the spell of curse , Dushyanta fails to acknowledge Shakuntala as his wife. He refuses her saying that he has never met Shakuntala and has no relation with her. He throws insulting remarks at Shakuntala . Shakuntala becomes heartbroken at his words. Because, It is the man she had chosen for herself . This is the man to whom she had surrendered her heart and her body . This is the man who had begotten a child in her and lrft, promising to sends his people to fetch her and then forgotten all about it. And now he is insulting her in the middle of an assembly in the presence of his ministers and nobelmen- insulting her in such crude, merciless words.

The Young women who grew up in a hermitage does not know what treachery is , What falsehood is.She has received the best possible upbringing : in an atmosphere of love, kindness, truth and courtesy. She talks to him in the only language she knows : the language of truth. She has much loyalty to Dushyanta : Even after be cannot recognize her, Shakuntala does not seek the comfort of another man .She is completely devoted to him and when she is hurt by his inability to recognize her, She tends to her son and remains on her own, maintaining her high sense of virtue and loyalty to her one and true love. In this light , She suffers for her love, Which makes her representative of much of the feminine tradition in Indian literature .

She teies to remind him of the true story and events of their marriage. Shakuntala knows that a wife is not a man's plaything -she is an equal half of his being, his best friend in the journey of life, the root of the virtue, wealth and pleasures. Shakuntala's speech suggests that she has not come for the kings charity - She does not need any of it. What she demands is justice - what is hers by right. She does not care for the comforts of the palace -such things do not tempt her. She needs just one thing, that is, justice .Still Dushyanta does not acknowledge her .Instead, he insults her, calls her a harlot. He also calls all women liars.

The moment Dushyanta saw Shakuntala in the hermitage ,he was smitten by her . He expressed his desire for her and asked her to marry him. He offered her everything that came to his mind that might interest a women according to his understanding of women -precious ornaments ,beautiful clothes, jewels snd even own kingdom . Shakuntala was a women any man could fall in love with instantly . She was desirable in every imagination way as far as a man is concerned. She was untouched by passion till she saw the king. Even her modesty was so great that she felt delicate to reveal to her friends her inextinguishable love for the king. She represents the true picture of womanly modesty.She manifested a full sence of female honour .When Dushyanta tries to bring her back, she politely asks him to maintain his dignity and decorum.

Daughter of Nature

Shakuntala is a daughter of nature. Nature, strictly speaking, is her foster - mother .She has, therefore, affection for every tree ,for every creeper and for every sprout. She will not drink water without herself watering the trees. She can forget herself but not the trees in the hermitage . She dares not pluck even a tender sprout despite her fondness for ornaments. The flowering season of nature is a great festival to her. The deer are her own children. She applies oil to the mouth of a young deer ,which is wounded slightly while eating grass. In her own hands, She holds out the wild rice for the deer to eat . Just before her departure from the hermitage , She embraces the creeper and leaves it under the care of her maters. Shr requests her father to intimate her the news of the pregnant deer. But Shakuntala's love of nature, is not one sided. Nature too in her turn has the same deep affection for Shakuntala. The foliage of tree invites Shakuntala . The young deer, pulling her garment stops her from leaving the hermitage . At her departure , the female deer drop down their half eaten morsels of grass ;the peacocks give up their dancing ; and the creepers ,with their yellow leaves falling off, seem as if they are shedding tears. The deer drinks water only from the hands of Shakuntala. The affection between nature and Shakuntala is so profound that Kanea, on the eve of Shakuntala's departure to her husbands palace, requests nature to permit Shakuntala to go to her husband's house. Then, nature too, on her part ,indicates her acceptance through the sweet note of a cuckoo.Thud Shakuntala's character id harmoniouslly delienated as the dearest daughter of natural.
At the end of the play ,one feels sad at the sufferings of Shakuntala. In the last act , we see Shakuntala wrapped in a very ordinary sari,but she id a picture of grace and dignity . Through young in age. She speaks but few words in a profound sense.

Hermit Girl

She is a real hermit - girl . One may wonder at the manner in which she has transformed herself from a pleasure - seeking young girl into a young woman imbued with a sense of total renunciation and service. Through portraying scenes of Shakuntala's friends teasing her,sage Kanwa's far - sightedness ,the king's paining for Shakuntala's love when she is away, Shakuntala's unsullied sense of love, the divine grace which brought about the happy reunion, the playwright presents before us a large canvas on which all the vicissitudes of life are touched upon. From the light of above discussion it can be concluded that Shakuntala represents an ideal womanhood. She represents all the qualities of an ideal Indian woman .


What elements of Indian womanhood do you find in Shakuntala's character?

Green Land | May 22, 2018 | 1comments
Shakuntala is an immortal play which is considered as the greatest work of Kalidasa, a great poet and dramatist of ancient India. The play narrates the love story of a beautiful girl named Shakuntala is the heroine of the play . She was the daughter of the sage Viswamitra and the the heavenly numph 'Menaka'.But as she was abandoned by her parents in a forest, She was fed by birds for sometime after which she was brought up by Kanwa as his daughter.

Due to her close association with the hermitage environment and with the men leading ascetic lives, She too had imbibed the spirit of that life. As she was the daughter of Menaka, She had inherited heavenly beauty from her mother. She was a youthful maiden with full development of her limbs .There was nothing artificial in her beauty ;it was essential nature. Her heart too, was equally natural and beautiful.

Shakuntala stands for all that is beautiful in Indian womanhood . She would risk her honour as a woman for the love of man, and yet she would not take one harsh word that goes against her dignity from that man. She has the softness of the softest flower and yet she is as fierce as fire itself . She is strength that knows how to bend . She is the courage to trust.  She is silence that knows how to be eloquent when the need arises.
Womenhood Shakuntala
Shakuntala
Shakuntala is the gracious ashram hostess who receives the honoured visitor Dushyanta who has just entered sage Kanwa's hermitage. King Dushyanta was the on a hunting trip and had reached the banks of the Malini where numerous hermitage were situated . The most famous among them was that of sage Kanwa and it was to pay his respect to Kanwa that Dushyanta had gone to the hermitage.

Dushyanta is surprised to see the beautiful young maiden in the hermitage . Her beauty takes his breath away. Desire for her is instantly born in him. On inquiry , he comes to know that Shakuntala is the adopted daughter of sage Kanwa who is away from the hermitage. Shakuntala and Dushyanta fall in love with each other. Dushyanta asks her to marry him by the 'gandharva' ceremony , a from of marriage by mutual consent, without waiting for the approval of parents and elders, without priests and rituals. The wedding is consummated immediately in the presence of only the friends of Shakuntala. Without waiting for the return of Kanwa, Dushyanta decides to depart immediately , telling Shakuntala that his men would soon come to escort her to his palace.

Shakuntala waits for Dushyanta's people to come and take her to his palace .But nobody comes to fetch her. Her father sends her to Dushyanta as she is pregnant with Dushyanta's child.Under the spell of curse , Dushyanta fails to acknowledge Shakuntala as his wife. He refuses her saying that he has never met Shakuntala and has no relation with her. He throws insulting remarks at Shakuntala . Shakuntala becomes heartbroken at his words. Because, It is the man she had chosen for herself . This is the man to whom she had surrendered her heart and her body . This is the man who had begotten a child in her and lrft, promising to sends his people to fetch her and then forgotten all about it. And now he is insulting her in the middle of an assembly in the presence of his ministers and nobelmen- insulting her in such crude, merciless words.

The Young women who grew up in a hermitage does not know what treachery is , What falsehood is.She has received the best possible upbringing : in an atmosphere of love, kindness, truth and courtesy. She talks to him in the only language she knows : the language of truth. She has much loyalty to Dushyanta : Even after be cannot recognize her, Shakuntala does not seek the comfort of another man .She is completely devoted to him and when she is hurt by his inability to recognize her, She tends to her son and remains on her own, maintaining her high sense of virtue and loyalty to her one and true love. In this light , She suffers for her love, Which makes her representative of much of the feminine tradition in Indian literature .

She teies to remind him of the true story and events of their marriage. Shakuntala knows that a wife is not a man's plaything -she is an equal half of his being, his best friend in the journey of life, the root of the virtue, wealth and pleasures. Shakuntala's speech suggests that she has not come for the kings charity - She does not need any of it. What she demands is justice - what is hers by right. She does not care for the comforts of the palace -such things do not tempt her. She needs just one thing, that is, justice .Still Dushyanta does not acknowledge her .Instead, he insults her, calls her a harlot. He also calls all women liars.

The moment Dushyanta saw Shakuntala in the hermitage ,he was smitten by her . He expressed his desire for her and asked her to marry him. He offered her everything that came to his mind that might interest a women according to his understanding of women -precious ornaments ,beautiful clothes, jewels snd even own kingdom . Shakuntala was a women any man could fall in love with instantly . She was desirable in every imagination way as far as a man is concerned. She was untouched by passion till she saw the king. Even her modesty was so great that she felt delicate to reveal to her friends her inextinguishable love for the king. She represents the true picture of womanly modesty.She manifested a full sence of female honour .When Dushyanta tries to bring her back, she politely asks him to maintain his dignity and decorum.

Daughter of Nature

Shakuntala is a daughter of nature. Nature, strictly speaking, is her foster - mother .She has, therefore, affection for every tree ,for every creeper and for every sprout. She will not drink water without herself watering the trees. She can forget herself but not the trees in the hermitage . She dares not pluck even a tender sprout despite her fondness for ornaments. The flowering season of nature is a great festival to her. The deer are her own children. She applies oil to the mouth of a young deer ,which is wounded slightly while eating grass. In her own hands, She holds out the wild rice for the deer to eat . Just before her departure from the hermitage , She embraces the creeper and leaves it under the care of her maters. Shr requests her father to intimate her the news of the pregnant deer. But Shakuntala's love of nature, is not one sided. Nature too in her turn has the same deep affection for Shakuntala. The foliage of tree invites Shakuntala . The young deer, pulling her garment stops her from leaving the hermitage . At her departure , the female deer drop down their half eaten morsels of grass ;the peacocks give up their dancing ; and the creepers ,with their yellow leaves falling off, seem as if they are shedding tears. The deer drinks water only from the hands of Shakuntala. The affection between nature and Shakuntala is so profound that Kanea, on the eve of Shakuntala's departure to her husbands palace, requests nature to permit Shakuntala to go to her husband's house. Then, nature too, on her part ,indicates her acceptance through the sweet note of a cuckoo.Thud Shakuntala's character id harmoniouslly delienated as the dearest daughter of natural.
At the end of the play ,one feels sad at the sufferings of Shakuntala. In the last act , we see Shakuntala wrapped in a very ordinary sari,but she id a picture of grace and dignity . Through young in age. She speaks but few words in a profound sense.

Hermit Girl

She is a real hermit - girl . One may wonder at the manner in which she has transformed herself from a pleasure - seeking young girl into a young woman imbued with a sense of total renunciation and service. Through portraying scenes of Shakuntala's friends teasing her,sage Kanwa's far - sightedness ,the king's paining for Shakuntala's love when she is away, Shakuntala's unsullied sense of love, the divine grace which brought about the happy reunion, the playwright presents before us a large canvas on which all the vicissitudes of life are touched upon. From the light of above discussion it can be concluded that Shakuntala represents an ideal womanhood. She represents all the qualities of an ideal Indian woman .


readmore
The Mahabharata, the longest Sanskrit epic, is a story of two sets of paternal first cousins who became bitter rivals with each other. The epic revolves around the struggle for the throne of Hastinapura. The two collateral branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The Kauravas were collectively a hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and the Pandavas were the five sons of Pandu. The five brothers named Yudhistira(eldest son), Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva were always obedient and dutiful. Draupadi was the common wife of the five Pandavas. The Kauravas behaved viciously and brutally toward the Pandavas in many ways. Their malice displayed itself when they took advantage of the eldest Pandava, Yudhistira in a game of dice.
Living in the new territory of Indraprastha, Yudhistira turns his poor land into a wealthy kingdom and declares himself King of Kings. Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas, is jealous and humiliated on his visit to the magnificent palace. He mistakes a glass floor for a pool, then later falls into a pool thinking it is glass. Draupadi and Bhima laugh at him. He returns home bent on devising their destruction.
game of dice in the Mahabharata
game of dice

Game of dice

Duryodhana follows the advice of his uncle, the cunning Sakuni, an infamous dice player, and invites Yudhistira to a game of dice. They know well that gambling is Yudhistira's one weakness. Vidura is sent to invite the Pandavas to visit Hastinapura and play a dice game there. Yudhistira accepts the invitation. Both Dhritharashtra and Yudhistira ignore Vidura's warning to avoid the game which may result in a destructive consequence. Sakuni was confident that he could defeat Yudhistira easily and thus Duryodhana could fulfill his ill -motive of outdoing the Pandavas.

Before the dicing, a lot of discussions were there, but Yudhistira is obliged to play. But Sakuni comes in to play for Duryodhana. During the dicing event, Yudhishtira stakes his wealth, Jewelry, Indraprastha, and the belongings of his brothers one by one and loses them one by one. Sakuni mocks and provokes Yudhistira at each stage and demands to stake. He thus loses his brothers Nakula and Sahadeva. The Sakuni mocks him that at best those are the stepbrothers he lost, but Arjuna and Bhima are not so and he won't bet them. This forces Yudhistira to stake Arjuna, and hid liberty at the stake as demanded by Sakuni.

At this moment of his complete defeat including himself, Yudhistira is again mocked to stake Draupadi. Yudhistira stakes Draupadi and loses her also. There were strong reactions from the assembly when Yudhistira staked her. Draupadi questions the legality of staking her when she was forced and dragged in front of the assembly. There were favoring reactions to her questions. Interestingly, Vikarna, a younger brother of Duryodhana, reacts in support of Draupadi. He says courageously that Yudhistara is enticed to play the game deeply plotted by Duryodhana and Sakuni. And that a lost Yudhistira has not the right to stake Draupadi. The assembly supported him. But Karna silenced him,b by saying that he is too young before the others in that hall.

Duryodhana in the open court chides Druapadi and invites her to sit on his thigh, patting and baring his thigh. He orders Dussasana to disrobe her in front of the court. Dussasana begins to execute the act. But Draupadi cannot be bared. She is endowed with the divine grace of being in a new dress to whatever extent the clothes are pulled by Dussasana. The strong Dussasana fails and becomes exhausted. The Assembly stands stunned at the miracle. Bhima sends shivering signals by an oath that he will tear open the Dussasana's heart and drink the blood of him, and he shall break the thigh of the Duryodhana on which Draupadi was tauntingly invited to sit. The invincible Draupadi by the divine blessing made Dhritarashtra still more afraid of the Pandavas. He asks the pardon of Draupadi and releases all that was worn on the dicing events.

Of course, dissatisfied at Dhritarashtra's act Sakuni and Duryodhana once again plead before Dhritarashtra for another dice game with Yudhistira. In the second spell of the dicing event, Yudhistira is again defeated and is forced to go into exile for 12 years. The condition is that they should live in forests and pass the 13th year in disguise without being identified by anybody. If they are identified by anybody during the period of disguise, they should repeat 12 years of exile in the forest and the 13th year in disguise.

Thus losers in the deceitful act of gambling, and insulted by Kauravas, the Pandavas started their exile in the forest. Vidura told Yudhistira to allow their mother Kunthi to stay back as she was old and weak. Yudhistira agreed. Draupadi, however, accompanied her husband to the forest. Duryodhana became the de facto ruler of both Hastinapura and Indraprastha.

The Pandavas are not alone in the forest but are followed by many loyal Brahmons and servants. The gods give them an inexhaustible supply of food for all of them. The Pandavas reached Kamyak forest and decided to rest there for a while. Krishna came to help them. After inquiring about their well-being, he advised Pandavas to be vigilant and not to lose heart. The ordeal they had to face was for their good. Good and bad experiences are essential to get the correct perspective and fulfillment in life. Suffering and sorrow bring a requisite feeling of renunciation essential to seek higher goals in life.

The future of the Pandavas was determined by the game of dice. They had to undergo plight and suffering due to their defeat in the game. Yudhistira's temptation brought about that unexpected consequence. His wife Draupadi and his younger brothers fell victim to the horrible experience. The tragic fact of the Kauravas was another consequence of the dice game.

Gambling is an immortal action. It most often favors the evils. The gamblers do not hesitate to adopt unfair means to win the game anyhow. A man with morality is likely to get defeated in gambling. The ultimate result of the game of dice is the bloody battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The war of Kurukshetra fought between them brings about the ultimate downfall of the Kauravas. The victory of the Pandavas symbolizes the victory of the victor over evil.

Discuss the significance of the game of dice in the Mahabharata

Green Land | May 20, 2018 | 3comments
The Mahabharata, the longest Sanskrit epic, is a story of two sets of paternal first cousins who became bitter rivals with each other. The epic revolves around the struggle for the throne of Hastinapura. The two collateral branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The Kauravas were collectively a hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and the Pandavas were the five sons of Pandu. The five brothers named Yudhistira(eldest son), Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva were always obedient and dutiful. Draupadi was the common wife of the five Pandavas. The Kauravas behaved viciously and brutally toward the Pandavas in many ways. Their malice displayed itself when they took advantage of the eldest Pandava, Yudhistira in a game of dice.
Living in the new territory of Indraprastha, Yudhistira turns his poor land into a wealthy kingdom and declares himself King of Kings. Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas, is jealous and humiliated on his visit to the magnificent palace. He mistakes a glass floor for a pool, then later falls into a pool thinking it is glass. Draupadi and Bhima laugh at him. He returns home bent on devising their destruction.
game of dice in the Mahabharata
game of dice

Game of dice

Duryodhana follows the advice of his uncle, the cunning Sakuni, an infamous dice player, and invites Yudhistira to a game of dice. They know well that gambling is Yudhistira's one weakness. Vidura is sent to invite the Pandavas to visit Hastinapura and play a dice game there. Yudhistira accepts the invitation. Both Dhritharashtra and Yudhistira ignore Vidura's warning to avoid the game which may result in a destructive consequence. Sakuni was confident that he could defeat Yudhistira easily and thus Duryodhana could fulfill his ill -motive of outdoing the Pandavas.

Before the dicing, a lot of discussions were there, but Yudhistira is obliged to play. But Sakuni comes in to play for Duryodhana. During the dicing event, Yudhishtira stakes his wealth, Jewelry, Indraprastha, and the belongings of his brothers one by one and loses them one by one. Sakuni mocks and provokes Yudhistira at each stage and demands to stake. He thus loses his brothers Nakula and Sahadeva. The Sakuni mocks him that at best those are the stepbrothers he lost, but Arjuna and Bhima are not so and he won't bet them. This forces Yudhistira to stake Arjuna, and hid liberty at the stake as demanded by Sakuni.

At this moment of his complete defeat including himself, Yudhistira is again mocked to stake Draupadi. Yudhistira stakes Draupadi and loses her also. There were strong reactions from the assembly when Yudhistira staked her. Draupadi questions the legality of staking her when she was forced and dragged in front of the assembly. There were favoring reactions to her questions. Interestingly, Vikarna, a younger brother of Duryodhana, reacts in support of Draupadi. He says courageously that Yudhistara is enticed to play the game deeply plotted by Duryodhana and Sakuni. And that a lost Yudhistira has not the right to stake Draupadi. The assembly supported him. But Karna silenced him,b by saying that he is too young before the others in that hall.

Duryodhana in the open court chides Druapadi and invites her to sit on his thigh, patting and baring his thigh. He orders Dussasana to disrobe her in front of the court. Dussasana begins to execute the act. But Draupadi cannot be bared. She is endowed with the divine grace of being in a new dress to whatever extent the clothes are pulled by Dussasana. The strong Dussasana fails and becomes exhausted. The Assembly stands stunned at the miracle. Bhima sends shivering signals by an oath that he will tear open the Dussasana's heart and drink the blood of him, and he shall break the thigh of the Duryodhana on which Draupadi was tauntingly invited to sit. The invincible Draupadi by the divine blessing made Dhritarashtra still more afraid of the Pandavas. He asks the pardon of Draupadi and releases all that was worn on the dicing events.

Of course, dissatisfied at Dhritarashtra's act Sakuni and Duryodhana once again plead before Dhritarashtra for another dice game with Yudhistira. In the second spell of the dicing event, Yudhistira is again defeated and is forced to go into exile for 12 years. The condition is that they should live in forests and pass the 13th year in disguise without being identified by anybody. If they are identified by anybody during the period of disguise, they should repeat 12 years of exile in the forest and the 13th year in disguise.

Thus losers in the deceitful act of gambling, and insulted by Kauravas, the Pandavas started their exile in the forest. Vidura told Yudhistira to allow their mother Kunthi to stay back as she was old and weak. Yudhistira agreed. Draupadi, however, accompanied her husband to the forest. Duryodhana became the de facto ruler of both Hastinapura and Indraprastha.

The Pandavas are not alone in the forest but are followed by many loyal Brahmons and servants. The gods give them an inexhaustible supply of food for all of them. The Pandavas reached Kamyak forest and decided to rest there for a while. Krishna came to help them. After inquiring about their well-being, he advised Pandavas to be vigilant and not to lose heart. The ordeal they had to face was for their good. Good and bad experiences are essential to get the correct perspective and fulfillment in life. Suffering and sorrow bring a requisite feeling of renunciation essential to seek higher goals in life.

The future of the Pandavas was determined by the game of dice. They had to undergo plight and suffering due to their defeat in the game. Yudhistira's temptation brought about that unexpected consequence. His wife Draupadi and his younger brothers fell victim to the horrible experience. The tragic fact of the Kauravas was another consequence of the dice game.

Gambling is an immortal action. It most often favors the evils. The gamblers do not hesitate to adopt unfair means to win the game anyhow. A man with morality is likely to get defeated in gambling. The ultimate result of the game of dice is the bloody battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The war of Kurukshetra fought between them brings about the ultimate downfall of the Kauravas. The victory of the Pandavas symbolizes the victory of the victor over evil.
readmore
William Shakespeare derived his historical material for the writing of the play, Julius Caesar. He had taken the name of this play from a translation called The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans by Plutarch. He changed altered and modified the historical material to suit his own purposes. Really, he depicts in his play the main historical events. The assassination of Caesar, the civil war that followed, and the defeat of the republican forces are some of the outstanding events of history. These events occur in the play too. In certain cases, Shakespeare employed some historical personages.

To discuss Shakespeare's treatment of the historical facts first, the celebration of Caesar's victory over Pompey's sons occurs in the play on the same date as the celebration of the feast of the Lupercalia. But historically, these events occurred over several days. Here Shakespeare combines several separate incidents in such a way that they appear to have taken on the same day. Similarly, in the play, the only battle is shown as having been fought on the plains of Philippi. Historically two battles occurred at this place.

Julius Caesar is a historical play

Shakespeare has chosen historical personages who are common in history. Shakespeare's portrayal of Caesar differs greatly from the historical Caesar. The historical Caesar portrayed by Plutarch was a great conqueror and a heroic personality. According to Plutarch, his portrayed Caesar is intellectually brilliant,  high-minded, and exceptionally intelligent. On the other hand, Shakespeare's Caesar is suffering from several physical infirmities. He is deaf in one ear. He suffers from falling sickness. He seems to be a man of a wavering mind, superstitious, and highly prone to flattery. Plutarch mentions one or two physical infirmities of Caesar, but Shakespeare has added to them.

Historically the murder of Caesar took place on the porch of the Senate-house but Shakespeare makes the murder occur inside the Senate-house. In Plutarch's book, Antony is depicted as vulgar and immoral. On the other hand, Shakespeare has imparted a certain dignity to Antony to raise him in our estimation. Similarly, Shakespeare represents the character of Cassius as being nobler than it is in Plutarch's history.

To sum up, we can say that Shakespeare has depicted the historical events and historical personages very nicely in his play, Julius Caesar, Shakespeare has been able to preserve the historical spirit of the times. His present play depicts the truth of history very ably, and with dramatic effect.

Discuss Julius Caesar as a historical play

Green Land | May 19, 2018 | 0 comments
William Shakespeare derived his historical material for the writing of the play, Julius Caesar. He had taken the name of this play from a translation called The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans by Plutarch. He changed altered and modified the historical material to suit his own purposes. Really, he depicts in his play the main historical events. The assassination of Caesar, the civil war that followed, and the defeat of the republican forces are some of the outstanding events of history. These events occur in the play too. In certain cases, Shakespeare employed some historical personages.

To discuss Shakespeare's treatment of the historical facts first, the celebration of Caesar's victory over Pompey's sons occurs in the play on the same date as the celebration of the feast of the Lupercalia. But historically, these events occurred over several days. Here Shakespeare combines several separate incidents in such a way that they appear to have taken on the same day. Similarly, in the play, the only battle is shown as having been fought on the plains of Philippi. Historically two battles occurred at this place.

Julius Caesar is a historical play

Shakespeare has chosen historical personages who are common in history. Shakespeare's portrayal of Caesar differs greatly from the historical Caesar. The historical Caesar portrayed by Plutarch was a great conqueror and a heroic personality. According to Plutarch, his portrayed Caesar is intellectually brilliant,  high-minded, and exceptionally intelligent. On the other hand, Shakespeare's Caesar is suffering from several physical infirmities. He is deaf in one ear. He suffers from falling sickness. He seems to be a man of a wavering mind, superstitious, and highly prone to flattery. Plutarch mentions one or two physical infirmities of Caesar, but Shakespeare has added to them.

Historically the murder of Caesar took place on the porch of the Senate-house but Shakespeare makes the murder occur inside the Senate-house. In Plutarch's book, Antony is depicted as vulgar and immoral. On the other hand, Shakespeare has imparted a certain dignity to Antony to raise him in our estimation. Similarly, Shakespeare represents the character of Cassius as being nobler than it is in Plutarch's history.

To sum up, we can say that Shakespeare has depicted the historical events and historical personages very nicely in his play, Julius Caesar, Shakespeare has been able to preserve the historical spirit of the times. His present play depicts the truth of history very ably, and with dramatic effect.
readmore

Theatre of the absurd

The "Theatre of the absurd "is associated with the names of Samuel Beckett, Eugene lonesco, Jean Genet , and Arthur Adamov. But Beckett's contribution to this particular genre allows us to refer to him as the grand 
master or father of the genre. The absurd drama grew out of a sense of metaphysical anguish at the absurdity of the human condition in the universe.  The absurd dramatists take things rationally and not romantically. It is a drama without a traditional plot , story or division into acts and scenes. It has fewest possible characters. In this type of drama dialogues are very short and crisp. The playwright tries to communicate the meaninglessness of life through dialogues.
Theatre of the absurd -waiting for godot
Samuel Beckett

Absurd drama


The absurd dramatist are all concerned with the failure of communication in modern society which leaves man alienated . The characters in am absurd drama are unsubstantial.  They become significant for the symbols they represent. Things are not explained ;they are merely hinted at or suggested.  Waiting for Godot of Samuel Beckett is an absurd play.  This drama depicts an absolute negation of human existence. It lacks action and proper plot , and the characters are tied together by a fear of being left entirely alone.  We get the impression that man is totally lost in a disintegrating society. We find in this drama two tramps conversing in a repetition , strangely fragmented dialogue that bears an illusory, haunting effect,While they are Waiting for Godot, a vague, never defined being who will bring them some communication about -what? Salvation? Death? An impetus for living?  A reason for dying ? No one knows, and the safest thing to say in that the two are probably waiting for someone or something which will give them an impetus to continue living or at least something which will give meaning and direction to their lives. As Beckett himself says clearly, those who search for meaning , will find it no quicker than those who sit and wait . The meaning about life that these tramps hope is never stated precisely.

The audience leave the theatre with the knowledge that these tramps are strangely tied to one another. Even through they quarrel and fight, and even though they have exhausted all conversation,  they are bound to each other. The second act is repetitive and almost identical -the loneliness and weakness in each calls out to the other,and they are held by a mystical bond of interdependence.  The other two characters ,Pozzo and Lucky,  are on a journey without any apparent goal and are symbolically tied together.  One talks, the other say nothing.  The waiting of Vladimir and Estragon and the journeying of Pozzo and Lucky offer themselves as contracts to various activities in the modern world - all of which lead to no fruitful end.  Therefore each pair is hopelessly alienated from the other.

To sum up,Waiting for Godot presents a critique of modern society by showing the totall collapse of communication, of man's being forced to conform to a word of mediocrity where no action is meaningful. 

Consider Waiting for Godot as a play belonging to the Theatre of the Absurd or, absurd drama

Green Land | May 19, 2018 | 0 comments

Theatre of the absurd

The "Theatre of the absurd "is associated with the names of Samuel Beckett, Eugene lonesco, Jean Genet , and Arthur Adamov. But Beckett's contribution to this particular genre allows us to refer to him as the grand 
master or father of the genre. The absurd drama grew out of a sense of metaphysical anguish at the absurdity of the human condition in the universe.  The absurd dramatists take things rationally and not romantically. It is a drama without a traditional plot , story or division into acts and scenes. It has fewest possible characters. In this type of drama dialogues are very short and crisp. The playwright tries to communicate the meaninglessness of life through dialogues.
Theatre of the absurd -waiting for godot
Samuel Beckett

Absurd drama


The absurd dramatist are all concerned with the failure of communication in modern society which leaves man alienated . The characters in am absurd drama are unsubstantial.  They become significant for the symbols they represent. Things are not explained ;they are merely hinted at or suggested.  Waiting for Godot of Samuel Beckett is an absurd play.  This drama depicts an absolute negation of human existence. It lacks action and proper plot , and the characters are tied together by a fear of being left entirely alone.  We get the impression that man is totally lost in a disintegrating society. We find in this drama two tramps conversing in a repetition , strangely fragmented dialogue that bears an illusory, haunting effect,While they are Waiting for Godot, a vague, never defined being who will bring them some communication about -what? Salvation? Death? An impetus for living?  A reason for dying ? No one knows, and the safest thing to say in that the two are probably waiting for someone or something which will give them an impetus to continue living or at least something which will give meaning and direction to their lives. As Beckett himself says clearly, those who search for meaning , will find it no quicker than those who sit and wait . The meaning about life that these tramps hope is never stated precisely.

The audience leave the theatre with the knowledge that these tramps are strangely tied to one another. Even through they quarrel and fight, and even though they have exhausted all conversation,  they are bound to each other. The second act is repetitive and almost identical -the loneliness and weakness in each calls out to the other,and they are held by a mystical bond of interdependence.  The other two characters ,Pozzo and Lucky,  are on a journey without any apparent goal and are symbolically tied together.  One talks, the other say nothing.  The waiting of Vladimir and Estragon and the journeying of Pozzo and Lucky offer themselves as contracts to various activities in the modern world - all of which lead to no fruitful end.  Therefore each pair is hopelessly alienated from the other.

To sum up,Waiting for Godot presents a critique of modern society by showing the totall collapse of communication, of man's being forced to conform to a word of mediocrity where no action is meaningful. 

readmore

Critical appreciation of Sylvia Plath's poem,"The Rival"

Battle of sexes resulting in the disintegration of family life is a prominent theme in the poetry of Sylvia Plath. "The Rival" presents two figures ,husband and wife at war with each other due to the lack of understanding and compromise .It is a poem in which metaphor, subject and tone combine to produce the effect of cold, furious animosity and rivalry between husband and wife.
"The Rival" is composed in free verse and it consists of three stanzas, each having five lines of uneven length, followed by a couplet .The theme of the poem is presented by pure statement with the help of metaphors similes, imagery, irony ,etc all through thee poem, there is an atmosphere of gloom and unhappiness ,and the tone of the speaker who is essentially the wife is full of frustration .

"The Rival" begins with the picture of a cold and barren moon which reflects the husbands  characteristics .The speaker -wife in the poem alleges against her husband saying that he like the moon outwardly appears smiling (generous ,amiable )but inwardly very cold and barren (artificial and indifferent) as the moon is with its borrowed light. According to the wife ,both the husband and the moon are light borrowers. The moon borrows light from the sun and similarly the husband also lacks his own light (virtues)and so he pretends to be virtuous. But he differs from the moon in one respect .The seems to be surprised and shocked at the suffering of making but it is unaffected by and indifferent to the sufferings of others.

The main trait of the husband's character is to make every issue complex ,turning her life into a death -like existence .But he lives in luxuries and enjoyment, and is malicious towards others. He does not even care to die in putting questions which are not answerable. His complaints are baseless. The image of the moon is again brought in the context to highlights  the husbands character .The moon with its borrowed light seems to be proud at night and mocks mankind but in the day time ,because of its invisibility ,it is an object of ridiculous to the people of the world. In the same way the husband abuses his wife his borrowed light (artificial smile, love etc.)but becomes a ridiculous figure when exposed to light.

The speaker (wife)further says that her husband's allegations against her is a regular practice conveyed by mail,but in fact, they are empty, baseless and destructive like carban monoxide. That is why she is always in a tension caused by fear that although he is far away(possibly in Africa)from her,  the very news of him makes her life insecure. As for the language and diction there is no difficulty for the reader to understand the poem .The imagery of the moon. the metaphors such as ."If the moon smiled, she would resemble you"." great light borrowers '."Her -O-mouth grieves at the world "making stone out of everything ,I wake to a mausoleum ",simile(your dissatisfactions.......expansive as carbon monoxide, .etc. have been very effective in presenting the theme. To sum up," The Rival" may be estimated as a successful poem of Sylvia Plath on the basis of its theme, imagery, emotion ,vision ,diction and other technical devices. 

Critical appreciation of Sylvia Plath's poem,"The Rival".

Green Land | May 18, 2018 | 4comments

Critical appreciation of Sylvia Plath's poem,"The Rival"

Battle of sexes resulting in the disintegration of family life is a prominent theme in the poetry of Sylvia Plath. "The Rival" presents two figures ,husband and wife at war with each other due to the lack of understanding and compromise .It is a poem in which metaphor, subject and tone combine to produce the effect of cold, furious animosity and rivalry between husband and wife.
"The Rival" is composed in free verse and it consists of three stanzas, each having five lines of uneven length, followed by a couplet .The theme of the poem is presented by pure statement with the help of metaphors similes, imagery, irony ,etc all through thee poem, there is an atmosphere of gloom and unhappiness ,and the tone of the speaker who is essentially the wife is full of frustration .

"The Rival" begins with the picture of a cold and barren moon which reflects the husbands  characteristics .The speaker -wife in the poem alleges against her husband saying that he like the moon outwardly appears smiling (generous ,amiable )but inwardly very cold and barren (artificial and indifferent) as the moon is with its borrowed light. According to the wife ,both the husband and the moon are light borrowers. The moon borrows light from the sun and similarly the husband also lacks his own light (virtues)and so he pretends to be virtuous. But he differs from the moon in one respect .The seems to be surprised and shocked at the suffering of making but it is unaffected by and indifferent to the sufferings of others.

The main trait of the husband's character is to make every issue complex ,turning her life into a death -like existence .But he lives in luxuries and enjoyment, and is malicious towards others. He does not even care to die in putting questions which are not answerable. His complaints are baseless. The image of the moon is again brought in the context to highlights  the husbands character .The moon with its borrowed light seems to be proud at night and mocks mankind but in the day time ,because of its invisibility ,it is an object of ridiculous to the people of the world. In the same way the husband abuses his wife his borrowed light (artificial smile, love etc.)but becomes a ridiculous figure when exposed to light.

The speaker (wife)further says that her husband's allegations against her is a regular practice conveyed by mail,but in fact, they are empty, baseless and destructive like carban monoxide. That is why she is always in a tension caused by fear that although he is far away(possibly in Africa)from her,  the very news of him makes her life insecure. As for the language and diction there is no difficulty for the reader to understand the poem .The imagery of the moon. the metaphors such as ."If the moon smiled, she would resemble you"." great light borrowers '."Her -O-mouth grieves at the world "making stone out of everything ,I wake to a mausoleum ",simile(your dissatisfactions.......expansive as carbon monoxide, .etc. have been very effective in presenting the theme. To sum up," The Rival" may be estimated as a successful poem of Sylvia Plath on the basis of its theme, imagery, emotion ,vision ,diction and other technical devices. 
readmore

The use of imagery in the poetry of Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas attached great important to the use of imagery in his poetry . As he was a poet of both of the sea and the woods, the common scenes and sights of the countryside, the various objects and phenomena of nature are the most important sources of imagery in his poetry .Besides these, images of pain, disease ,decay and death, as well as sexual imagery are frequently in his poetry.
                     
Dylan Thomas a religious poet
Dylan Thomas
                     
On waking up early in the morning the poet withnesses the natural phenomena in a mood of almost religious joy. He feels that everything belongs to him, and that everything is being done for his sake .He finds all nature holy. The herons sitting on the shore seem to him to be priests ,praying for him, the waves of the ocean rising high  the calling of the seagull coming from the shore and that of the rooks from the wood seem to awaken the poet us a beautiful picture of thee dawn around the harbour ,the neighbouring wood, the fish in the pools of water, the herons sitting on the shore, the seagull and the rook calling, the boats sailing on the water.

In the second stanza there is a fantastic picture of waterbirds and the birds flying over the trees ,the creatures who seem to be aware of the poet's birthday and they also seem to be celebrating the occasion by flying over the farms and over the while coloured horses, proclaiming his name. In the third stanza the poet says that the presence of larks flying over the hill indicates that spring is approaching after the autumn, and again the October sun is warm and seems to land a touch of summer to the season. On the hill the confusion of seasons indicates the schizoid's inability to distinguish between one thing and another .He lives and moves in a world of fantasy where time, past and present, places ,near distant climates and seasons, all mingle in a lovely confusion .

In the fourth stanza we come across the picture of the distant church which looks to the poet as small as a snail. The towers of the church are its hours as it has been likened to a snail .In the fifth stanza the phrase "Green chapels" gives us a richly sensuous picture .In a vision the poet sees"Fern Hill" where was situation the farm of his aunt ,where child Thomas spent his happy childhood like a lord moving about in a country of apples pears and currants. Finally referring to the image of "summer noon" the poet says that through he still stands in the "summer noon" of childhood, he is aware of the town below ,"leaved with October blood'-of trees and of his Doctober heart ,which sings this truth ."October blood" refers to the red-coloured autumnal leaves which have fallen down from the trees.

To sum up, Thomas's imagery is not decorated ,it is functional .It serves to impart formal and structure unity in his poems ,and the recurrence of certain image-patterns help us to understand his meaning .It is true that his images are often exaggerated and obscure but all the same it is fascinating .

Discuss the use of imagery in the poetry of Dylan Thomas with special reference to "Poem in October"

Green Land | May 18, 2018 | 0 comments

The use of imagery in the poetry of Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas attached great important to the use of imagery in his poetry . As he was a poet of both of the sea and the woods, the common scenes and sights of the countryside, the various objects and phenomena of nature are the most important sources of imagery in his poetry .Besides these, images of pain, disease ,decay and death, as well as sexual imagery are frequently in his poetry.
                     
Dylan Thomas a religious poet
Dylan Thomas
                     
On waking up early in the morning the poet withnesses the natural phenomena in a mood of almost religious joy. He feels that everything belongs to him, and that everything is being done for his sake .He finds all nature holy. The herons sitting on the shore seem to him to be priests ,praying for him, the waves of the ocean rising high  the calling of the seagull coming from the shore and that of the rooks from the wood seem to awaken the poet us a beautiful picture of thee dawn around the harbour ,the neighbouring wood, the fish in the pools of water, the herons sitting on the shore, the seagull and the rook calling, the boats sailing on the water.

In the second stanza there is a fantastic picture of waterbirds and the birds flying over the trees ,the creatures who seem to be aware of the poet's birthday and they also seem to be celebrating the occasion by flying over the farms and over the while coloured horses, proclaiming his name. In the third stanza the poet says that the presence of larks flying over the hill indicates that spring is approaching after the autumn, and again the October sun is warm and seems to land a touch of summer to the season. On the hill the confusion of seasons indicates the schizoid's inability to distinguish between one thing and another .He lives and moves in a world of fantasy where time, past and present, places ,near distant climates and seasons, all mingle in a lovely confusion .

In the fourth stanza we come across the picture of the distant church which looks to the poet as small as a snail. The towers of the church are its hours as it has been likened to a snail .In the fifth stanza the phrase "Green chapels" gives us a richly sensuous picture .In a vision the poet sees"Fern Hill" where was situation the farm of his aunt ,where child Thomas spent his happy childhood like a lord moving about in a country of apples pears and currants. Finally referring to the image of "summer noon" the poet says that through he still stands in the "summer noon" of childhood, he is aware of the town below ,"leaved with October blood'-of trees and of his Doctober heart ,which sings this truth ."October blood" refers to the red-coloured autumnal leaves which have fallen down from the trees.

To sum up, Thomas's imagery is not decorated ,it is functional .It serves to impart formal and structure unity in his poems ,and the recurrence of certain image-patterns help us to understand his meaning .It is true that his images are often exaggerated and obscure but all the same it is fascinating .
readmore

The theme of hesitation and indecision/procrastination in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a dramatic monologue presenting a meddle -aged modern man who is unable to take a decision about making the proposal of marriage to the lady he loves .In a series of stanzas the lover analyses the reason for a resolution and re-decision and tries to justify his cowardice and lack of nerves, which make him completely incapable of formulating a proposal of love to his beloved Behind this hesitating mental condition of Prufrock we find a disease of modern routine works - the aimless life of the city dwellers and the monotonous round of social parties.

Prufrock dilemma of prufrock
T.S Eliot 

Prufrock dilemma


Prufrock represents a man of split personality, a separation of head and heart ,a paralysis of the will and too much worry regarding a love proposal. By referring to Hamlet he expresses his psychological problem ,his irresolution, complicated by the fact that though he is a middle -aged man ,blad in the head ,he is not hot-blooded. He dresses smartly ,smiles to ladies but he is unable to express his inner mind .His excuse for postponing the making of the love proposal arises from neurosis and from his fear of rejection. The poem highlights the dilemma and indecisiveness as well as the squalor and barrenness of modern urban civilization. The triviality and barrenness of modern life find a beautiful expression in the following line:

   " I have measured out my life with coffee spoons".

Prufrock is conscious but he is conscious of nothing .He is like a patient lying etherized upon a table before operation .Having no strength left in him to act , he wanders mentally through that half deserted streets, till his mind reaches the most important question before him but he is afraid of mentioning it. His mind is in a tension. It is full of a hundred indecisions."a hundred visions and revisions". The problem with him is, through he knows the ladies ,he is afraid of making a proposal for himself. He would definitely feel embarrassed .

At one time Prufrock thinks of a plan to make a proposal to his ladylove ,but he feels nervous to talk about himself .He is afraid of death and the very idea of death makes him reject his expressing love to a lady. Prufrock takes refreshment to gather courage to make a decision. Supposing he talked about his proposal to his lady ,but she might turn round and tell him that she had no desire to marry him. That is why he feels extremely nervous .Although Prufrock is indecisive and inactive ,he does not like to compare himself with Hamlet. He is like Polonius ,middle-aged, conscious of his position, though double headed and sometimes ridiculous. Thus there is no progress in the love affair of Prufrock. The poem ends where it began.

Comment on the theme of hesitation and indecision/procrastination in The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock

Green Land | May 17, 2018 | 0 comments

The theme of hesitation and indecision/procrastination in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a dramatic monologue presenting a meddle -aged modern man who is unable to take a decision about making the proposal of marriage to the lady he loves .In a series of stanzas the lover analyses the reason for a resolution and re-decision and tries to justify his cowardice and lack of nerves, which make him completely incapable of formulating a proposal of love to his beloved Behind this hesitating mental condition of Prufrock we find a disease of modern routine works - the aimless life of the city dwellers and the monotonous round of social parties.

Prufrock dilemma of prufrock
T.S Eliot 

Prufrock dilemma


Prufrock represents a man of split personality, a separation of head and heart ,a paralysis of the will and too much worry regarding a love proposal. By referring to Hamlet he expresses his psychological problem ,his irresolution, complicated by the fact that though he is a middle -aged man ,blad in the head ,he is not hot-blooded. He dresses smartly ,smiles to ladies but he is unable to express his inner mind .His excuse for postponing the making of the love proposal arises from neurosis and from his fear of rejection. The poem highlights the dilemma and indecisiveness as well as the squalor and barrenness of modern urban civilization. The triviality and barrenness of modern life find a beautiful expression in the following line:

   " I have measured out my life with coffee spoons".

Prufrock is conscious but he is conscious of nothing .He is like a patient lying etherized upon a table before operation .Having no strength left in him to act , he wanders mentally through that half deserted streets, till his mind reaches the most important question before him but he is afraid of mentioning it. His mind is in a tension. It is full of a hundred indecisions."a hundred visions and revisions". The problem with him is, through he knows the ladies ,he is afraid of making a proposal for himself. He would definitely feel embarrassed .

At one time Prufrock thinks of a plan to make a proposal to his ladylove ,but he feels nervous to talk about himself .He is afraid of death and the very idea of death makes him reject his expressing love to a lady. Prufrock takes refreshment to gather courage to make a decision. Supposing he talked about his proposal to his lady ,but she might turn round and tell him that she had no desire to marry him. That is why he feels extremely nervous .Although Prufrock is indecisive and inactive ,he does not like to compare himself with Hamlet. He is like Polonius ,middle-aged, conscious of his position, though double headed and sometimes ridiculous. Thus there is no progress in the love affair of Prufrock. The poem ends where it began.

readmore
W.B. Yeats as he declares himself is one of the last romantics. There is enough in his early poetry and also in his later poetry that is unmistakably romantic, although the later Yeats belongs to the modern tradition. His early poems arose out of his love for Irish folklore, imagined wandering with lovely phantoms, and occasionally a Keatsian richness of the sensuous apprehension of the beauty of nature. The most distinctive traits of romanticism traceable in Yeats's poetry are the romance of mythology and folklore, escapism, mysticism, occultism, romantic love, self-revelation, use of symbols, sensuousness, etc. In his early poems, Yeats used the mythology of Gaelic heroic legends and folklore. This mythology had the same fascination for the young Yeats as Greek mythology had for the poets of the Renaissance. As a follower of the Pre-Raphaelites, Yeats shows his tendency toward escapism in the poems such as The Man Dreamed of Faeryland, The Lake Isle of Innisfree. Innisfree is an island in a lake near Sligo where the poet spent his boyhood holidays with his grandparents. So standing on an actual pavement in London, the mature Yeats dreams of this island in a fit of homesickness. The Lake Isle of Innisfree gives expression to this feeling of weariness and longing for an ideally simple but beautiful place. It is a symbol of a peaceful place, where the poet's soul may find rest and tranquillity. Thus the poem records the poet's mood of escapism in the romantic tradition.

Romantic poet & romanticism in Yeats's poetry


A very important ingredient of Yeats's romanticism is his use of symbols. He was greatly influenced by the symbolist movement in France. The symbols of Yeats's early poetry are occult in character. He makes use of the occult symbols, of rose, lily, bird, water, tree, moon, and sun. Some of the symbols employed in his mature poems are the Tower, the Swan, and Byzantium.

Love is regarded as a romantic theme and Yeats wrote a large number of love poems that bear the reminiscences of his passionate but frustrating love -relationship with Maud Gonne, the famous politician of Ireland. Poems such when you are Old, No second Troy celebrate the beauty of Maud Gonne and his intensely passionate heart.

Self-revelation is another romantic trait in Yeats's poetry. Similarly, a large bulk of Yeats's poetry relates to his own personality, inner conflicts, friendships, etc. Prayer for My Daughter and Among School Children are deeply personal revelations.

To conclude, W.B. Yeats began his career as a late romantic Romanticism associated with lyricism and escapism suited the young Yeats but he was quick enough to step into a maturer mode of poetry as marked by his poem A Coat.

In what sense is W.B Yeats the last romantic poet?

Green Land | May 17, 2018 | 0 comments
W.B. Yeats as he declares himself is one of the last romantics. There is enough in his early poetry and also in his later poetry that is unmistakably romantic, although the later Yeats belongs to the modern tradition. His early poems arose out of his love for Irish folklore, imagined wandering with lovely phantoms, and occasionally a Keatsian richness of the sensuous apprehension of the beauty of nature. The most distinctive traits of romanticism traceable in Yeats's poetry are the romance of mythology and folklore, escapism, mysticism, occultism, romantic love, self-revelation, use of symbols, sensuousness, etc. In his early poems, Yeats used the mythology of Gaelic heroic legends and folklore. This mythology had the same fascination for the young Yeats as Greek mythology had for the poets of the Renaissance. As a follower of the Pre-Raphaelites, Yeats shows his tendency toward escapism in the poems such as The Man Dreamed of Faeryland, The Lake Isle of Innisfree. Innisfree is an island in a lake near Sligo where the poet spent his boyhood holidays with his grandparents. So standing on an actual pavement in London, the mature Yeats dreams of this island in a fit of homesickness. The Lake Isle of Innisfree gives expression to this feeling of weariness and longing for an ideally simple but beautiful place. It is a symbol of a peaceful place, where the poet's soul may find rest and tranquillity. Thus the poem records the poet's mood of escapism in the romantic tradition.

Romantic poet & romanticism in Yeats's poetry


A very important ingredient of Yeats's romanticism is his use of symbols. He was greatly influenced by the symbolist movement in France. The symbols of Yeats's early poetry are occult in character. He makes use of the occult symbols, of rose, lily, bird, water, tree, moon, and sun. Some of the symbols employed in his mature poems are the Tower, the Swan, and Byzantium.

Love is regarded as a romantic theme and Yeats wrote a large number of love poems that bear the reminiscences of his passionate but frustrating love -relationship with Maud Gonne, the famous politician of Ireland. Poems such when you are Old, No second Troy celebrate the beauty of Maud Gonne and his intensely passionate heart.

Self-revelation is another romantic trait in Yeats's poetry. Similarly, a large bulk of Yeats's poetry relates to his own personality, inner conflicts, friendships, etc. Prayer for My Daughter and Among School Children are deeply personal revelations.

To conclude, W.B. Yeats began his career as a late romantic Romanticism associated with lyricism and escapism suited the young Yeats but he was quick enough to step into a maturer mode of poetry as marked by his poem A Coat.

readmore
In an age, when printing was unknown, any spectacular appeal was of no mean significance. It was so in the matter of inculcating religious appeal of the drama for scriptural instructions to common men and women.

The Mass,the central element in the service of the church  had a certain dramatic feature.The whole of the service, with its accompanying rituals, was a symbolic representation of some of the most arresting episodes, taken from the Holy Writ. On the occasion of some great religious days,particularly on the days of 'Christmas 'and of 'Easter',such episodes were displayed inside the premises of the Church for the purpose of impressing the poor masses with the truth of scripture.The earliest two plays Adam and The Resurrection, performed in England, belonged to the French language.The earliest purely English drama was Jacob and Esau which had its association with the Townley Mysteries. But in all cases, the popularity of the drama was found great and growing. growth of english drama ,The first stage of the development of the English drama  & literature  is discerned in such scriptural performances inside the church premises by the churchmen.
development of drama in english literature


The Mysteries and the Miracle Plays

From that liturgical origin  of the drama came its earliest species -the Mysterious and the Miracles -the two types of scriptural plays. Of course, the 'Mystery 'and the 'Miracle 'were not the same type of drama.There was a distinct mark of difference between them. The plsyd,dealing with the Biblical events were called Mysterious, while those related to the lives of the saints were characterised as Miracles. In fact, different scriptural incidents as well as lives of the saints attracted the clerical dramatists and prompted them to arrange for the performances of those two specific types of the plays, known as the 'Mystery 'and the 'Miracle ',although, in general, the plays were designed as mysteries.orgin of modern english theatre. 

As the drama had a growing popularity among the masses of people, it became,however,secularised to meet the necessity of the time.The church could not have the adequate accommodation for the multiplaying crowd that thronged to see the religious shows. As a result, the Venue of the performance had to be shifted from inside the church to the market place.But once the drama was in the market place and in competition with other forms of entertainment, its secularity became well established. The authority of the church passed away, and different secular guilds or their organizations took up the entire controls as well as management of all performance.

The second stage in the development of the British drama was attained with the shifting of the venue of performance from inside the church to the open market -place under the control of different guilds.Of course,the church sternly opposed and took rigorous steps to stop such performance. Both the acting of the plays by the clergy and the performances of the scriptural materials were tried to be banned. But all such efforts were of no avail. The rising popularity of the drama remained unchecked.The sincere  efforts of different guilds made it grow from more to more. Neither expenses nor labour and efforts  were spared. Different guilds contributed to make dramatic performance as successful as possible. The important centres of dramatic activities were Chester, York,Coventry, Wakefield, Towneley, and so on.

The stage was at first stationary, a sort of the raised platform in the market -place, around which the audience gathered. But the increasing number of the audience led to the emergence of the mobile theatre.The theatre moved on wheels, and was bodily taken to different stationss,marked out with flags, throughout the town. Of the professional plays,known as the 'pageants'those of Chester, York Coventry, and Towneley were particularly popular.

Of course, the production of the Mystery or Miracle plays was rather crude.There was little or no stage property. No adequate scenery was also available. The effect of reality was tried to be achieved by means of some symbols. Such devices were certainly deficient in many ways, and could hardly produce any scenic illusion. The supernatural was represented in a crudely simple manner by means of some symbols.But in their representation of the supernatural those plays certainly helped the Elizabethan dramatists in their treatment of ghosts and spirits.

Indeed,the Mystery and Miracle plays were no perfect productions.They were chaotic in construction and offered no scope to the dramatists, who were unhappily fettered by stereotyped themes and stilted expressions.But,with all their weaknesses, The Mysteries and Miracle plays,like Abraham and Isaac,Noah, The First Shepherd's Play, The Second Shepherds play, The Resurrection etc,served a very useful purpose. They bred in the people of England a taste for theatrical shows and opened up the door for the dramatic development of the Elizabethan age.Moreover,despite their religious character, they were most original in their comic scenes. There was enough of enjoyable farce in Noah's conversation with his wife.,in the coarse fooleries of the Shepherds plays,and so on.

The Moralities or the Moral Plays

The translation of the English drama  from the Miracles and the Mysteries to a new order of plays as the Moralities, was spontaneous. It is of course,very difficult to trace the exact stage of this translation. It may only be said that when the Miracles had a firm footing on the soil of England, The Morality plays made their debut.In the evolution of the British drama,this transition from Mystery to Morality, forms the third stage.

The aim of the Morality plays,like that of the Mysteries and Miracle plays was primarily religious, yet they were different from their earlier counterparts, both in contents and in forms.The their earlier counterparts, both in contents and in forms. The moralities were allegorical in character and took abstract qualities as the dramatic personae. The cardinal features of nearly all the moralities was to show the conflict between evil forces and the conscience of man and to celebrate the triumph  of the latter. In fact, the theme,running through all the moral plays, was the contention between the personified good powers and the bad for the possession of the soul of man.

The moral plays were abound in realistic touches and contained the germs of true humour. They gave more scopes to the author who could handle his theme freely and treat his characterss with some sort of psychological analysis. Plot construction as well as characterisation advanced perceptibly in moral plays. Some of them had, like regular tragedies and comedies, acts and scenes, too.Everyman,Mankind , Hyckescorner,The Castell of Perseverance, Wyt and Science,The world and the child,The Three Estates,mind, will and understanding and The pride of Life are some of the important names in the long series of the moralities. The moralities definitely marked one step advance of the British drama. With their renascent humanism, the moral plays freed the stage fully from the shackle of the church and paved the path for the onward march to a great age of plays and playwrights.


The interludes



along with the moralities ,there developed another from of the secular drama.It was the interlude.There was,of course,no strict line of dramacation between the interludes and thr moralities. There were even cases, like the play  Hyckescorner where the play went  both in the name of an interlude and in the name of a morality.The word interlude actually had no definite meaning. It merely suggested a play, carried on between several characters.'Interludes' were also looked upon as the plays, performed in the midst of other festivities or some business.The interludes had little dramatic strength and ran on the lines of morality plays . But they were more humanistic and less didactic,  and the sense of realism was particularly patent in them. They rather showed the move from symbolism to realism . The important interludes of the age were A Play of Love. The Play of the Weather, The Four P.P.,Of Gentleness and Nobility, A Merry Play between Johan the Husband, Tyb his wife and sir John the Priest and soon. Heywood was the most famous author of the interludes.
In the history of the advancement of the British drama,the morality along with the interlude,constitutes one important step . This is to lead to the evolution of regular tragedies and comedies -the fourth stage in the development of drama.

The early Tragedies, Comedies and History Plays


Early English tragedies and comedies followed the morality and the interlude under the influence of the Renaissance. The main source of inspiration of tragedies was Seneca, a Latin dramatist of the age of Nero . It was the theme of blood and revenge of Seneca's plays that gave impetus to the early English tragedies. The first English tragedy Gorboduc or Ferrex and Porrex, written by Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackvile,was of the same type. Other two leading tragedies, The Misfortune of Arthur and The Tragedy of Tancred and Gismund,were too,indebted to Seneca in style and in the treatment of the theme. The note of comedy already partially struck both in the moralists and in the interludes, flowered in England under the classical influence. The first comedy produced on the classical model was Ralph Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall,.Gammer Gurtons Needle was also an effective early comedy, based on a genuine element of farce and fun . History plays had a parallel development with the tragedies, based on the Senecan model. They were, however, largly independent of Seneca. In fact, they were purely English in their theme and outlook. Some of them like The Troublessome Reign of John, King of England, The True Tragedy of Richard the third, The famous Victories of Henry the Fifth, The True Chronicle History of King Lear,The Reign of king Edward the Third, etc. supplied the later Elizabethan masters with basis for great dramatic creations . In fact, the stage was set ready for the Renaissance of the British drama.

The early history of the british drama-from the beginning till the early renaissance

Green Land | May 16, 2018 | 0 comments
In an age, when printing was unknown, any spectacular appeal was of no mean significance. It was so in the matter of inculcating religious appeal of the drama for scriptural instructions to common men and women.

The Mass,the central element in the service of the church  had a certain dramatic feature.The whole of the service, with its accompanying rituals, was a symbolic representation of some of the most arresting episodes, taken from the Holy Writ. On the occasion of some great religious days,particularly on the days of 'Christmas 'and of 'Easter',such episodes were displayed inside the premises of the Church for the purpose of impressing the poor masses with the truth of scripture.The earliest two plays Adam and The Resurrection, performed in England, belonged to the French language.The earliest purely English drama was Jacob and Esau which had its association with the Townley Mysteries. But in all cases, the popularity of the drama was found great and growing. growth of english drama ,The first stage of the development of the English drama  & literature  is discerned in such scriptural performances inside the church premises by the churchmen.
development of drama in english literature


The Mysteries and the Miracle Plays

From that liturgical origin  of the drama came its earliest species -the Mysterious and the Miracles -the two types of scriptural plays. Of course, the 'Mystery 'and the 'Miracle 'were not the same type of drama.There was a distinct mark of difference between them. The plsyd,dealing with the Biblical events were called Mysterious, while those related to the lives of the saints were characterised as Miracles. In fact, different scriptural incidents as well as lives of the saints attracted the clerical dramatists and prompted them to arrange for the performances of those two specific types of the plays, known as the 'Mystery 'and the 'Miracle ',although, in general, the plays were designed as mysteries.orgin of modern english theatre. 

As the drama had a growing popularity among the masses of people, it became,however,secularised to meet the necessity of the time.The church could not have the adequate accommodation for the multiplaying crowd that thronged to see the religious shows. As a result, the Venue of the performance had to be shifted from inside the church to the market place.But once the drama was in the market place and in competition with other forms of entertainment, its secularity became well established. The authority of the church passed away, and different secular guilds or their organizations took up the entire controls as well as management of all performance.

The second stage in the development of the British drama was attained with the shifting of the venue of performance from inside the church to the open market -place under the control of different guilds.Of course,the church sternly opposed and took rigorous steps to stop such performance. Both the acting of the plays by the clergy and the performances of the scriptural materials were tried to be banned. But all such efforts were of no avail. The rising popularity of the drama remained unchecked.The sincere  efforts of different guilds made it grow from more to more. Neither expenses nor labour and efforts  were spared. Different guilds contributed to make dramatic performance as successful as possible. The important centres of dramatic activities were Chester, York,Coventry, Wakefield, Towneley, and so on.

The stage was at first stationary, a sort of the raised platform in the market -place, around which the audience gathered. But the increasing number of the audience led to the emergence of the mobile theatre.The theatre moved on wheels, and was bodily taken to different stationss,marked out with flags, throughout the town. Of the professional plays,known as the 'pageants'those of Chester, York Coventry, and Towneley were particularly popular.

Of course, the production of the Mystery or Miracle plays was rather crude.There was little or no stage property. No adequate scenery was also available. The effect of reality was tried to be achieved by means of some symbols. Such devices were certainly deficient in many ways, and could hardly produce any scenic illusion. The supernatural was represented in a crudely simple manner by means of some symbols.But in their representation of the supernatural those plays certainly helped the Elizabethan dramatists in their treatment of ghosts and spirits.

Indeed,the Mystery and Miracle plays were no perfect productions.They were chaotic in construction and offered no scope to the dramatists, who were unhappily fettered by stereotyped themes and stilted expressions.But,with all their weaknesses, The Mysteries and Miracle plays,like Abraham and Isaac,Noah, The First Shepherd's Play, The Second Shepherds play, The Resurrection etc,served a very useful purpose. They bred in the people of England a taste for theatrical shows and opened up the door for the dramatic development of the Elizabethan age.Moreover,despite their religious character, they were most original in their comic scenes. There was enough of enjoyable farce in Noah's conversation with his wife.,in the coarse fooleries of the Shepherds plays,and so on.

The Moralities or the Moral Plays

The translation of the English drama  from the Miracles and the Mysteries to a new order of plays as the Moralities, was spontaneous. It is of course,very difficult to trace the exact stage of this translation. It may only be said that when the Miracles had a firm footing on the soil of England, The Morality plays made their debut.In the evolution of the British drama,this transition from Mystery to Morality, forms the third stage.

The aim of the Morality plays,like that of the Mysteries and Miracle plays was primarily religious, yet they were different from their earlier counterparts, both in contents and in forms.The their earlier counterparts, both in contents and in forms. The moralities were allegorical in character and took abstract qualities as the dramatic personae. The cardinal features of nearly all the moralities was to show the conflict between evil forces and the conscience of man and to celebrate the triumph  of the latter. In fact, the theme,running through all the moral plays, was the contention between the personified good powers and the bad for the possession of the soul of man.

The moral plays were abound in realistic touches and contained the germs of true humour. They gave more scopes to the author who could handle his theme freely and treat his characterss with some sort of psychological analysis. Plot construction as well as characterisation advanced perceptibly in moral plays. Some of them had, like regular tragedies and comedies, acts and scenes, too.Everyman,Mankind , Hyckescorner,The Castell of Perseverance, Wyt and Science,The world and the child,The Three Estates,mind, will and understanding and The pride of Life are some of the important names in the long series of the moralities. The moralities definitely marked one step advance of the British drama. With their renascent humanism, the moral plays freed the stage fully from the shackle of the church and paved the path for the onward march to a great age of plays and playwrights.


The interludes



along with the moralities ,there developed another from of the secular drama.It was the interlude.There was,of course,no strict line of dramacation between the interludes and thr moralities. There were even cases, like the play  Hyckescorner where the play went  both in the name of an interlude and in the name of a morality.The word interlude actually had no definite meaning. It merely suggested a play, carried on between several characters.'Interludes' were also looked upon as the plays, performed in the midst of other festivities or some business.The interludes had little dramatic strength and ran on the lines of morality plays . But they were more humanistic and less didactic,  and the sense of realism was particularly patent in them. They rather showed the move from symbolism to realism . The important interludes of the age were A Play of Love. The Play of the Weather, The Four P.P.,Of Gentleness and Nobility, A Merry Play between Johan the Husband, Tyb his wife and sir John the Priest and soon. Heywood was the most famous author of the interludes.
In the history of the advancement of the British drama,the morality along with the interlude,constitutes one important step . This is to lead to the evolution of regular tragedies and comedies -the fourth stage in the development of drama.

The early Tragedies, Comedies and History Plays


Early English tragedies and comedies followed the morality and the interlude under the influence of the Renaissance. The main source of inspiration of tragedies was Seneca, a Latin dramatist of the age of Nero . It was the theme of blood and revenge of Seneca's plays that gave impetus to the early English tragedies. The first English tragedy Gorboduc or Ferrex and Porrex, written by Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackvile,was of the same type. Other two leading tragedies, The Misfortune of Arthur and The Tragedy of Tancred and Gismund,were too,indebted to Seneca in style and in the treatment of the theme. The note of comedy already partially struck both in the moralists and in the interludes, flowered in England under the classical influence. The first comedy produced on the classical model was Ralph Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall,.Gammer Gurtons Needle was also an effective early comedy, based on a genuine element of farce and fun . History plays had a parallel development with the tragedies, based on the Senecan model. They were, however, largly independent of Seneca. In fact, they were purely English in their theme and outlook. Some of them like The Troublessome Reign of John, King of England, The True Tragedy of Richard the third, The famous Victories of Henry the Fifth, The True Chronicle History of King Lear,The Reign of king Edward the Third, etc. supplied the later Elizabethan masters with basis for great dramatic creations . In fact, the stage was set ready for the Renaissance of the British drama.
readmore
 
Back To Top