M.A.

English Part-1

Drama

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Akbar Sajid

Cell #: 0300-7188490

Compiled by: Prof. Makhdoom Usman Shahnwaz

Cell #: 0304-9100717

Drama

 Oedipus Rex
 1. Oedipus Rex-As a tragedy
2. Irony in Oedipus Rex
3. Sophocles Myth Of Oedipus

Hamlet

1. Importance of soliquies in Hamlet

2. Revenge tragedy
3. Appearance Vs Reality
4. Supernatural elements in Hamlet
5. Play within a play
6. Hamlet’s madness

 Major Barbara-A great Religious Play

 Twelfth Night-As a romantic comedy
 Doll’s house:-

 Dr. Faust’s:

1. Faust’s as a renaissance tragedy

2. Faustus is poke person of Marlowe (Autobiographical)
3. Blank verse/Mighty lines in Dr. Faustus
4. Dr. Faustus as a Morality play

 Waiting for Godot:

1. Waiting for Godot’ As on existentialist play

2. Symbolism in waiting for Godot
3. Waiting for Godot’ as an absurd play.
Oedipus Rex- As A Tragedy

According to Aristotle,

“A tragedy, then is the imitation of an action that is serious and also having
magnitude, complete in itself in language embellished with each kind of
artistic ornament, in dramatic nor in narrative form, with incidents arousing
pity and fear, where with it accomplish its catharsis of such emotions”

Oedipus Rex produced Sophocles in the maturity of his power is a masterpiece in

the world of literature. Aristotle in one of his treatises. the poetics regarded this
play as Sophocles best while frequently offering to is as the perfect type of tragic
composition.

Aristotle concept of tragedy which seems central to Oedipus Rex is that of human
suffering which arises in a mysterious way, partly out of man’s own action’s and
which exalts the human suffers to a level little below that of the Gods. His tragic
hero is a man of towering personality with the qualities of taking initiative and
strong sense of self-respect. The whole story centers on the tragic hero. The chorus
has an important role to play. It tells us what has been done what is going to be
done. According to Aristotle,

“A plot has a beginning middle and end and it is so constructed that no

incident is displayed or omitted without destroying the whole”

The plot of a typical Sophocles tragedy is tight and well integrated. Sophocles
stands supreme where art of plot construction in concerned. Plot of odious Rex has
been declared by M.A. Arnold as:

“The best constructed plot in the world”

All plots have some pathos but a complex plot includes reversal and recognition as
in Oedipus rex.
Peripetiea/ reveal of fortune:-

It occurs when a situation seems to be developing in direction then suddenly moves

to another. Oedipus first hears the death of Polybius, the news at first seems good
but then is revealed to be disastrous.

 Recognition:-

A change from ignorance to awareness is called recognition or anagnorisis.

Oedipus kills a person in anger he was his father.

 Pathos:-

This is the third element of plot which stands for a disastrous or painful event.
Oedipus all suffering just as self-exile and self-blindness. Arouse pathos in the
audience. The concept of poetic justice has been beautifully described in the
Oedipus rex. The recognition that is made by Oedipus is that of man’s
insignificance and undependability of human happiness. A good piece of literature
is that which does not belong to an age rather has a universal appeal. Same is true
about Oedipus rex, delusion of happiness and committing of unwitting crimes is
a universal theme. The element of universality is enhanced by the presence of
some other characters notably Jocaste, Creon and the Chorus. Oedipus Rex is
always worried about his identity and the quest for identity has a universal
relevance Oedipus is a symbol, of good luck, only to be disappointed all the more
when that good luck gives place to a disaster. Because of this, chorus hold him as
an example before others. The chorus claims,

“All generations of the mortal man add up to nothing show. Me the man
whose happiness was anything more than illusion, here is Oedipus. Here is the
reason, why I will call no mortal man happy”
And,

“Sons and daughters of Thebes this was Oedipus, his happiness down to grave
in peace”

According to Aristotle, the tragic hero must have some flaw in his character which
is called Hamartia or error of Judgment and which ends in tragedy. No doubt,
Oedipus is a man having high status. He was proud of his intelligence and abilities
and he claims that he can decide every matter. He is rash, impatient, reliable and
passionate. His tragedy may be because of his acts of incest and parricide and
these things add to his sufferings and humiliation. His unjustified suspicions
against Tieresias and Creon may be the cause of his suffering or it may be the
Hamartia.

“I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name”

It may be because of his thinking himself equal to Gods. His career changes from
prosperity to adversity showing that human knowledge is extremely limited and
misleading.

According to Aristotle, the function of tragedy is that of arousing pity and fear.
Oedipus rex is a very emotional impact of tragedy. The story of the fall of Oedipus
is full of pity and fear. Pity is aroused by the fact that Oedipus did his best to avoid
living with his parents, because of the fear of incest and parricide by leaving
Corinth and who yet finds that he has unconsciously become guilty of the gravest
offers against both his parents. He defends himself by saying,

“The Gods so willed it doubtless an ancient grudge against our house, my life
was innocent”

Pity is also aroused by the poor fate of Jocaste who has all her life been praying
only for the prosperity and happiness of Louis and Oedipus but in the end she
finds that she has not only failed in both, but also in the guilty of marrying his own
son.

Along with pity, there is also the feeling of terror. It strikes us with terror that the
poor Thebans were suffering so miserably for no fault of theirs. The sufferings of
Jocaste and Oedipus also create terror in us. The unexpected way in which the
various oracles come true also in spires us with terror. The Prophecy of Tiresias
that Oedipus, who came to Thebes blessed with eyesight but would go out of it as a
helpless poor man, has come true in a most terrible way,

“Ah! God! It is true! All prophecies! Now”

Oedipus has been searching for truth about the murder and his own identity, but the
knowledge brings nothing but dismay and sufferings.

As he says,

“Alas! All out! All known, no more concealment O light, may I never look in
you again, Revealed as I am, sinful in the shedding of blood”

Greek tragedy is generally considered to be a tragedy of fate whereas

Shakespearean tragedy as a tragedy of character. In the tragedy of Oedipus rex
both character and fate to discover truth at any cost. As a critic says,

“What happens to Oedipus is a natural result of his virtues”

Melodramatic elements are one of the most important characteristics of

Aristotle’s concept of tragedy. These elements can easily be found in the tragedy
of Oedipus rex-like murder of Laius, death of queen and blindness of Oedipus rex

Consequently, we can say that Oedipus rex is a tragedy that has all the elements of
tragedy i.e.

Characters role fate and chance, melodramatic elements, Hamartia and moral
wisdom. The concept of know yourself, and know thy limitations has been
described sometimes, these things result in tragedy like Oedipus rex.

Irony in Oedipus Rex:-

Irony is a form of deliberate mockery in which one says the opposite of what is
obviously true irony means:

“A difference between what is arrested and what is actually the case”

And,

“A difference between appearance and reality is irony”

Irony is linked with Socrates in philosophy and Sophocles in literature. Sophocles

is the master of irony and the type of irony which is his specialty may be
considered as the chief distinction of great tragedy.

Oedipus rex is replete with different types of ironies e.g.

- Irony of character
- Irony of fate
- Irony of situation
- Tragic irony
- Dramatic irony
- Verbal irony
- Structural irony

Tragic irony:

Tragic irony is the most fundamental feature of the ply. It can be found at many
levels in certain basic situations or even in the theme of the entire work. There is
basic irony in the fact, that Oedipus, whose own birth and percentage are a riddle
to him, becomes the Solver of riddles and takes of Oedipus to escape his destiny,
as foretold by an oracle, are also ironical because they land him in the exact place
which he ought to have avoided most of all.

Another example of tragic irony is that the very proclamation of Oedipus that he
will make the determined effort to trace the murders of Laius and the curse,
Oedipus utters upon the murders, reveal his tragic innocence of the true facts. As
he says,

“As for the criminal, I pray to God whether it be a lurking thief, or one of a
number. I pray that man’s life be consumed and as for me, it implies no less”
Dramatic irony:

Dramatic irony is,

“A situation in the play in which audience shared with the author’s knowledge
of which a character is ignorant’

The character acts in a way glossily inappropriate to the actual circumstances or

expect the opposite of what fate holds in store for him.

Oedipus engage in the hunt for the evil-doers, who has brought a plague upon
Thebes, but the object of the hunt, as the audience has known right along turns out
to be a the hunter himself. It’s also ironical when Jocaste recalls and Oracle about
her child which did not come to an hose failure her that:

“nothing more than mortal has a share in the prophetic art”

she says that,

“well I don’t believe in physics. I will prove it. Laius and I were told our
body child kill him and marry me. But this never happened, because we left
the baby to die in woods and the witness said that Laius was killed while three
roads meat by robbers”

that is palpable irony, in Jocaste unbelief in Oracle and this irony depends how
tragedy. The statement maintained above shows that Jocaste did not know that
Oedipus was his son and he had killed Laius. There are many other examples of
dramatic irony in the play.

Verbal irony:-

there are countless examples of grim verbal irony in, Oedipus rex, whose full effect
is realized by the reader who is acquainted with the outline of Oedipus myth.

In the beginning, he says,

“I, Oedipus, whom all men call great ”

this statement is ironical and so is the word great because in the and, Oedipus is not
named as great but a wretch.

Another example of verbal irony is that,

“let them all here it, is for them I suffer, from then from myself”

another example in his statement of the motive for unraveling the murders of Laius
and he says,

“nor Merely from our fellow-real I clear this taint. But from myself”

many of Oedipus statements contain an unconscious for warning of his own

approaching fate. He issues a policy statement that, whoever comes forward with
the information about the murders of Laius, will be awarded, and if the killer
himself confesses, he will not be punished beyond having to leave the city
permanently.

“The identity of those who murdered Laius they must make a or exiled”

Oedipus continues that he will pursue the investigation,

“Just as if Laius were my own father”

and also he says,

“and it is my Solomon players that the unknown murder and his complies if
such there be, may wear the brand of shame for their shameful act, and friend
to their life’s and nor do I exempt myself from the imprecation”

all that tall claim made by Oedipus were inflicted upon himself, so, here lies the
concept of irony that sometime one may suffer exactly in a way he designs for
others.

Similarly, when Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is living in shame with his closest
relationship, Oedipus goes ballistic and calls Tiresias. Some bad things of word
blind is also ironical, one who can see is proved blind in the end and apparently
blind(Tieresias) is the sees of reality. Therefore, he is called again and again blind
seer in the play.

Oedipus says to Tiresias,

 “you sightless, witless, senseless, mod old man”

And:

“Child of endless night, you cannot hurt me or any other man sees the sun”

words spoken by Tiresias in return to Oedipus are also ironical,

he says,

“listen to me, you mock my blindness do you? But I

say that, with both you are eyes, are blind ”

words spoken by Creon when he defends himself and says,

“you build a good reputation over lifetime, a single bad action ruins it”

the prophecy of Creon comes true and one bad act of Oedipus brings down fall for
him.

Similarly, the shepherd’s assurance to Oedipus that he need not to be afraid of

returning to Corinth because Polybius was not his real father, then the message
comes in,

“Luckey Jocaste! You lucky wife ! Blessed in your marriage bed ”

here, the use of words luckily and blessed is ironical because queen is not lucky
and blessed rather most wretched.

irony also lies when Chorus uses a variant of the proverb.

“Let’s sleeping dogs lie, it’s better not to ask about things that can make
trouble”

similarly, the reader appreciate the irony in the Jocaste words when she says,

“Tall, a little grey in his hair, and you know something, he look that are lot
like you ”

cosmic irony:-
cosmic irony means,

“a form of irony in which God or destiny or universal process is represented

as tough deliberately manipulating events to frustrate and mock the
protagonist”

cosmic irony is also called the irony of fate.

As there is irony in Oedipus wishful fantasy that he is the son of Apollo himself
and in his foster mother and in the words of Chorus that:

“Oedipus is the child of nymphs and satyrs”

the use of word satyrs implies that he is going to suffer, endlessly.

Irony also lies in the fact that initially Oedipus was saved from death but ironically
he was saved for our gravest trouble.

As he says,

“is there a sorrow greater? Where shall I find harbor in this world? My own
voice is hurled for on a dark world. What God has done to me?”

I’d only also lies in this when Oedipus says to call for the shepherded then Jocaste
relies exactly what was happened. She runs out horribly upset and Oedipus says,

“I’m destiny’s child-and that’s something to be proud of-I’m me”

Conclusion:-

to conclude, we can say that Sophocles has employed effective use of this device
of irony in the basic situation and even in the theme of the entire work Oedipus
rex executes number of example of irony is at various levels.

Drama:-
 Oedipus Rex

Sophocles treatment of myth of Oedipus rex:

The term myth is derived from a Greek word mythos meaning anything uttered by
mouth. It is a term of complex history and meaning.

J.A. Cuddon says,

“A myth tend to signify a fiction which conveys a psychological truth”

Martin Gray says,

“A myth is a Greek term referring to word fable. Further he says that myths
are the stories of superhuman or supernatural beings. These stories explain
the religious beliefs, basically, these are originated from old times, myth
represents feelings and concepts. They are concerned with the creation and
explain how to something came to exist”

Oedipus rex also called Oedipus Tyrannous, is regarded by many as Sophocles

master piece. It was particularly admired by Aristotle in his poetics.

 Sources of the Oedipus myth:

The Greek drew an ancient stories as source material for their plays. These stories
had religious ethical and pedagogic value for Greek culture. We call them myths.
The particular with the story of Oedipus, king of Thebes, son of Laius Jocaste, a
man cursed with cruel fate of parricide(murder of his father) and incest (fornication
with his mother). As is always the case with myth and legend, variation of the
story of Oedipus abound, yet some of the recurring story elements involve the
abandonment of baby Oedipus by his parents, his unwitting murder of his father,
the confrontation and defeat of sphinx, which was terrorizing the city of Thebes
Oedipus is rewarded with the spoils of victory (kingdom and the widow bride
Jocaste). Upon the discovery, Oedipus blinds himself.
 “Ah God! It was true! All prophecies-now O light, may I look on you for the
last time, I, Oedipus, Oedipus damned in his birth, in his marriage damned,
damned is the blood he shed with his own hands!”

 Sophocles unique style:

Sophocles made unique use of the audience’s knowledge tell the story in reverse.

“The story is almost unique in telling its story in reverse, almost all the crucial
elements have already happened”

(Segal)

A critic says about Sophocles that,

“Sophocles is a prolific writer and one highly acclaimed during his life-time.
Several technical innovation is theatrical arts are attributed to him……..”

The play opens seventeen years after Oedipus has killed his father and married his
mother. A plague has struck Thebes and the oracle announces that there will be no
relief until the murders of Laius is expelled from the city.

 First Detective story of Western Literature:

Oedipus opens an investigation to know about the murders. The rest of the play
reveals the identity of the play murderer. With cunnings-delays and ever-
mounting excitement (Freud)

And this makes it the

“first detective story of western literature (Segal)”

But the murder mystery is gradually replaced by a search for Oedipus identity. The
question “who did it?” becomes the question “who am i?”
This way of telling the story shifts emphasis from the events themselves to the
psychological process of discovery, as Oedipus gradually unravels their true
significance, this recasts the myth as a story of a man in search of himself. An
enigma whose circular trajectory leads back to the question. Ricoeur sees the play
as the collapse of distinction between Oedipus and the killer.

“At the beginning of the play, Oedipus calls down curse upon the unknown
person responsible for the plague, but he excludes the possibility that person
might inflect be himself. The entire drama consists in the resistance and
ultimate collapse of the presumption

Let’s discuss the myth of Oedipus rex.

 Myth of Oedipus:

Much of the myth of Oedipus rex takes place before the opening scene of the play.
In his youth, Laius was the guest of King Plops of Elis, and become the tutor of
Chrysippus, youngest of king’s son in chariot racing.

He, then violated the sacred laws of hospitality by abducting and raping the
Chrysippus. This casts a doom over him and over his descendants.

C.M. Bowra says,

“Apollo marks Oedipus for his victim right from the beginning”

 Oedipus son of Laius and Jocaste:-

Oedipus is one of the most important and famous figures in mythology. He was the
son of king Laius and Queen Jocaste of Thebes.

 First Oracle:-
Laius learns from an oracle of Apollo that

“He is doomed/to perish by the hand of his own son”

In order to era from death at the hands of his son. Laius binds tightly to gather with
a pin the feet of infant Oedipus, and orders Jocaste to kill the infant. Hesitant to do
so, she demands a servant to commit the act for her. Instead the servant abandon
the baby in the field, leaving the infant’s fate to Gods. A Shepherded rescues the
baby and names him Oedipus or swollen feet.

Intending to raise the baby himself, but not possessing of means to do so, the
shepherded gives it to a fellow shepherd from a distant land with his flocks. The
shepherd carried the baby with him in Corinth where Oedipus is taken in and
raised in the court of the childless king Polybius of Corinth as if he were his own.

 Second oracle:-

As young man in Corinth, Oedipus hears a rumor that he is not the biological son
of polypus and his wife Merope. When Oedipus sculls them out on this, they
deny, it but still suspicious, he asks the Delphic Oracle who his parents really are.
The oracle seems to ignore this question, but telling him instead that he is destined
to,

“Mate with {his} own mother, and shed with {his} own hands, the blood of
{his} own sire”

 Oedipus leaves Corinth:-

Desperate to avoid his foretold fate, Oedipus leaves Corinth in the belief that
polypus and Merope are indeed his true parents on that gone away from them, he
will never harm them.
  Oedipus killed his father:-

On the road to Thebes, Oedipus meets Laius, his true father, un-aware of each
other’s true identity, he killed Laius and thus fulfilling the first part of the oracle’s
prophecy.

Importance of Soliloquies in Hamlet:-

Soliloquies means self conversation and it is a dramatic technique implied by

Shakespeare to probe deep into the mind of central character of the play. It is a
device through which a dramatist can communicate the thoughts of the character to
the audience or reader.

“A soliloquy is thus a means of character, revelation. It means throws

additional light on the mental make-up of that character, or on the mental
progress or deterioration of that character”

There are various soliloquies in Hamlet by Prince Hamlet and King Claudius. As
far as thematic significance of these soliloquies is concerned these soliloquies are
of vital significance.

The soliloquies of Hamlet stand out as essential pillars of the dramatic structure.
Such as tragic speeches give vent to the feelings of the central character. These
speeches were accepted by Elizabethan audiences very much because through
these speeches character gave expression to their passions. Let’s try to analyze
hamlet’s soliloquies to know what is there in his mind and up to what extent these
soliloquies help us in knowing about inward and outward conflict surrounding
Hamlet.

 Hamlet’s first soliloquy:-

“Oh that, this too, too swilled flesh would melt”

 Shucking says that the first soliloquy is most important of all for offering a
clear understanding of Hamlet’s character.

The first soliloquy takes place when the king and queen have commented on the
brooding melancholy of Hamlet over the death of his father. In this soliloquy,
hamlet reveals the grief that has been growing at his mind. He wishes that
religious rules had not been so hard upon the self-slaughters, he would have
killed himself. Because Hamlet feels disillusioned with the world around him
and says,

“How weary, flate, state and unprofitable seems to me all the uses of the
world”

Hamlet compares the world to an unwedded garden in which rank and gross
things grow in abundance. Then, he deplores his mother’s character. He reveals
the fact that her mother remarried barely three months later after the death of
her husband and now she married a man much inferior to the husband, which
hamlet considers an “incestuous thing” makes Hamlet to think that woman are
weak and inconsistent creature. He generalize,

“Frailty, thy name is woman”

Even a beast would have mourned for a longer time. This soliloquy shows the
meditative nature of Hamlet. It also shows the character of the late king Hamlet’s
father who was an excellent king and a loving husband.

This soliloquy also shows Hamlet’s attachment to his father. His reference to
Hercules, Niobe, Hyperion etc shows him to be well versed in classical
literature.

 Critical points:-

- Brooding nature of Hamlet

- Analytical personality
- Self-slaughter a controversial issue
- Language belongs to standard variety
 - Shakespeare is hard upon women
- Over-generalization
- Dominant tendencies of the age are reflected through this soliloquy.

Hence, thematically, this soliloquy tells us what has been done and what
happens next.

 Second soliloquy of Hamlet:-

“O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? And shall I couple Hell? O’
fie! Hold, my heart”

The second soliloquy (act I, scene II) occurs after Hamlet’s meeting with the
ghost. He expresses his rude shock he has sustained. Ghost has not only made
shocking revelations, but also imposed upon him the duty to avenge his father’s
murder. Hamlet, then determines to wipe out all other thoughts from his mind and
to preserve only to ghost’s commandments. The manner in which Hamlet speaks
here makes us think that he will soon plunge into action of the ghost. But we are
much deceived in thinking so, Hamlet then, refers to his mother as,

“A most pernicious woman”

And his uncle as a villain

“A smiling damned villain”

We see that Hamlet turned towards the generalization and says,

“One may smile, smile and be a villain”

Right from the beginning Hamlet finds himself unfit for the task he has been
assigned by the ghost of his father. The theme of revenge is first time introduced in
this soliloquy.
  Critical points:-

- Hamlet undergoes a shocking mental shock

- Entirely disturbed that such a plausible looking man can be a villain
- Theme of appearance and reality
- Theme of revenge is introduced
- Highlights the ability to act quickly in Hamlet

Hence, thematically, it seems that soon after this soliloquy Hamlet will take action
but what happens actually is otherwise.

 Hamlet’s third soliloquy:-

In the third soliloquy (act II, scene II) Hamlet accurse himself for his delay in
avenging his father’s murder. No one can more harsh. On Hamlet on the subject of
neglecting his duty than Hamlet himself. He regards himself as a Dull and Muddy
Mettled Rogue and a Rascal and Peasant slave, for he has done nothing to take
revenge of his father’s murder.

It is a natural thing that makes him ask,

“Am I a coward?”

He then declares that he should act and not,

“like a where, unpack my heart with words and fall a cursing like a very
drab”

He feeds his anger with wicked thoughts and regard his uncle as:

“a bloody, baw villain, remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain”

In the end of this soliloquy see him planning to exact the Mouse trap play to catch
the

“Conscience of the king”

He also suspects the nature of the spirit and its validity as well.
As he says,

“The spirit that I hath seen may be a devil, and the evil hath power to assume
a pleasing shape”

 Key critical points:-

- High variety of language

- Self-acquisition and inclination towards action
- Hamlet like a typical Shakespearean hero passes through the process of self-
analysis.
- Appropriate use of metaphor Muddy Mettled Rascal
- Difference between what things are and what they should be
- Supernatural element.

Hence, thematically, we see that Hamlet is torn between two extremes and up to
some extent it is right to say that Hamlet is more of thinking than action.

 Hamlet’s fourth soliloquy: -

This soliloquy is the most famous and the most celebrated because it is most
philosophical of all. In it, we have a mental debate we find Hamlet on the horns of
dilemma

“To be or not to be that is the question”

He asks which of the two alternatives is nobler. Whether silently to suffer cruelties
of fate or to put up a fight against the misfortunes of life.

He wishes the commit suicide for he thinks in that sleep he can forget all the evils
of life but what scares man and prevents him from committing suicide is the
thought of unexplored and unknown life after death. The fear of this thought
makes men cowards as:
 “Thus the native hue of resolution is sickled over with the pale cast of
thoughts”

This soliloquy is one of the finest passages and masterpieces for its conveys. The
universal fear of death spoken in the moment of dejection and despair, this
soliloquy gives us insight into Hamlet’s character. This also shows his melancholic
condition and the mental torture he is undergoing due his in capabilities.

 Key critical points:-

- Aprupt opening
- High variety of language
- Metaphorical language
- Concept of divine justice
- Rhetoric question
- Self slaughter
- Self analysis

Hence, thematically, we see almost no development in Hamlet’s character and in

the play because Hamlet is still torn between two extremes.

 Hamlet’s fifth soliloquy:-

Hamlet’s fifth soliloquy occurs when he was on his way to meet his mother in the
closet. He sees the King Claudius at prayer and gets opportunity to kill him an
opportunity for which he is longing so far yet he does no act,

“Now might, I do it, while a is as praying and now I will do it and so he goes to
heaven”

Just at the same moment. Hamlet begins to think that king Claudius killed his
father without even giving him any time to repent or to pray for his sins. So, he
decide that he should kill Claudius not while he is doing a good act like prayer, but
when he indulges in some bad acts e.g.

“When he is drunk asleep, or in his age, and in the incestuous pleasure of his
bed at game, swearing or about some act that has no relish of salvation in
it…….”

Such as his reasoning Braddely says,

“this soliloquy too further lays emphasis on his delay and procrastinating
nature, this soliloquy forms the crisis of the play and highlights in executing
revenge ”

 Key critical points:-

- Concept of poetic justice

- Character of Claudius is revealed
- Hamlet’s religious knowledge is obvious
- Hamlet’s meditative nature

 Hamlet’s sixth soliloquy:-

Hamlet’s sixth soliloquy (act III, scene II) occurs when he is about to go to his
mother’s chamber in response of her summons, he is angry with his mother
and his disgust with her makes him to think that, it is a best time for,

“Drink hot blood, which ever the day, would quake to look on”

He wants to be cruel to his mother and to kill her. But at the same time, he
wants to respect the ghost’s words and also doesn’t want to follow the action of
Nero (a Greek person who kills his mother)

This soliloquy shows Hamlet’s refined nature, his love for his mother and his
respect for his father’s Ghost’s words.
  Key critical points:-

- Hamlet, a torn personality

- High variety of language
- Hamlet is more of thinking than action

 Hamlet’s seventh soliloquy:-

Hamlet’s failure to seize an occasion and put an end to Claudius leads is to the
final soliloquy by gradual process form his talk to captain, he comes to know that
the young Fortinbras is prepared to risk his honor.

He, then, thinks when Fortinbras does all this just for the sake of his honor, then
why has he not done anything rather instead he has,

“Cause and will strength and means to do it”

He tries to find out reason of his delay.

“Whether it be bestial oblivion etc, some craven scruple of thinking too

precisely on some events”

He considers them no more than a beast. He feels that God has not endowed us
with such,

“Capabilities and God-like reason in fust with us unused”

Hamlet’s philosophies are in this soliloquy, are the universal truths and his
generalizing nature is obvious from this soliloquy.

 Key critical points:-

 - Hamlet’s scholarly nature
- Hamlet is torn between what to do and not to do
- Hamlet’s mystic nature when he thinks the purpose of man’s creation
- Hamlet’s meditative nature
- Concept of tragic waste

Conclusion:-

These soliloquies in Hamlet serve the dramatic purpose of revealing the hero’s
character and are of almost importance. Through these soliloquies, we come to
know what new turn play.

Hamlet

Assignment on:-

Hamlet’s Dilemma

“Dilemma means a state of conflict in mind or indecision, usually is such a

situation, one is indecisive and torn between opposing passions and finds it
hard way to go ”

Some is the case with Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet let’s have a detailed
discussion on Hamlet’s boggled state of mind.

The tragedy of Hamlet’s prince of Denmark, is one of the William

Shakespeare’s most popular works. One of the possible reasons for this play’s
popularity is the way Shakespeare uses the character of Hamlet to exemplify the
complex working of human mind. The approach taken by Shakespeare in Hamlet
has generated countless different interpretations of meanings.
Everybody perceives Hamlet’s Dilemma according to his/her own bent view that
Hamlet of a confused state of mind on account of various grounds while other are
of the view that Hamlet did not delay at all.

Hamlet’s Dilemma starts when the ghost appears and calls upon hamlet to,

“Revenge his foul and the most unnatural murder”

Hamlet has been assigned a task by the ghost of evening his father’s murder. These
are lot of signs in the play to show hamlet’s delay. Hamlet is himself first to raise it
and defeated by it. As he says,

“I do not know why yet I live to say this thing to do, sith I have cause, and
will, and strength and mean to do it.”

We can quote the reference of hamlet’s following soliloquy which highlights his
torn state of mind.

“time is out of joint, o cursed spite! That ever I was born to set it right”

Right from the beginning we see that hamlet does not find himself fit for the task
he has been assigned by the ghost. So, his Dilemma starts.

E.K chambers remarks:

“it is a tragedy of intellectual of the importance of over-cultivated imagination

and the over-utilized reasoning powers to meet the call of everyday(patch) life
for practical efficiency”

Both internal and external causes account for hamlet’s delay.

External causes:-

The external causes of hamlet’s delay are the physical difficulties in the situation.
Those critics who believe in the external causes of delay, they free hamlet of any
charge of hesitation and put all the responsibility upon the circumstances. As
Henry Mackenzie says,
 “we see a man, who in other circumstances, would have exercised all the
moral and social values”

Firstly, after the revelation of the ghost, we see that Claudius was surrounded not
only by the courtiers but also by a Swiss body guard and it was impossible for
hamlet to get at hi. If he had accused the king publically of the murder, he had
nothing to prove that the charge except a ghost’s story.

The second reason of the delay is hamlet’s doubts about the validity of the ghost,
whether the ghost existed or not and by it was true or not as he says,

“the spirit has that I hath seen may be a devil, and the devil hath power to
assume a pleasing shape”

Hamlet’s meditative and religious nature prevented him from acting rashly. He
never wanted to damage his image in front of the people. So to save his face in the
eyes of the public he took time in order to prove Claudius guilt on solid grounds.
That’s why he arranged a stage play, named the mouse trap to confirm the ghost’s
word and to prove Claudius guilt in front of people.

The third reason comes when he hits upon a plan of staging the king’s conscience,
hoping that the king would betray his guilt in the whole court.

“the play’s the thing, where I’ll catch the conscience of the king”

It is true that immediately afterwards hamlet got the chance when he found the
king defenseless on his knees offering prayer. But he postponed the idea of killing
for his wished

“eternal damnation” for Claudius.

“and might I do this pat, while a is a praying and now I will do this, and so he
goes heaven”

His love for his father and feelings of revenge are the causes of hamlet’s delay,
procrastination and Dilemma because he never wished salvation for Claudius.

 Internal causes:-
On the other hand, critics who are the opinion that delay of hamlet is due to
internal causes/reasons put all the responsibility on the personality of hamlet.

Critics, who find the cause of hamlet’s delay on hamlet’s internal meditations
typically view the prince as a man of great moral integrity who is forced to
commit an act. Which goes beyond against his deepest principles.

Secondly hamlet’s excessive brooding and thinking are the cause of his delay. This
most accepted view of irresolution or procrastination has been revealed in his
soliloquies. In his famous soliloquy,

“To be or not to be, that is the question”

We have a mental debate here, hamlet finds himself on the horns of dilemma. It
represents the confused rather agitated state of mind because he thinks too much
about the unseen results and then finds himself in a mental conflict or dilemma.
Moreover, his soliloquies proves him a thinker and philosophies than a man of
action.

By nature, hamlet is a philosophical man, not practical but nature has assigned
him a task which is totally opposite from his nature. He is restricted by his
conscience or moral scruple.

 Conscience Theory:

According to this theory, neither will nor nerves id the cause of his delay. It is his
conscience which details him from avenging his uncle, who is the brother of his
father and husband of his mother. Some critics also opine that hamlet is the son of
Claudius.

 Goethe describes hamlet as;

“A beautiful, pure and of moral nature, without the strength of nerve which
makes the hero”
Therefore, he sinks beneath a burden which he cannot bear. The view of Goethe
about hamlet represents him as weak, without nerve, sensitive delicate, man of
inaction and unfits to be the hero of a tragedy, but in the play we see that hamlet is
not weak hero. He is a courtiers and solider also

“This is I, hamlet the Dane”

He shows his bravery by following the ghost. His friends try to restrain him but he
says,

“Unhand me gentleman, by heaven I will make a ghost of him that lets me”

 Sentimental Theory:

According to this theory,

“Hamlet will be violent in his words but not in deeds”

But in the end, hamlet first kills Polonius and then Claudius bravely. Thus, he
proves sentimental theory false. Because he proves himself not only a man of
words but of deeds also.

 Oedipus Complex:

Some critics are of the view that hamlet suffers from Oedipus complex and this
leads him to delay or procrastination.

According to John Ernst,

“Hamlet suffers from an Oedipus complex, because Shakespeare also, but he

seems to hint at such a solution”

 Conclusion:
So, to conclude we can say that credit goes to Shakespeare for creating such a
superb character and conveying universal messages through the delay. Dilemma
and procrastination of his hero. Despite all the controversies regarding hamlet’s
dilemma, it can be assumed that through hamlet’s dilemma. The writer has
successfully portrayed the complex working of human mind. Therefore, is right to
say that Shakespeare’s tragedies are Replica of life

Revenge Tragedy:

Hamlet is the play written by William Shakespeare that very closely follow the
dramatic conventions of Elizabethan Theatre. Some of the main characteristics of
a revenge play including Hamlet are given under.

- It deals with crime, usually murder

- Revenge as their leitmotif
- They are characterized by excessive blood
- Long rhetorical speeches (bombastic and astounding language)
- Inclusion of ghost, as an inevitable part of dramatic person
- The person who is charged with the duty of avenging
- Super abundance for horror
- Melodramatic elements
- Murder encounters many impediments of vengeance

In hamlet, Shakespeare sets up the scene having a ghost in a dark night. Everyone
is working and something strange is happening in Denmark. The introduction of
ghost shows one of the features of revenge tragedy.

Shakespeare follow regular convention for a large part of the play. In this play, in
imitation, Hamlet is chained in problems caused by the unexpected marriage of his
mother with his uncle.

Its main plot is revenge it runs throughout the play. The main plot gives birth to a
number of sub-plots, which consists of the revenge of Fortinbras, who wants to
take revenge on Denmark for the loser sustained by his father Laertes also seeks to
avenge his father’s murder and insanity of Ophelia, while the main plot is that
hamlet wants to take revenge against Claudius, are the elements of murder, faith-
lessens, insanity, adultery and incestuous marriage. And hence, hamlet can be
called a revenge tragedy.

Another important feature of revenge plays is the ghost of the deod which reveals
the crime committed and the identity of the culprit and lays the duty of avenging
the murder. In this play, hamlet ghost appears to talk to hamlet. Ghost is an agent
of death that is in the shape of his father. Ghost speaks some eighty lines to hamlet
and of the these a dozen at most are concerned with the he has come to give him.

“If thou didn’t ever thy dear father love, revenge his foul and most unnatural
murder”

Another important characteristic of all revenge plays is that after the revenge is
fully decided upon the tragic hero delays the actual revenge until the end of the
play. Hamlet’s delay of killing Claudius takes on three distinct stages firstly.
Hamlet had to prove that the ghost was telling the truths and he did so by staging a
play. The mouse trap at court, to prove the Claudius guilt. As he says,

“The play’s the thing, where I’ll catch the conscience of the king”

The second reason was that hamlet wanted eternal dramatic for Claudius. He could
have killed Claudius while he was confessing to God, but hamlet did not do so his
father was in purgatory, because he did not get the opportunity to repeat hamlet,
therefore decide not to murder Claudius at the point in this play,

“now might I do it pat, while a is a praying and now I will do it and so he goes
to heaven”

The third reason was the fact that he got side tracked. He accidentally killed
Claudius Polonius which created a whole new problem with the fact that Laertes
now wanted hamlet dead. After he commits this act, he was also sent and unable to
see the king for another few weeks until he could finally do the job.

A critics remarks:
“what makes hamlet stand out from many other revenge plays of the period is
not that it rejects the conventions of its genre but it both enacts and analyses
them”

It can be easily understood that hamlet very closely follow regular conventions for
all Elizabethan tragedies hamlet is faced with the fact that he has to avenge his
father’s murder and since there is no fair justice available, he must take the law
into his own hands. The ghost of his father appears to guide the hamlet and to
inform hamlet of the evil that Claudius has committed.

Apart from the above mentioned elements, there are some melodramatic elements
also. There is bloodshed, violent, terrifying scenes are described in keeping with
the tradition of typical revenge tragedy. For example, hamlet assuming madness,
Ophelia going mad and drowning. Claudius plotting against hamlet, Polonius being
killed by hamlet Laertes and hamlet leaping into the grave of Ophelia and finally in
the last scene several deaths. Gertrude dies having drunk to poisoned wine,
followed by Claudius who is wounded by hamlet with a poisonous sword, Laertes
and hamlet dies with the wound of the same poisonous sword by each other’s hand.

As far as the language of the play is concerned it is highly bombastic and

astounding. It includes hamlet’s long rhetorical speeches. He continues to keep a
relation with the audience by his long soliloquies including his famous soliloquy,

“to be or not to be that is the question”

Another important feature of revenge tragedy is super abundance of horror. In the

play hamlet the staging of Mouse trap play created horror on the stage.

Shakespeare presents in hamlet a revenger who is both ruthless and reluctant. As

a revenger he must act, on the behalf of outraged virtue to set a violated order right
it what is out of joint? But wherever he is called to act upon the ghost’s order, he
vacillated due to the conflict which is going on within his mind. This analytical
nature makes him a man of inaction. Whenever he acts, he does so rashly/impulse
but he was incapable of pre-planned action.

Shakespeare has portrayed hamlet as a man of irresolution in spite of his

extraordinary intellectual genius and personality. That’s why Goggin remarks on
hamlet as,
 “It is not to be regarded as a tragedy of revenge but as a tragedy of human
soul”

The play hamlet’s follows almost every aspect of Thomas Kyd’s formula for a
revenge tragedy. The only point which can be argued is that the accomplices on
both the end of the play, Horatio was the only one to survive although it wasn’t for
hamlet. Horatio would have committed suicide when he said,

“I am more an antique Roman than a Done. Here is some liquor left”

If Horatio had killed himself, then hamlet would have followed Kydian Formula
as well as the regular conventions for English regular tragedy.

Hamlet is not a simple revenge tragedy, Shakespeare has woven into the play,
complex threads of contrast of characters to elevate it much above the common
play of revenge genre. Shakespeare broadens the canvas of the play to a
consideration of the universal mysteries of the life of human beings.

Conclusion:-

To conclude we can say that hamlet is defiantly a great example of typical revenge
tragedy of Elizabethan Era. It followed every convention required to classify it as
a revenge tragedy. Hamlet is defiantly a matchless revenge story that ever written
and it was all influenced by Euripides, Sophocles and other Greeks and most
importantly by Seneca.

“The Elizabethan audience always insisted on seeing eventual justice, and one
who stained his hands with the blood, had to play the penalty. That no
revenger, no matter how just, ever wholly escape the penalty for shedding
blood, even in error”

Summing up the above discussion it can be said that though Hamlet is a revenge
tragedy, up to great extent yet the way. Shakespeare has handled the complex
working of human mind through his protagonist. It makes hamlet Replica of life
than a mere revenge tragedy.
Assignment on:

Appearance Vs Reality

One of the dominant themes of Shakespearean plays is difference between

appearance and reality. Using this technique he presents before us that believe
rather to analyze critically appearance means;

“The act of coming before or presenting oneself before others”

Reality means;

“The state of being real”

It is said that appearances are always deceptive Shakespeare stands supreme where
handling of this theme is concerned in real life; people pose to be what they are
not.

Theme of appearance and reality runs all through the play. Hamlet’s father has
been killed by his uncle Claudius and hamlet is shocked at this vicious murder and
hasty marriage on the part of his mother. He is complete overwhelmed by grief
and comes before royal pair and is advised to throw away the Inky Cloak. Queen
says,

“Why it seems so particular with thee?”

And hamlet’s answer is:

“Seems madam?”

Theme of appearance and reality is obvious here. Both King and Queen take
hamlets grieve more of fake than the real according to them, hamlet is only posing
to be sad to get sympathies of the people but as far as hamlet’s condition is
concerned, he was really disturbed inwardly. So, we find that things are not as they
seem to be even the word seems carried different meanings according to the
Shakespeare. Both hamlet and queen uses this word. For King and Queen, hamlet
is a shamer while hamlet’s grief was genuine and hence we find the differences
between appearance and reality,

Also on another occasion when Hamlet was there to see that ghost. He pretends
that he is least frightened of ghost but inwardly he was afraid when he says,

“Angels and ministers of heaven defend us”

The theme of the appearance and reality is obvious from the line quoted above that
no sooner did hamlet see the Ghost, then he become afraid. Here lies the difference
between appearance and reality. Once again it is proved that it is hard to believe
what appears at surface level.

Another example is of Claudius who apparently seems kind and sympathetic

towards hamlet but he is of vicious nature. Hamlet is informed by the ghost about
the foul murder of his father and hamlet is shocked to know that such a plausible
looking man can be a villain and he finally concludes that;

“Once may smile, smile and be a villain”

Once again it is proved that outward expressions do not indicate inner thoughts and
Claudius behaviors is a clear example in this regard. He says to hamlet

“Be thou as ourselves in Denmark”

But inwardly he never wants hamlet to be prosperous like him and even in
Denmark. He, at any cost wants to do away with Hamlet but his appearances are
otherwise.

Theme of appearance and reality is obvious from the example that hamlet shams to
be mad as he says,

“As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic-disposition on”

While other thinks hamlet to be really mad. So, it is clear that things are not so
simple as they appear to be.
Hamlet shams to be mad and comes across Ophelia who because of her innocence
is unable to know whether Hamlet is really mad or only pretending to be mad. But
when he says to Ophelia,

“The fair Ophelia! Nymphs in thy orisons be all my sins remembered”

Here lies the theme of appearance and reality. Hamlet shows that he has no love
for Ophelia but still have soft corners and best wishes for her.

Hamlet apparently behaves Ophelia rudely that he is no more in love with her but
when he advises Polonius and says,

“Let her not walk in the sun conception is the blessing, as your daughter may
conceive friend, look to it”

And when he says to Ophelia,

“Get thee to nunnery”

Are a clear proof he still loves her though Polonius was unable to know. If Hamlet
had not been in love with Ophelia, he would not had advised her to go to nunnery.
The use of word nunnery impels that hamlet by no means wants Ophelia to get
married by anyone else. The language used by Hamlet is connotative and layered
like the behavior of hamlet.

We see that the wicked put on appearance to hide truth and the good must put on
appearance to seek truth. In our world, we see appearance and reality playing
hide and seek one has to be a simulator and dissimulator.

Another example about the theme under discussion can be given when hamlet
advises the player that they should avoid of doing over-acting which actually is
not impressive but seems to be so, he says,

“Don’t violate nature fear it ends in confusion”

Hamlet means to say that one may cheat for sometimes by appearance but in the
end one has to lick the dust.
Theme of appearance and reality dogging when Claudius conscience starts God
and is doing his best to repent. He is spared by hamlet who believes that Claudius
is praying sincerely but actually proof in this regard when he say,

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below words without thoughts never
heaven to go”

Theme of appearance and reality is obvious from the lines quoted above hamlet
spares Claudius thinking that he is repenting from the core of his heart and would
go to heaven if killed then and there. But the lines quoted above clearly illustrate
the difference between Claudius inner and outer feelings. Physically he is bowing
before God but nor with sincerity. So, we can say that Claudius attitude is the best
example of difference between appearance and reality.

We see another example when Osric uses words like calendar of gentry shows
that he is trying to convey the message in high variety of language but could not so
because of his low social standing.

Another example regarding the theme of appearance and reality can be quoted
from the text, when Claudius says,

“There’s such divinity doth hedge a king”

Apparently, the king is trying to pacify Laertes by saying that his not unjust king
instead he has been selected by God. He shows that he is least afraid of Laertes and
God will protect him.

But the reality was something else. He has not been selected by God, he gained
kinship by killing his brother and he inwardly was frightened of Laertes as well:

Conclusion:-

Keeping in mind the above discussion, we may conclude that the theme of
appearance and reality is quite dominant in most of Shakespeare’s plays and in
hamlet as well. This is his universal technique to convey the facts and realities to
the people by using indirection comes to the direction. These situations and
characters we can also find among us who have a hell of difference in their saying
and deeds.

Question No2:

Hamlet madness was real or feigned?

Answer:

Madness means:

“Mentally disturbed or insane”

Madness is a condition of mind which leaves an individual with no proper

conception of what is happening around him/her. In William Shakespeare’s
masterpiece hamlet, whatever or not hamlet was really mad, is the question of
much debate.

Some critics say that hamlet is definitely mad and his madness was real. As
George Farren says,

“The death of his father, the hasty marriage of his mother, the overthrown of
his royal hopes all these working on mind predisposed to giatey imparts a
tinge of melancholy to it”

While others are of the view that hamlet is not mad at all and his madness is
feigned. As hamlet himself says,

“I essentially am not in madness but mad in craft”

Sidner, a nineteenth century critic says,

“Hamlet is not mad at all he possess the finest sides of character and
intelligence. He, no doubts, has weakness, deficiency of will power, unusual
reason, melancholic color in his feeling etc.”

Polonius theory about his madness is quite different.

 “The very ecstasy of love with Ophelia”

Polonius suspects his madness by saying that:

“Though this is madness, yet there is method in it”

And,

“How pregnant sometimes his replies are”

So, we may conclude the discussion but not the debate by saying that hamlet may
have put on antic disposition as a mask to hid his real feelings but with the
passage of time, his face grows to fit the masks and there was no way left to
separate fact from fantasy.

Supernatural Elements in Hamlet

Ghost or supernatural elements play an important in the plays written during

Renaissance or Elizabethan age. The Elizabethan age greatly believed in
supernatural elements. The presentation of ghosts, fairies, witches, portents,
omens, uncommon happening, disturbance in nature was quite and common
phenomenon on the Elizabethan stage,

“Ghosts and supernatural remind the characters and the audience of the
constraints. The poet places on the present and also the obligations the living
bear to the departed”

In hamlet the superstition is in the form of ghost. Shakespeare’s use of

supernatural agencies was neither crude nor gross, nor was it extraneous to the
action, a mere object of horror brought in to create sensation.

Moulton remarks:

“Supernatural agency has a place in the world of Shakespeare”

In act I, five hundred and fifty lines out of eight hundred fifty lines are concerned
with the ghost. Therefore, it may be said that if we remove it, the play falls to
pieces.

 Three-fold dramatic significance of ghost in hamlet

The ghost in hamlet has at least a three-fold dramatic significance. It contributes to

the general tragic atmosphere of the play, motivates the entire action of the play
and finally it shows up the characters and drives home a certain moral effect. Ghost
is the representative of divine justice as well.

First, in the play, Shakespeare has introduced the supernatural elements in order to
create an atmosphere of mystery, horror and suspense. It diffuses an atmosphere of
awe through which tragedy becomes more impressive. The appearance of ghost in
hamlet chills our blood with horror or the more correct with terror.

Marcellus describes about ghost as:

“Thus twice before, and jumps at this dead hour with martial stalk hath gone
by our watch”

Horatio is the representative of highly educated class during Elizabethan age who
mostly disbelieve such happenings. Horatio reveals his disbelief.

“Tush, tush, ‘twill not appear”

But when ghost makes it appearance, he says that appearance of ghost

“Horrors him with fear and wonder”

The ghost appeared in the form of late king. This introduction of the dead king in
the very first scene immediately creates an atmosphere which is forewarning that
unnatural deed is either to be take place or to be disclosed hamlet himself comes to
believe in some calamity or evil about to be face when he says,

“My father’s spirit in arms! All is not well, I doubt some foul play”

Secondly, the ghost motivates the entire action of the play. Verity has pointed out,

“Without the ghost’s initial revelation of truth to hamlet, there would be no

occasion for revenge in other words, no tragedy of hamlet”
The main theme of the play is revenge. The motive force of this revenge theme is
provided by the ghost when it says,

“Let not the royal bed of Denmark be, a couch of luxury and damned incest”

The ghost’s appearance accounts for two other important developments in the play.
Hamlet’s mind is occupied with the thoughts of the ghost’s reality to confirm the
truth of its nature, he puts an Antic Disposition and then he gets enacted the
mouse trap play to catch the conscience of the king.

The very appearance of ghost becomes a cause of hamlet’s transformation. It is the

ghost which is making hamlet to act like a real tragic hero capable of changing
himself with the changing circumstance.

Ghost also represents divine justice

Thirdly, the presence of ghost in hamlet as a moral significance also. The play
shows that we cannot conceal the truth for a long time it must appears and the

“murder though it has no tongue will speak”

“Foul deeds will rise though all the earth o’er them, to man’s eye”

The appearance of ghost is also significant to know biblical concepts about

purgatory as well. The ghost reminds us that even the greatest earthly strength is
still subject to the controlling influence of spiritual powers. The ghost speaks of its
prison house and of the fires of hell for his crime in life, which is so horrible that
it is denied to mortal ears. Ghost also reveals Shakespeare’s religious and
meditative nature as well when it talks about prison house, salvation and purgatory
implicitly using ghost as an instrument, Shakespeare has imported us a message
what to do to get salvation there in purgatory.

In the ghost’s first appearance hamlet is given the duty of avenging his father’s
death due to his irresolution and procrastination. He delays in his action. Hence,
the ghost makes its second appearance in closet scene variety says,

“The ghost’s second appearance hastens the denouement by whetting hamlet’s

blunted purpose”
 Is the Ghost Subjective or Objective?

About the nature of the ghost there exists a controversy, some critics are of the
view that the ghost is a subjective phenomenon a hallucination springing from
imagination. Others believe that its is an objective phenomenon. The source of
this controversy is the second appearance of the ghost in Gertrude’s room. In
Macbeth, the ghost of Bonquo is subjective because it appears only to Macbeth
and no one else in the court in Julius Caesar the ghost of Caesar appears only to
Brutus. But this is not so in hamlet. In the beginning hamlet Bernado, Marcellus
and Horatio see the ghost. They not only this scene, the ghost is objective and has
a real existence.

In the closet scene, the ghost is visible to hamlet but invisible to Gertrud. This
leads to the subjective appearance of the ghost. Some critics over that,

“The ghost, had not being seen by the queen has its moral suggesting that the
woman has strayed so far as from the path of honor that she is unable to
receive spiritual vision”

The ghost visible to hamlet in his mother’s chamber and invisible to his mother
shows affinity between father and wife. There was kinship between hamlet and his
late father but on the other hand, they were no more than husband and wife.

A critic says,

“The first apparition was real and the second was imaginary. The first was
initiative and the second was inhibitive”

Conclusion:-

To sum up, we can say that the representation of ghost in hamlet is an artistic
triumph. This artistic treatment of the supernatural reveals Shakespeare’s
universal dramatic gift. Through the introduced of the ghost of the dead king,
Shakespeare creates a suitable atmosphere for unnatural deeds about to happen
Shakespeare’s supernatural agencies are what Bonquo calls them,

“Instruments of darkness of no significance except the hands that consent to

use them”

In the end, it can be rightly said that if the ghost had not appeared the end of the
play, hamlet would have been something otherwise.

Question no 1:

“Hamlet is dominated by the idea of getting a play staged” discuss:

Answer:

Some of the critics opine that hamlet is a tragedy dominated by the idea of getting
a play staged. In this play, hamlet plays a role of vital significance. This play
within the play serves as a searching light to find out reality regarding Claudius
sin.

Motive for enacting the play:

Hamlet has been entrusted with the duty of avenging his father’s murder by his
father’s ghost. He is shocked at this vicious murder of his father. After ghost’s
shocking revelation hamlet wants to confirm the validity in the words of ghost.
Being a scholar, he has some doubts about the geniuses of ghost and Claudius sin.
Therefore, he says that,

“The spirit that I have seen may be a devil and the devil hath power to assume
a pleasing shape”

He wishes to have solid ground, for taking revenge and allows time to laps until
the arrival of the players. This arrival inspires him with a sudden idea and he says,

“I’ll have grounds, more relative than this, the play’s the thing where I’ll
catch the conscience of the king”
He hits upon an idea of staging of play to put Claudius on trial.

 Preparations for the play:

Hamlet receives the players with open arms to get his work done successfully, he
wants to get a play, enacted named the murder of Gonzaga, with some
modification in the speeches. He, to extract his required motives from the play
once again meets the players on the day when the play is staged. He advises them
to suit the action to the word. The words to the action so that they could never
over-step the modesty of nature. The main aim of the play is to hold mirror up to
nature. Then, he advises Horatio whom he has already told everything about
ghost’s revelation to have an observant eye on the king (Claudius) during the play.
Thus, he says to Horatio,

“Give need full note to me for I mine eyes will rivet to his face. And after we
will both our judgment join in censure of his seeming”

Thus, he prepared Horatio, the players and himself to catch the conscience of the
king. The king and the queen are invited to see the play.

 The Dumb-Show:

The dumb-show is the prelude to the actual play. He chooses to sit at Ophelia’s
feet rather than next to the queen, partly to encourage the idea that his madness is
due to the rejected love, but mainly he would have been unable to know or watch
Claudius’s expressions if he had taken the chair next to the royal pair. Hamlet
plays the role of commentator too. The dumb-show itself represents very closely
the crime of Claudius.

Some of the critics say that Claudius being lost in conversation with queen could
not watch this show; other critics say that the king knew that the choice of the play
was deliberate and hamlet was fully aware of his crime. He also knows that hamlet
is watching him very closely as remarks about second marriage seem offensive to
him and he pretends not to have heard them. Although the play was stopped before
the end, yet it helps hamlet to know what he wants.
  Actual play:

The dumb show is followed by the actual-play. The murder of Gonzago with its
deliberately artificial style is full of repetition. Hamlet’s eyes are focused on king’s
face king is trying hard not to show what he was feeling queen is shocked at these
words:

“In second husband let me be accurse! None wed the second but who killed
the first, I second time I kill my husband dead when second husband kisses me
on bed”

Hamlet with his interjection makes it certain that the point shall be understood

“That’s wormwood, wormwood”

“If she should break it now”

And hamlet says,

“O but she’ll keep her word”

 Claudius sin is confirmed:

After the exit of the queen players, Claudius seems to be confused. Hamlet again
and again stresses on the name of the play the mouse trap is another threat for the
king of which he was perfectly aware, here, the word mouse stands either for king
or queen because through this play, hamlet also wanted to confirm whether or not
queen was guilty, though the central focus was on Claudius. When Lucians enters
and hamlet says that he is the nephew to the king, Claudius suspects that
Lucianus words are written by hamlet himself. Claudius watches for the second
time. The reenactment of his crime and is about the reveal himself and then
hamlet gives him the last twist to the knife by saying that:

“You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife”
The king rises frightened by false fire. The ghost story is confirmed now.

 Consequences for Enacting the Play:

By enacting the play, hamlet has confirmed the ghost’s story but at the expense of
revealing his own knowledge to the king. He himself suffers a lot to meet his
destination. In short, hamlet is happy at gives to more weight to the words of
ghost. As he says,

“O good Horatio, I will take ghost’s words for a thousand pound”

He intends to act at once and reveals his fury by saying that,

“Now could I drink hot blood. The day would quake to see it”

It was the time for hamlet to take action. But when he gets the opportunity to carry
out his works, he fails to act because he finds Claudius at prayer as Wilson says,

“The play-scene is undoubtedly central to the structure of hamlet an

extraordinary emotions”

Madness is feigned:

On the other hand, there are extreme critics who holding the view that hamlet is
not mad at all and his madness is defiantly feigned,

Sidner, a nineteenth century critic says,

“Hamlet is not mad at all, he possesses the finest sides of character and
intelligence. He no doubt has weakness, deficiency of will power, melancholic
color in his feelings, unusual reason etc”

All these are true but do not make out a case of madness.
Lowell, another critic of Shakespeare is of the view that if Shakespeare himself,
without going mad, could so observe and remember all the abnormal symptoms as
to able to produce in hamlet, why should it be beyond the power of hamlet to
reproduce them in his self. If hamlet is mad what about Shakespeare.

Lowell says,

“If hamlet is mad what about Shakespeare because it is generally recognized

that a character of literary creation, shows the mind of the writer creator”

When he read the play we feel that in peculiar circumstances. Hamlet becomes
subject to emotional outburst and abnormal behavior. After meeting with the ghost,
hamlet utters the words which should put an end to the whole controversy.

“As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on that
you, at such times seeing me, never shall, with arms encumb’red thus, or this
head-shake or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase”

Here, raises the question for what purpose he puts on an antic disposition. Whether
he remains successful in his aim or not for which he adopts madness? Let us
answer these questions before going to deep, it should be clear that,

“Feigning of madness was a part of the convention of revenge play”

Hamlet may adopt madness to carry out his purpose. The king has never been
convened of his madness. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern who tackle with hamlet
also say,

“Nor do we find him forward to be sounded but with a craftily madness”

Only two ladies in the play believe in his madness, Ophelia and his mother. Even
after, his mother is told by hamlet.

Ecstasy!

“My pulse as yours doth temperately keep time, and makes as healthful
music. It is not madness that I have utter’d. Bring me to the test”

There can be no proof of his sanity than these words to his mother. He is ever sane
and good in his talk with Horatio.
 “For some must watch while some must sleep”

His conversation with his school-felloes is highly intellectual when he says,

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”

Polonius, theory is different about his madness,

“The very ecstasy of love with Ophelia”

Hamlet’s remarks about Polonius are witty in nature. He calls him a fishmonger,
and remarks about Ophelia,

“Let her not walk in the sun, conception is a blessing as you daughter may
conceive-------friend, look to it.”

Polonius suspects his madness by saying,

“Through this be madness, yet there is method in it”

And,

“How pregnant sometimes his replies are!”

Hamlet arranges for Mouse Trap lay to catch the conscience of the king. This act
not only proves him to be sane. But also wise and cunning when play is going to be
started, he asks Horatio,

“They are coming I must be idle again”

Just before the beginning of the play Mouse Trap, hamlet advises Horatio to keep
an eye on Claudius expressions minutely. Hamlet’s decision of sitting at feet of his
feigned madness. Partially to deceive King & Queen that he is mad because of
dejected love but mainly to observe the face of Claudius. It is said that,

“Evil people wear mask to hide the reality”

The good people must wear a mask to know the reality.

Therefore, hamlet was wearing a mask to know the reality. Stopford Brooke
remarks on ten play of Shakespeare
All men of genius are mad

Some critics run away with the idea that hamlet was actually mad in the beginning
and went completely mad later on they refer to hamlet’s emotional confusion of
love with Ophelia at her funeral. He says,

“I lov’d Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quality of
love make up my sum”

When he utters his love in graveyard, all people standing there consider him mad.
Even his mother says,

“This is mere madness”

The King says,

“O, he is mad, Laertes”

In fact, when he sees Ophelia dead, he gets an emotional shock; suddenly he

forgets his adopted madness and at once comes to his grounds John Wilson says,

“Mad Hamlet is the fool of the play”

Sidner maintains,

“The people who take Hamlet to be a lunate, they are befooled like Polonius”

Reason for adopting madness:

Hamlet adopts madness for two reasons,

Firstly, he adopts it for protection in same condition; the king may consider him as
danger to his throne.

Secondly, he adopts madness as defensive material. It is accepted a pretended state

in order to protect oneself against the real madness. A.C. Bradley says,
 “The assumption of insanity would enable him to give some utterance to the
load that pressed on heart and brain”

The views, about hamlet’s madness is defiantly assumed or real are highly
exaggerated to solve controversy, one shall have to resort to Bradley who says
that,

“Hamlet is not mad he is fully responsible for his action, but he suffers from
melancholy”

Conclusion:-

So much has been said and written about hamlet’s madness that the main issue
itself has become obscured behind a veil of argument conjecture and theory. He
does not adopt madness to fulfill any plot or evil design against anybody. Neither it
is true that he adopts madness in beginning and later on goes completely mad,
hence we may say that actually,

“He was not mad and madness was feigned”

Yet, his soliloquies shows him absolutely same. In fact, they are certainly a
depiction of an exceptionally powerful intellect. These speeches are not only
perfectly coherent and logical but also have a depth of though which reveals
hamlet as a profound thinker e.g.

“Frailty, thy name is woman”

And,

“That one may smile, and smile and be a villain”

So, we may conclude the discussion but not the debate by saying that hamlet may
have put on an antic disposition to as a mask to hide his real feelings, but with the
passage of time, his face grew to fit the mask and there was no way left to separate
fact from fantasy.
Major Barbara- A Great Religious Play:

Whether money is more important or spiritual salvation? Is the central theme of the
play? This play centers around two important factors money and religion of the
present age. Importance of both money and religion has been beautifully described
through the dialogues between Andrew Under shaft and Major Barbara. As
under shaft says,

“My religion? Well dear, I am a millionaire. That is my religion”

Whereas Barbara says,

“Money is no use, take it away”

G.B. Shaw, being a socialist comes up with conclusion that it is hard to save the
souls of hungry people. As he says,

“Religion is not for hungry bellies”

The key factors that have been highlighted in this play are:

- Exposure of religious hypocrisy

- Concept of sin, crime and poverty
- Role of money
- Is poverty the root cause of all crimes
- What is true conversion?
- No religious pessimism
- Shaw’s theory of life force
- Power exist in various modalities
- Clash between biblical teachings and basic needs of life
- Remedy: no salvation is possible without providing basic needs of life first.

Shaw has always been regarded as irreligious and on the first publication of
Major Barbara, he was called a blasphemous a very devil’s disciple and Beatrice
Webb calls the play a veritable dance of devils but this is superficial interpretation
of the play. The more one finds it critical mindset, the more one find it realistic
Shaws is of the view that instead of imposing religion on hungry people or poverty
stricken people, first they should provides with bread to fill and then let them
decide themselves which way to select. The fact is that Shaw was a rationalist. He
puts everything on the acid test of reason. He accepted what could stand the test
and rejected the rest. In this play, he has shed light on Christian religion in its more
militant aspects, and this is done through a presentation of the day to day working
of the Salvation Army. Shaw is of the view that religion must be preached and
efforts should be made to save the souls of caring are regarded as dull and
cheerless but Shaw is of the view that religion should not be excluded altogether
from the worldly sphere. Religion never preaches to shun day to day activities.
Shaw has beautifully portrayed these two opposing forces in the play through the
characters of Barbara and Undershaft.

Barbara says,

“Spiritual salvation is of utmost importance”

And he says,

“Undershaft’s work, a devilish act”

Whereas her counterpart Undershaft ironically opines,

“Come, come my daughter, what you preach is impractical. Scrap it. What is
wrong with the world at present is poverty and sufferings of the people”

And he further stresses his point by saying that:

“It is cheap work converting starving people with Bible in one hand and a
slice of bread on the other”

Undershaft says that it is not true and realistic conversion to religion rather it is
temptation based on grief, religion should be free from all these temptations of
money and bread.

Barbara is of the view that the people who are money monger are the root
destroying the world with the destructive weapons for their own interest like her
own father and she says,

“Oh, how gladly, I would a better one to my soul. Father what you offer me a
worse one”
She means to say that instead of accepting financial help from her father and other
people like him, she would prefer seeing of hunger and unprovoked. But in the
end, her remarks prove ironical.

Her counterpart Undershaft equally impressive and adamant in his stance.

Undershaft realistically remarks that

“I fed you and clothed you and housed you. I took care that you should have
enough money to live handsomely. This is what saves you from seven deadly
sins”

This play is a conflict between realism and materialism. According the Undershaft,
rather Shaw, poverty is

“The worst of crimes”

And until or unless. This crime is abolished from the world no spiritual view that
he saves the souls of people by providing them with bread to fill their bellies.

This play is basically a deconstruction of stereotypical religious notions.

According to Shaw, seven deadly sins and social evils. These are more cruel that
are prevailing in society.

Undershaft proves his doctrine by offering another prove in this regard by saying,

“There are not fifty genuine professional criminals in London, but there are
millions of poor people, object-people, dirty people, I’ll fed, I’ll clothed people.
They poison us morally and physically.”

The figure mentioned by Undershaft like not fifty genuine professional criminals in
London poison us morally and physically are metaphorical in nature. Here, fifty
stands for very few. Hence, it is a metaphor of place. Shaw firmly believes that
the root cause of all evils is corruption. As he says,

“Only fools fear crimes, we fear poverty”

The clash between the role of economy and morality can no better way be
explained as this is done by Shaw, this is what Karl Marx has been described as
under,
 “Economy plays an important role in shaping and rupturing our ideologies
and world-views”

Actually, this play is a conflict between realistic and idealistic notions. Major
Barbara is an idealistic woman while Mr. Undershaft is a political and very
realistic person. He is the spokesman of Shaw. He talks about the notions of life.

Shaw’s Message:-

Thus, Shaw’s message in the play is that,

“Let God’s work be done for its own sake. The work he had to create us to do,
because it cannot be done except by living men and women”

However, she realize this truth only gradually. Barbara is a woman of most refined
sensibilities and deep religious convictions. But she locks practical knowledge and
this factor show prominently highlights that religion should be based on practical
notions and not on abstractions. It should be free from sentiments and idealisms.

Hence, we cannot agree with Chesterton’s view that religious elements in the play
is defeated and that it is an expression of Shaw’s religious pessimism. However,
we can agree with a learned critics when he writes,

“I must frankly say that Bernard Shaw always seems to me to use the word
‘God’ not only not only without any idea of what it means, but without one
moment’s thought about what it could possibly mean ”

In the same style in Major Barbara, the heroine ends by suggesting that she will
serve God without any personal hope, so that she may owe nothing to God and he
owe everything to her. It all affects me merely as tedious perversions of a phrase. It
is as if we say,

“I will never have a father, until I have begotten him”

This is the thing that Shaw stresses throughout the play through his character,
Undershaft
Conclusion:-

We must conclude that Major Barbara is a great religious play based on practical
wisdom. It is an expression of his realism and not of religious pessimism. Shaw
has subjected religion to the search light of reason, exposed its many weakness
made his readers to think and thus paved the way for religious and social reforms.
As Thomas Hardy says,

“If a way to the better there be, it implies a good look at the worst”

Shaw has focused on shame and affectations which at present man religion and its
total dependence on capitalists like Bodger and Undershaft, so that by having a
look at the worst, we may find a way to the better, Shaw is not imposing any ideal
morality rather the soul purpose of the play is to make the readers critical minded.
As he says,

“Right is right and wrong is wrong, and if a man cannot distinguish them
properly, he is either a fool or a rascal, that’s all…”

Thus, Major Barbara can be called a great religious and social drama.

Twelfth Night as a Romantic Comedy:

Comedy is a broad genre which encompasses a large variety of different kinds of

literature. However, comedy is most often used with reference to a kind of drama
which is intended primarily to entertain the audience and which ends happily for
the characters.

Twelfth night is one of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies and romantic comedy is

pre-eminently the comedy of love.

Hazlit says,
 “Twelfth night is the best and the merriest comedy which Shakespeare ever
wrote”

J.H. Summer remarks,

“Twelfth night is the climax of Shakespeare’s early achievement in the

comedy. The effect and the values of Shakespeare’s earlier comedies are here
rusty embodied in the most complex structure which Shakespeare has yet
created”

Discussing the design of twelfth night L.G. Salinger observes that Shakespeare
has taken a familiar kind of love story and the interest from the heroine to a group
of characters who responses to the power of love. He has also added a sub-plot and
revels of a feast of misrule. It is primarily a tale of love. As H.B. Charlton points
out:

“Confrontation of love and realism”

Humor and wit are prominent qualities of Shakespeare’s comedies. According to

some readers the most endearing feature of twelfth night is the union of humor
with romance.

Twelfth night does not follow the customary pattern of comedy. As L.G. Salinger
says,

“In this play, the responsible elder generation has been abolished. There are
no parents at all. In act I, we introduced a world with in which the ruler is a
love sick duke, and in which yound ladies, fatherless and motherless em. Bark
on disguised action”

According to a critically romantic formula, the happy ending should be already

achieved at the beginning of the play; we should abandon the theatre to the rite of
love.

But slightly stunned inhabitants of Illyria discover that they are anything but free.

A festival spirit characterizes the whole play. The sub-plot depicts a prolonged
reason of misrule or uncivil rule in Olivia’s house. There are drinking dancing and
singing. There are also scenes of mock wooing or a mock sword imagines that he
can marry his lady. In Feste Shakespeare has created his most finished portrait of a
professional fool. According to Oxford Dictionary on Historical Principles,
Feste is a silly person or

“One who professionally counterfeits folly far the entertainment of others, a

Jester or a clown?”

In the main-plot a sister is mistaken for her brother and brother for the sister,
because of mistaken identities, they are assuming a survival kit of identity in the
land of Illyria, Viola says to Olivia:

“You do think you are not what you are”

And admits that same is true for herself too L.G. Salinger says,

“Woman takes the initiative in the wooing, both in appearance and infect, the
heroine performs love services for the lover. The four main characters all
reverse their desires or break their vows before the comedy is over”

In this way, it can be claimed that this play represent Renaissance age. When we
see women taking initiative in love similarly, in King Lear, Gonaril and Regain
take initiative in love with Admund.

Johnson says,

“Devices peculiar to stage but Shakespeare makes them spring or seem to

spring from the very nature of love”

The analysis of love as a kind of dolly, is a common theme of Renaissance

Moralists, who like to contract it With wisdom of the man of the theme is a natural
development in twelfth night from his work but he could have found strong hints
of it in the possible source of his Viola-Orsino story.

It may arouse wonder to hear of a gentleman disguising himself as a servant and

still more in case of a girl. However, when you realize that love is the cause, the
wonder ceases at once, because this passion of love is much too potent and causes
actions much more amazing and excessive than that a person in love loses his
faculty of reasoning and no wonder he commits a thousand errors. As Shakespeare
says in the merchant of Venice,
“Love is blind and lovers cannot see the pretty follies that themselves commit”

Twelfth night is a remarkable romantic comedy in which things go topsy-turvy.

The theme of misrule pervades both the plot and sub-plot what is note worthy is
that Shakespeare is not content with depicting varities of folly. He portrays a
number of situations which are topsy-turvy, such as one women falling in love
with another two persons averse to sword fight think that the other is ferocious-
fighter and a servant seriously believes that his mistress is in love with him and
expression his love by throwing letters by the wayside. Thus, is a fine blend of
realism and romance. The happy ending of twelfth night adds something to
romantic elements, the happy ending does not:

“Shock or discomfort the audience as it is morally satisfying”

Conclusion:-

To conclude we can say that there are meanings and implications under the surface
or romantic story of love, disguise and mistaken identity.

A Doll’s House: A Feminist Play:

A doll’s house is one of the most impressive of Ibsen’s social drama and certainly
the most charming and the most perfect feminist play. The play was controversial
when first published, as it is sharply critical of 19th century marriage norms.

Michael Mayer argues that the play’s theme.

“Is now women’s rights but rather the need of every individual to find out the
kind of person he or she really is and to strive to become that person”

Inspite of all the controversies it can be regarded as a feminist play because in this
play, the main theme centers abound woman’s issues. The protagonist is also a
female character; Nora goes through the process of metamorphosis throughout the
play,
In this play, Ibsen makes many hints about the roles of society and how the female
gender was treated at that time. The play is the portrayal of patriarchal society.

The portrait of Nora is the most wonderful piece of character drawing that Ibsen
has done. Ibsen has challenged the four pillars of society by representation of his
female character, Nora.

“From this play, you can observe what I believed about the roles of society,
equality between the males and females and the idea of feminism”

A doll’s house can be called a feminist play because the very title of the play. A
doll’s house reflects a woman inanimate and having a independent identity of her
own rather like a load or weight she is transferred from one man(father) to
another(husband). All though her life, she is treated like a doll. This is what
happens in patriarchal societies e.g.

Sara Mills (2000) says,

“Man weds a woman”

Man has been represented as an active subject and woman as the passive receiver
of his action. It means she is no more than a commodity to be transferred. Same
thing is obvious from Nora’s remarks as well,

“Nora: I will that I was simply transferred from papa’s hand into yours”

A society that exploits the women by keeping them away from all domains of
power has been well depicted in this modern tragedy. In the play, Nora forges her
rich father’s signature to obtain money for her ailing husband, we witness around
us that in many cases women are bound to sacrifice either, for the sake if their
father or husbands. Now, it has become a common sense that she is there to do
what is asked by male members.

Ibsen portrayed the roles of society very well in the play. In this play, the society
that looks upon a woman as a mere doll is being delineated. The title a doll’s house
exemplifies this point. It implies that a woman is just like a puppet in the hands of
man in the patriarchal society. In the beginning of the play, Nora acted like most
women of the time. She succumbed to anything her husband said and obeyed all
order directed to her by her husband. Her husband insulted her numerous. He even
patronized her endlessly. He even accused her of having too much sweets and
gaining weight e.g.

“He my little sweet tooth been indulging herself in town today by any chance”

In this play, Helmer is the true representative of the patriarchal man who always
wants to take control over woman and gives her no importance. It is significant in
the way he used to talk to Nora e.g. Helmer says to Nora,

“You are an add little soul”

Helmer portrayed how people believed men ought to be at that time. He held a firm
belief that his image was more important than anything when he first find out that
Nora had borrowed money from krogstad and had forged her father’s sign. He
reacted by saying,

“From now on, forget happiness now, it’s just about saying the remains, the
wreckage, the appearance”

It clearly shows us the roles of society played by men and it also shows that the
sacrifice of Nora has no importance for Helmer

Another reason for which the play is called the feminist play is that Ibsen has tried
to bring out all important issues related to women. One of the issues is the self-
realization of woman. In male dominant culture, woman are oppresses to that
extent that she starts thinking herself an incapable, insignificant and worthless
creature. This is what linguistically is called Hegemonic power. It is evident in the
play when Nora asks for money and Helmer says,

“What are little people called that are always wasting money?”

Nora says,

“Spendthrift----I know”

The repetition of the word little again and again depicts the ideology of men that
they always think women their sub-ordinate and give them no importance at all.

 Simon de Beaviour separates sexual identity of woman from gender.

“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman”

In the beginning of the play, Nora behaves like a typical, patriarchal woman, she is
submissive. Foolish, spendthrift, good mother, a loving beautiful wife and
insensible and impractical woman who is confined to four walls of the house and is
not supposed to come out into a social domain i.e. of male society. Most of the
time we see Nora happily accepting male restrictions against women because she
knows the very survival of woman in male dominated society depends on being
obedient to their males.

Mr. Linde is a character that Ibsen uses to show that woman can do things without
a man after Mr. Linde was widowed; she took care of her family.

Ibsen remarks,

“The strongest person in the world is he who stands alone”

It is a feminist play in another sense that women are always supposed to do what
men like. She demonstrated this by sharing her definition of freedom to Mrs.
Linde in the beginning of the play.

“Free. To be free. To spend time playing with children. To have a clean,

beautiful house, the way Torvald likes”

While in the end Nora says,

“Ah, Torvald, you are not the man to teach me to be a real life to you”

A person who thinks a woman no better than a doll, a plaything and an animal is
not the man from the feminist perspective rather an oppressed.

Finally, Nora’s bold step of leaving her husband and children symbolizes an
element of change on the part of woman to locate their independent identity.
Now, most of the women have realized that things do not happen themselves rather
brought to happen so, this bold step of Nora is a message for other woman to take
imitative for change. Nora is a torch-bearer of change as a feminist.

Most of the incidents in the play and the final brave decision taken by Nora to
deconstructed the constructed patriarchal ideology is still another reason to label
this play as a feminist play or tragedy play.
Conclusion:-

To conclude we can say that the play a doll’s house is a feminist play because
Ibsen has challenged the stereotypical roles assigned to woman by the society
through his character, Nora’s leaving her house and children along with Torvald
is open challenge to the stigmatized patriarchal concept of feminity. Ibsen
challenges the society through the voice of Nora.

Symbolism in Doll’s House

Symbolism is a literary movement originated in Italy in 19th century. It is a

literary device employed by the writers to convey implied meanings. In a way, it is,

“an analogical representation of persons or things”

Here, signs or symbols stand for something not obvious.

As far as, a doll’s house by Henrick Ibsen is concerned it is full of

suggestiveness. Ibsen has concerned artistic use of symbolism in this play to
convey implicit and explicit meanings,

The very title of the play a doll’s house is suggestive a woman’s house has been
called a doll’s house which employs that a woman is no more than a doll that is
inanimate, a commodity and totally at the mercy of her male members. She is just
like a doll to be played with so, symbolism starts from the title of the play.

The title relates rightly, with the theme and plot of the story. Nora’s house can be
considered a doll’s house in the light of her relationship with her husband, father of
her relationship with her husband, father and children, all for separate reasons.

There is use of symbols on the play at different places e.g.

“Black hat, fisher girl constume, Italy, Norway, skylark, letter box ring,
embroidery, squirrel, stockings, tarantella”
Ibsen has some philosophy for symbolism in this play and that is a person can’t
be happy when failing into the mud of someone else. One must be oneself and to
know oneself. But Nora did not know herself and had to leave to learn.

There is symbolism at the level of naming. The process of naming shows the
relationship between the namer and named. The way Nora is named indicated that
she not have an equal status. She is not given human status. Rather she is named
after animals names.

There is also symbolism in the use of Lexis. The use of word little be littlest her
status. One thing is noteworthy that the wild bird (squirrel, skylark) cannot, be
caged. But ironically Helmer forgets that these wild birds from their very nature
love to be free and not in cage. On one hand, Helmer associates Nora with
wildness and on the other wants her to be fully under his control. So, it shows that
Helmer was totally in dark about his wishes regarding his wife. Actually these
symbols make the ground for the end where Nora prefer the fly (leaving Helmer
house) rather than being caged.

The use of symbols is obvious from the lines given below.

“Helmer: my little song bird mustn’t droop his wings. What’s this? Is little
squirrel sulking?”

Torvald says this Nora after she returned from shopping at the start of the play.

The things wrapped in mystery symbolize mysterious relationship between Nora

and her husband. Time and again, we Nora clapping her hands like a child. She
gets excited very soon for example.

“Nora, Nora (clapping her hands) what did I tell you? What did I tell you?”

The reputation of words symbolize that she is uncertain in patriarchal societies, a

woman usually is deprived of self confidence. She wants her ideas and deeds
certified by a man. Nora repeats the word which illustrates lack of confidence on
her part.

Most of the lines uttered by Nora symbolize her mental confusion and
rootlessness. As the play progresses, we can sense the coming dangers. Nora is
uncertain (like most of the women) whether she will be able to hang with her
husband in future or not e.g.

“Someone is coming now. No, it is no one, of course, no one will come today”

The lines mentioned above symbolize her sense of being torn into many selves.
The use of word empty symbolizes emptiness or shallowness of Nora’s ring
behind her father and husband. Moreover, the use of word empty symbolizes that
Nora’s life is like a letter box, it is walled and apparently protected but form inside
it is empty and full of deceptions.

The dress nurse brings for Nora is in want of mending. But in the course in a
position to be mended. The torn dress symbolizes gaps between Nora and her
husband for the time being, things are going well but cannot last for long

Nora once says that:

“Nora, never see him again, never, never, never see the children again, them
too. Never, never, oh-the icy black water! Oh-that bottomless-that! Oh, if it
were all over! Now he’s got it-he’s reading it. Oh, no, no! not yet! Good bye,
Torvald! Good bye my darlings”

The lines quoted ab0ove are very symbolical. Nora says this to herself when
Torvald had left to study to read the mail. She prepares to leave and possibly to
commit suicide.

The words uttered by Nora.

“Taking off my fancy dress”

Symbolizes that she wants to get rid of the troubles or she is coming towards the
reality and light and putting off the mask she has been wearing so far, and acting
like a puppet.

Dance symbioses compromises in Nora’s life. Nora dance to her best in fisher girl
dress, symbolically this stands for the survival of the dancer until or unless he/she
is able to get rid of the poison inside him/her. So, there is poison of gaps,
compromisations and deceptions in Nora’s life and her survival depends on her
dancing and dancing. She has been surviving so far there in Helmer’s house by
attracting him with her physical charms. A woman usually valued for her beauty
not for her ideas. So, she is treated as a sex doll as Nora in this play.

The lines uttered by Helmer are very symbolical in nature.

“Where shall I protect like a hunted dove that I have saved from the talons of
a hawk”

The word hunted dove is symbolical because Krogstad is continuously in Nora’s

search. She is in danger and hence hunted.

The word not knowing symbolizes lack of knowledge of a woman. Nora is

perceived as less wise and knowledge able. As Helmer says,

“I will advise you and directs you”

Christmas is an important family celebration according to Christians but in a doll’s

house, Christmas is something of an anti-climax. As Nora says,

“Oh, do! Dear Torvald please, please do! Then I will wrap it up in a guilt
paper and hang it on the Christmas tree. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Symbolically, this alerts us to the fact that there are hidden aspects to life in this
household that carefully created appearance is what matters and that Nora is the
keeper of appearances. But finally the time comes when every leaf of appearance
falls down and one is left bare or single to face the reality.

New Year’s Day is traditionally viewed as a new beginning. The Helmer’s at the
beginning of the play, are looking forward to just a new start. Torvald is due to
start a new and well paid job at the bank and Nora anticipates being free from the
debt. But ironically she was forced by the circumstances to be free from her
husband and children Mrs. Linde and Krogstad begin a new life together after
long periods of suffering and Dr. Rank dies, which can be seen as an end
transition according to one’s viewpoint.

So, every character in the play starts a new life respectively whether favorable or
not, so the word new symbolizes a sudden change that takes place suddenly.

The Tarantella, an Italian dances generally danced by a couple which was named
after tarantula spider whose poisonous bit was mistakenly believed to cause
tarantism or an uncontrollable urge for wild dancing. In this light, it is significant
that Torvald tells Nora to practice for Tarantella while he shuts himself away in
his office.

“I shall hear nothing; you can make as much noise as you please”

So, the dance of Nora symbolizes that she was tired of wearing appearances and
wants to get rid of this position.

So, her final decision to leave her husband and children symbolizes that one cannot
live a life of deceptions forever finally, one has to decide between the two and
Nora’s bold step of leaving her husband and children symbolizes an element of
change on the part of women to locate their independent identity. Now, most of
the woman has realized that things don’t happen themselves but brought to happen.
The bold step taken by Nora is a message for the other to take initiative for change
Nora is a torch-bearer of change as a feminist.

Final word:-

In short, we can say that the use of symbolism has made the story more impressive
and meaningful. The use of symbols by Ibsen is appropriate and conveys a sense.
The use of animal symbolism by Helmer for his wife (Nora) shows the type of
existing relationship between them and social superiority of man and inferiority of
women but the end of the play a doll’s house symbolizes that the time has come
when woman should prove their worth. As it is said:

“The society of women is the foundation of good manners”

(Goethe)

Dr. Faustus As A Renaissance Tragedy

R.M. Dawkins famously remarked that:

“Dr. Faustus tells the story of a renaissance man who had to pay the medieval
price for being one”

This question does get at the heart of one of the play’s central themes the clash
between the medieval world and the world of emerging renaissance. Renaissance
means revival of classical learning. The literature produced during this age has
got some peculiar characteristics of this age following are some of the main
features of renaissance age:

- Love for learning

- Dissatis faction
- Sky kissing desires
- Religious conflict
- Deconstruction of constructed norms
- Institution of marriage is challenged
- Love for beauty
- Spirit of nationalism
- Influence of Greek mythology
- Patriotism
- Evil in glowing colors
- Age of physical discoveries
- Skepticism
- Superiority to English language

Now, let’s try to locate the above mentioned features of renaissance age from
Marlowe’s play Dr. Faustus.

Faustus embodies the very essence of the renaissance man. The play Dr. Faustus
depicts the failure and tragedy of everyman having renaissance spirit. All the hot
controversies of the age are here in the play. Every renaissance man had a strong
urge for absolute power. He even dared to challenge the God. Faustus wants to be a
God on earth. As Mephistopheles allures him saying,

“Be thou in earth as Jove is in the sky”

Here lies the desires for absolute power of every renaissance man. He wants to
have everything which:
 “Moves between the quite poles”

This quest for power and knowledge ultimately leads the man to taste the fruit of
the tree that shaded Adam and Eve. He wanted to gain superhuman powers and
chorus makes this point crystal clear from with its beautiful classical allusion
before the very action of the drama. Faustus is everyman and his sin is re-
enactment of the sin of Adam pride.

“Till swoln with cunning of a self-conceit”

Another important feature of renaissance age which is made obvious is patriotism.

This is obvious when we go through the text of the play and find that despite all his
voluptuousness, Faustus has no good feature. He exhibits the prevalent spirit of the
Renaissance man when he says,

“I shall have them wall all Germany with, brass and male swift Rhine circle
with berg; I’ll have them fill the public-schools with silk”

For the fulfillment of the burning desire the Renaissance man was ready to do
everything. Faustus made hectic efforts to explore the mysteries of universe.
Faustus has mastered almost all the important subjects of study. He has become
one of the great masters of his time. But still he is dissatisfied and finds them
inadequate to fulfill his desires. He starts feeling that he has achieved nothing and
apparently lack of respect and weak social background lead him to think,

“Yet art thou still but Faustus and a man”

With all his studies and scholarship, he cannot make a man live eternally and is
unable to raise the dead to life again. Therefore, Faustus like every Renaissance
man starts feelings that he has achieved nothing and wished to go beyond the
limits. He forgets the fact that:

“Excess of everything is bad”

We find Faustus pointing out the drawbacks and limitations of all the subjects and
disaccording them one by one. He turns to the black art of magic because it is:

“The world of profit and delight of power, of honor of omnipotence”

Black art for Faustus is an instrument of power as well as fame.

 “Lust of power is the most flagrant of all the passions”

(Tacitus)

The Renaissance man usually disgraces the voice of his conscience and wants to
have his desires ranted at any cost (either by fair or foul means) same is the case
with Faustus. As he says,

“Tis, magic, magic, that hath ravished me”

In order to satisfy his sensual desires, he is ready to sell his soul. As he further
says,

“Having thee ever to attend on me, to give me what so ever I shall ask, to tell
me what so ever I demand”

Another feature is renaissance age is to explore the mysteries of universe.

Similarly, Faustus enquires Mephistopheles,

“Tell me are there many heavens above the moon”

Here lies the spirit of Renaissance age in the form of curiosity Faustus wants to
know beyond the limits.

Another important feature of Renaissance age is that holy wits are challenged.
People were exploited in the name of religion and Marlowe was bitterly against
corrupt church. This is obvious when Faustus says to Mephistopheles,

“Go and change thy shape as a Franciscan friar---the devil can assume the
holy shape best”

Faustus is an ambitious man to satisfy his ambitions, he defies God and trinity
and established code of life and think.

“A sound magician is a mightily God”

Another feature of renaissance age is the lust for power and pelf. Faustus also
dreams of the orient pearls that rest on the bed of ocean. His thoughts soar
constantly to the stars in the sky which is a zone of perpetual fascination for him.
Faustus soul was afire with intemperate ambition and with a craze for supernatural
powers and supreme sensual pleasure of life. He says to Mephistopheles,
 “By him I’ll be great emperor of the world”

Human was still another feature of renaissance age individual betterment was
stressed same is the case with Marlowe’s hero Dr. Faustus Mephistopheles says to
Faustus about heaven.

“I tell thee, Faustus, it is not half so far as thou or any man, that breathes on
earth”

Here lies the concept of individual’s betterment and importance which is a

prominent feature of renaissance age.

There is a very sharp and incisive satire on church’s rituals and officials
Mephistopheles is directed to appear in the form of an old Franciscan friar. The
convention of Matrimony is challenged with disgust,

“Marriage is but a ceremonial toy talk not of a wife”

Appraisal of beauty is another important feature of Renaissance age that takes the
expression in a most befitting manner. When Faustus tries to pay tribute to Helen’s
beauty,

“Was this the face that launched the thousand ships”

Marlowe seems more of a poet and a dramatist. He uses metaphors and smiles
form nature as he says,

“Lovelier than evening air, brighter than stars”

Most of the Renaissance man has sky high ambitions. They are most of the time
run by their desires. They become the slave of their passions. Therefore, it is right
to say that everyman like is Faustus having sky kissing desires like,

“Bridge the moving air, the fairest maid in Germany”

“Orient pearls”

Conflict is another feature of renaissance age. Renaissance men have both

internal and external conflicts. Similarly, this learned scholar from Wittenberg
never realized that though he has abjured God and the trinity and denounces the
Christian doctrines and dogmas, yet his attachment to them was too deep to be
routed out, so we find that even before surrounding his soul to the devil. Faustus is
experiencing the prick of conscience. Faustus like every Renaissance man always
waves between good and bad. As he says,

“Accursed Faustus, where is mercy now? I do repent and yet I do despair”

One of the major feature of renaissance age were scepticism, love for Greek
mythology, superiority to English language etc. all these features are abundantly
found in Marlowe’s Dr Faustus, Faustus like every renaissance man is not ready to
accept the reality of things and like a septic he hold’s detailed discussion with
Mephistopheles about various branches of knowledge. Marlowe deviated in the
sense from the renaissance spirit that rather than giving due importance to English
language, he time and time quotes references from Greek and Latin.

As he says,

“And hath not he, that built the walls of Thebes”

And like a septic he asks,

“But tell me, hath every sphere a dominion or intelligence”

Conclusion:-

To sum up, we can say that Faustus is a tragedy of modern man who rises to rise
above the humanity. In fact, he becomes the slave of passions and eventually
meets his end. Marlowe’s tragedies are really the embodiments of the spirit of
renaissance and he projected himself into the mightily characters of his towering
heroes. As a critic says,

“Tragic end of Faustus and damnation accrued due to this ultimate lust and
ambition and Faustus never repent on his sins due to which he lost himself in
the fatal bare again and free will also play a big role in it”

Henry Levin calls it,

“Science without conscious”

Up to great extent, Faustus is the embodiment of every Renaissance man as E.A.
Barluy gave very relevant remarks,

“This symbolic ideal tragedy deals with a theme which was part, not only of
the author’s inner experience but of the very stuff which nourished the
renaissance spirit”

Question no 1:

Do you think Faustus is spoke person of Marlowe?

Answer,

Subjectively means that writer is primarily concerned with conveying personal

emotions and feelings, subjectively element are one of the prominent feature if all
works of Christopher Marlowe. In fact, it was a serious limitation upon him as a
dramatist; he does not share Shakespeare’s unique privilege of self effacement.
Marlowe projected his personality to its fullest in his chief character.

In essence, Dr. Faustus fulfill all the requirements of an autobiography. Dr

Faustus has a stamp of Marlowe’s own personality upon it more intensely than the
other plays. It is his own anguish of soul that is portrayed in it, in a very real
sense; Faustus is Marlowe as critics says,

“Of all the works of Marlowe, Dr Faustus is the spiritual history of Marlowe
himself”

Dr Faustus is an autobiographical representation of Marlowe’s personality in

following perspectives

- Machiavelli spirit
- Love for poetry
- Base of stock
- Love for physical beauty and nature
- Dissatisfaction
- Holy write in question
 - Both are atheist
- Remain wavering between two extremes
- Both are free thinker and have conflicts in mind
- Strong urge of absolute power

These points have been discussed detail below

 Machiavelli Spirit:

Marlowe was profoundly influence by Machiavelli an Italian social and political

thinker, who disgraced all the conventional moral principles to achieve the end by
fair or foul means. Similarly, Faustus turned to necromancy to achieve power, pelf
and sensual pleasure. As he says,

“By him I’ll be great emperor of the world”

And,

“Tis magic, magic that hath ravished me”

The underline purpose of the following Machiavelli spirit by the both carries on
important element of humanism shared by Marlowe and Faustus.

 Base of stock:-

In the very beginning of the play, Chorus tells us about Faustus parentage,

“Now is he born, his parents base of stock”

We are reminded that Marlowe himself was the son of a show maker. So, we find a
striking similarity between the creator (Marlowe) and the character (Faustus)

 Love for poetry and beauty:-

Another similarity between Faustus and Marlowe is their love foe poetry. All the
tragic heroes of Marlowe reveal his wonder, poetic skill of expression. Dr Faustus
like the dramatist, was greatly moves by art and beauty, when on seeing amazing
beauty of Helen, Faustus says,

“Was this his face that launched a thousand ships, and burnt the topless
towers of Illyria?”

The line mentioned above clearly highlight that Marlowe was more of a poet than a
dramatist. At the same time, love for physical beauty links the both Marlowe and
Faustus. As in the play Marlowe speaks through Faustus,

“Let me have a wife, the fairest maid in Germany, for I am wanton and
lascivious and cannot live without a wife”

 Dissatisfaction:-

Another similarity between Marlowe and Faustus is their dissatisfaction. In the

beginning Faustus runs through all the branches of knowledge and finds them
inadequate to fulfill his desires. As he says,

“Philosophy is odious and obscure, both law and physic are for petty wits,
divinity is the basset of the three unpleasant, harts, contemptible and veil”

It shows Marlowe’s ambitions of reaching towards what is beyond the bounds of

man. As Faustus expresses Marlowe thought by saying,

“Be thou on earth as Jove is in the sky”

Both Marlowe and Faustus remained dissatisfied with their lives.

 Holy writs in question:-

In Dr Faustus first speech, we find Marlowe’s characteristic habit of calling holy

writs in question. Same is the case with Faustus. As he says,

Divinity Adieu,
 “These metaphysics of magicians and necromantic books are heavenly”

 Both are Atheist:-

We know that Marlowe through the bounty of Archbishop Parker had reached
Cambridge to quality himself for his clerical career. His studies has earned himself
the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, but he turned his back on the church and on
arrival in London had gained a reputation for atheism. Similarly, Faustus through
the bounty of a rich uncle had been sent to Witten to study divinity and had gained
with credit lay else. Where and he turned secretly to the study of necromancy and
conjuration. As he says,

“I’ll live in speculation of this art, till Mephistopheles return again”

So, the above listed feature establishes a close parallelism between Faustus and
Marlowe.

 Both are free-thinkers:-

Faustus shares not only the conflict with his creator, but also the despair and
mental anguish resulting from this conflict. Faustus always remains wavering
between two extremes (good angel and evil angel). Good angel and bad angel
represent clash between science and religion shared by Marlowe and Faustus.
Therefore, some critics regard Dr Faustus as

“Science without conscience”

Faustus see saw or wave motion shows a division and uncertainly in Marlowe
which was a natural outcome of the ideas cherished by Marlowe. Marlowe’s
religious and social ideas were bound to bring about acute, mental conflict.
Marlowe was a free thinker who persuaded men to atheism. So, Faustus was a free
thinker like Marlowe having atheistic ideas. As he says,
 “Come I think hell is a fable”

About life after death, he says,

“Thus, these are trifles and mere old wives tales”

So, these examples are enough to prove that both Marlowe and Faustus was atheist.

 Urge for absolute power:-

Another similarity between Faustus and Marlowe is their strong urge for absolute
power. For example, Faustus says,

“Be thou on earth as Jove is in the sky”

Faustus has a strong urge for absolute power and wants to have everything which
moves between the quite poles. Here Faustus and Marlowe have some type of
ideas because character represents its creator.

Another similarity between them is that Marlowe like Faustus was bitterly against
corrupt church and he also won the charge of an atheist. The following example
seeing Mephistopheles says,

“Go, and return an old Franciscan friar, that holy shape becomes a devil best”

Marlowe lived a profligate and boisterous life same has been the case with Faustus.
As he says,

“For the confounds hell in Elysium”

For Faustus, there was no difference between heaven and hell and such a life
cannot be anything except dangerous and boisterous.

The final lines of drama are nothing but the mournful melody of the chorus.

“Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight, and burned is Apollo’s
laurel! Bough that something grew within this learned man”
Dr. Faustus last soliloquy and his inclination towards religion shows Marlowe’s
bent of mind during the last days of his life and some of the critics are of the
opinion that Faustus last repentance and calling Christ for half is more of
Marlowe’s

Conclusion:-

After justifying features of subjectively we can claim that Dr Faustus is strewn

with unmistakable autobiographical suggestions Dr Faustus is true embodiment of
the spirit of the age in which Marlowe had a firm belief. It is Marlowe’s own
anguish of soul that is portrayed in it. In other words, a rebel in thinking and in
imagination, Marlowe is reminded to us by his own Faustus. So, we can say that up
to great extent, Faustus is the spoke person of Marlowe.

Blank verse/mightily line in Dr. Faustus

Christopher Marlowe was the real master of most versatile of English measures.
Marlowe’s achievement in blank verse or in the use of mighty lines can be best all
illustered by the study of Dr. Faustus up to what extent, Marlowe operational zed
this linguistic device in dr. Faustus to express his gradual ebb and flow can be
known by critically evaluating the text.

Anyhow, blank verse can be defined as:

“Unrhymed iambic pentameter in which each line is dived into five feet. There
are two syllables in each feet of which the second syllable is accented. So, in
each line, there are five feet and ten syllables”

And,

“The rhymed deca-syllabic line is known as blank verse”

Significance of blank verse:-

As far as the significance of blank verse in dr. Faustus is concerned, according to

most of the critics, blank verse is a means of conveying art-emotions. Marlowe’s
blank verse consists in a pretty simple huffe-snuffe bombast which reflects
ungoverned emotions on the part of the speaker.

The use of mighty lines beautifully finds expression in the play Dr. Faustus. The
following will suffice our stance.

Marlowe’s innovation:-

It was left for Marlowe then to infuse new blood and thus enliven the blank verse
of his predecessors with astounding vigor, variety and rhythm from the very
beginning of his literary career. Marlowe was quite conscious of his great role as a
poet as well as a dramatist. We find his bold assertion from the lines of Dr.
Faustus.

“O, what a world of profit and delight of power, of honor, of omnipotence is

promised to the studious artizon”

The use of care-free language in the form of blank verse highlights sea-saw
motion in Faustus mind fully inclined towards “profit, delight, honor, power etc”
everything is packed in three lines, in place gorboduc with its end-stopped lines
and dull and regular beats, Marlowe introduced run-on lines. These run on lines
indicate ever-increasing worldly desires of Dr. Faustus. The use of
unconventional stanza pattern in the form of mighty lines indirectly stands for
Marlowe’s characteristic habit of deconstructing already constructed religious and
social norms.

We find many examples of the use of mighty lines in Dr. Faustus to express his
mighty bent of mind. Sometimes it is done with feminine or weak endings, varied
the accent here and there and shifted the Caesura.
Caesura:-

Caesura: - Caesura is a pause about the middle of a line to suit the subject and the
sense. He also created a wonderful rhythm of extreme flexibility and power by feet
other than iambic ones i.e. with an opening trochee,

“Now that/ the gloomy shadow of/ the earth”

Perfection in blank verse:-

Credit must also be given to Marlowe for perfecting blank and giving it amazing
vigor, force, variety and magnificent poetic fights in his dramas especially in Dr.
Faustus. It was possible for Marlowe because,

“He could evolve this great medium, that is blank verse, and develop it on right to
serve the purpose of his poetical as well as dramatic genuine”

Actually, the underlines reason behind the use of mighty lines or blank verse is to
establish co-relation between emotions and ever-changing context. This has
successfully been done by Marlowe. We can give appropriate example in this
regard which is usually regarded as one of the best uses of blank verse in Dr.
Faustus,

“Shadowing more beauty in their airy brows. Than have the white breasts of
the queen of love”

The line mentioned above encircle vast spectrum in inner and outer contents,

As far as the use of blank verse in Dr. Faustus is concerned, his final monologue is
regarded as the best example of blank verse in English literature. It is an
emotional passage which illustrates Marlowe’s achievement as the writer of blank
verse e.g.

“Oh, I’ll leap up to my God, who pulls me down”

The use of weak form in the above mentioned lines is highly ideological because
change in form results in changing the function of language as well, here, the use
of weak form in the form of linguistic assimilation shows quick and wavering
nature of Faustus at that particular moment knowing he has left almost with no
time to repent. Faustus wants to express his repentance in the fewest possible
words. So, in this regard no better linguistic device than blank verse suits the
occasion best. As J.A. Symonds says,

“Marlowe stands supreme as far as the use of blank verse in Dr. Faustus is
concerned”

 Blank verse paragraph:-

It is noteworthy that in Marlowe’s run-on lines, the sense flows on from line to
line, until the idea, or image complete. So, we can unhesitatingly called Marlowe
the first great English poet to write blank verse paragraphs. Marlowe’s wonder
achieved by blank verse mightily lines can be best illustrated by quoting lines from
Dr. Faustus e.g.

“O what a world of profit and delight of power, of honor, of omnipotence. Is

promised to the studious artizon”

The way Faustus all branches of knowledge and says,

“Philosophy is obscure and odious, both law and physics are for petty wits,
divinity is the basest of the three, unpleasant, harsh, contemptible and vile, tis
magic, magic, that hath ravished me”

Just look at the use of blank verse in the above mentioned lines. The use of
alliteration, magic, magic, on one hand creates musicality and on the other hand
realistically portrays Faustus mindset.

 Examples from Dr. Faustus:-

Dr. Faustus replete with number of examples of blank verse/ mightily lines. The
lines are mostly end stop ones. The fall of stresses is changed to remove a
monotonous approach. The speeches of chorus are straight forward utterances,
regular in their consistency and internal pauses are shifted,
“After Faustus vows never to look to heaven, and to name God, or to pray to
him, burn his scriptures and slay his ministers”

In contrast to this, note the elasticity, simplicity and change in pause and beat in
the following lines,

“O, what a world of profit and delight of power, of honor, of omnipotence”

The lines mentioned above clearly highlight, the conflict and ever-changing
tendencies in Dr. Faustus.

Moreover, the following lines can be regarded as mighty lines:

“A sound magician is a mighty God”

And,

“The reward of sin is death, that’s hard”

Through his blank verse, Marlowe not only expressed his emotional state of mind,
but has also combined myth or legend as well e.g.

“Was this the face that launched a thousand ships and burnt the topless
towers of Ilium”

The lines mentioned above carries the mythological reference about the “Helen of
Greece and her lover”

Another prominent feature of Marlowe’s blank verse is the use of adjective e.g.

“----sweet Helen”

The use of adjective highlight that Helen has been praised in the superlative
degrees.

Ending lines of Faustus are also witnessed of marlowe’s achievement in the blank
verse as,

“Stand still you ever moving spheres of heaven that time may cease and
midnight never come”
As Faustus blank verse is nearer to everyday conversation it fall in the middle way
between prose and verse

Dr. Johnson has also given it the name of mighty line

Conclusion:-

To conclude, we can say that Marlowe can rightly be regarded as pioneer in the
use of blank verse. The way he juggles with different linguistic devices to suit his
purpose is matchless. Dr. Faustus undoubtedly, is a masterpiece of Marlowe as far
as the ideological use of linguistic form and function (blank verse) is concerned.
As a critic has rightly said,

“Marlowe was the father of English tragedy and creator of English blank
verse”

Q. No 2:-

Write down the names of seven deadly sins in Dr. Faustus.

Ans:-

The names of seven deadly sins which have been mentioned in Dr. Faustus are:

1. Pride
2. Gluttony
3. Wrath
4. Sloth
5. Covetousness
6. Envy
7. Lechery

Dr. Faustus as a morality play:-

Morality plays:

“Morality plays are a type of allegory in which the protagonist is met by

personification of various moral attributes who try to prompt him to choose a
goodly life over one of evil”

It has been a matter of controversy amount the critics that whether Dr. Faustus is a
morality play or not. First of all. Let’s try to know what are the prominent features
of morality play and then it can be proved whether Dr. Faustus is a morality play or
not

- Protagonist
- Conflict in the mind of hero
- Tussle between good and evil
- Personification
- Sky kissing desires
- Bond is signed conditionally
- Two visions of devil
- Comic relief/ comic element
- Introduction of chorus
- Use of biblical imagery
- Moral or didactic aim

Theme of the morality play:

The main theme of the morality is this man begins in innocence man falls into
temptation man repents and is saved. The central action is the struggle of man
against the seven deadly sins that are personified into the real characters. The
general theme of the morality play was theological and the central theme was the
struggle between good and evil power for capturing man’s soul with choice for
eternal damnation.
Dr. Faustus: A morality:

Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus Inspite of its tragic ending is a belated

“Morality vindicating the humility, faith and obedience to the law of God”

It presents the conflict between good and evil. The basic beliefs of Christianity are
inherited in it and the doctrine of damnation pervades it. The characteristics of the
morality play in Dr. Faustus are given below

Protagonist:-

From the beginning, the play identifies its protagonist not as everyman the morality
play hero who stands for all of us. It is certainly possible to argue that Faustus
brings about his own demise through his catastrophically ill-advised decision to
embrace black magic

“A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, etc

whom the events of the narratives plot revolve and with the audience is intend
to share the most empathy”

Faustus is the central figure of Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus. He falls not by the
fickleness of fortune or the decree of fate, or because he has been corrupted by
Mephistopheles the agent of Lucifer, the devil but because of his own will.

Personification:-

In morality plays, characters are allegorical they are personified abstractions of

vice or virtues. Supporting characters are personifications of good and evil.
Similarly, in Dr. Faustus we find good and evil angels. Good angel is the
personified representation of conscience while evil angel is the personified
“representation of passions.”

The former stands for the path of virtues and the later for sin and damnation. In Dr.
Faustus there is much other personification which includes seven deadly sins.

Bond is signed conditionally:-

One of the characteristics of a morality play is that nothing is done

unconditionally. Dame us the case with Faustus, when Faustus signs the
agreement, he does not surrender his soul unconditionally. There are five
conditions which Faustus lays down and to which Mephistopheles agrees.

These five conditions are:

- Having thee ever to attend on me

- To give me whosever I shall ask
- To tell me whatsoever I demand
- To slay mine enemies, and aid my friends
- And always be obedient to my will.

By selling his soul to the devil, he lives a blasphemous life full of vain and
sensual pleasures just for 24 years.

Dr. Faustus is a play of medieval theology:-

Morality play is really a fusion of allegory and religious drama. The general theme
of moralities was theological and the main one was to struggle between good and
evil powers. Dr. Faustus may be called as a morality play, as Faustus surrenders his
soul to devil out of his inordinate ambition to gain.

“A world of profit and delight of power of honor of omnipotence”

As in Dr. Faustus, there is conflict between good and evil angels. Faustus is not the
noble victim of a tyrannical duty. But Faustus willfully refuses all aid and goes to
damnation.

Use of biblical imagery:

Dr. Faustus is a morality play in the other sense that it deals with the concept of
evil and good according biblical concept. Marlowe also used biblical imagery in
the play. For example is the biblical illusion to the sacrifice of Christ. In the second
phrase of Faustus, soliloquy, Dr. Faustus realizes the futility of knowledge and
speculation.

First, he lay the responsibility of his infliction upon his parents but then he checks
himself and stops cursing his parents.

“No, Faustus curses thyself, curse Lucifer that had deprived thee from the
joys of heaven”

In the end, Faustus also admits the superhuman power of Christ and his supremacy
when he says,

“See, see where Christ’s blood streams in the firmament”

Marlowe has used biblical imagery in many places in the play. As Faustus says,

“Ah, Christ may savor, seek to sane distressed Faustus’s soul”

Conflict:-

Dr. Faustus is a morality play in the sense that it contains the element of conflict
which is the major characteristic of the morality play. From the beginning of the
play, there is a conflict between good and evil, reason and religion. For the
fulfillment of his will, Dr. Faustus finds to his great despite that branches of
knowledge like philosophy, physics, law and divinity are inadequate

“Divinity Adieu!

These metaphysics of magicians and necromantic books are heavenly”

Evil in glowing colors:-

In moralities, the negative things are painted in glowing colors, in the same way,
Lucifer in Dr. Faustus has been shows a very powerful spirit. Marlowe painted evil
forces with fascinating colors but he also emphasis a good forces in the end.

We can give example in this regard that Marlowe has presents the character of Old
man positively when Faustus asks Mephistopheles replies which is as under:

“His faith is great and I cannot raise his skin”

The line mentioned above implicitly carries Marlowe’s liking for virtue.

Introduction of Chorus:-

One of the critics says that if we take the first Chorus of the play in its literal sense,
we come to know from the following words of the Chorus, it following words of
the Chorus, it is a morality play,

“Till swoln with cunning, of self-conceit his waxen wings did mount above his
reach, and melting heavens conspired his overthrow”

The introduction of chorus in the beginning at the end of the play is ideological and
carries different interpretations message is being imparted implicitly that one
should not cross one limit and hence, it is a tradition of morality plays followed by
Marlowe.
Comic relief:-

The comic sense of Dr. Faustus also belongs to the tradition of morality plays.
These comic scenes were introduced to entertain and to raise horse laughter. The
same is the case with almost all the five comic scenes in Dr. Faustus especially the
scene I of the III act where Faustus playing vile tricks on the pope and the IV
scene of the act IV. Where the horse courser is totally out witted and befouled by
Faustus.

Marlowe was a child of renaissance. He has projected and

Reflected the spirit of Renaissance in his hero in the form of his high and
inordinate desires for knowledge, beauty, wealth and power. He beyond the limits.

Repentance:-

The element of repentance in Dr. Faustus also belong to the tradition of morality
plays. In act II, Faustus blames Mephistopheles and says that he will “renounce
this magic and repent”

But continuous practice of sin is steadily Faustus’s will power and he says,

“My heart is hardened I cannot repent”

In morality plays, it is stressed that sin is inevitable but that repentance is always
possible. In Dr. Faustus Faustus always waves between good and evil forces.

Moral or Didactic Aim:-

The chief aim of morality play didactic. It was dramatized guide to Christian living
and Christian dying. Whosoever discards the path of virtues and faith in God and
Christ, is destined to despair and eternal damnation and it is also the message of
the Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus and it has found the most touching expressional in the
following lines of the play,

“Whose deepness doth entice such forward wits, to practice more than
heavenly power permits leads you towards damnation”

Conclusion:-

Most of the characteristics of morality plays like conflict, personification,

repentance in the end, representation of evil in glowing colors, etc have been
followed by Marlowe but Marlowe does not intend to write a morality play on
sound Christianity because he does not fully agree with catholic fiction. Many
famous critics are of the opinion that it is a morality play up to a great extent. As
A.L. Rowse says,

“The mixture of spiritual tragedy with the spiritual precisely the

characteristics of the traditional moralities and Dr. Faustus was Marlowe’s
morality play”

“Waiting for Godot”

As an existentialist play

“It is a philosophical theory which emphasis the existence of an individual as

free and responsible agent determining his/ her own development through
acts of free wile”

Or
Existentialism is an outlook or perspective on life that pursues the question of the
meaning of life in the meaning of existence.

Waiting for Godot, is based on philosophy of existentialism. It highlights the

relationship of human beings with God and leads us to numerous questions like,

- How to survive in a better way in the surrounding you are placed

- How to cope with the circumstances around you.
- How to be independently identified
- How to materialize what are your utmost desires
- Nature of existence will determine the ways/ tools of existence.

It is a controversial issues among critics up to what extent waiting for Godot, can
be regarded as a play based on existentialism. In certain respects, the play fulfils
the basic requirements of existentialist philosophy. Actually ours is the age in
which everyone is striving for better existence.

Our chief consort here is to co-relate. The concept of existentialism with the play
“waiting for Godot”

Becket and Stares various about existentialism co-relate on following points.

- Derivation
- Basic positions
- Two types of time
- The momentary end the eternal
- Time and identity
- The concept of “The other”

Let’s have a detailed view above mentioned feature regarding existentialism in the
play “waiting for Godot”

One of the important features regarding existentialism is the key feature of time.
Proust as well as those who studied him has concentrated on the distinction
between clock time and chronometric time and subjective time or time as
expressed. The clock time is a means of measuring natural time; we can escape
only by taking recourse to illusion or supernatural. Hence, the division of time
indicated that there are two schools of thought in the present world (one believes in
clock time and others who regard eternity everything)

Basically a discussion of time has been a subject of perennial controversy.

“Given consciousness memory or apprehension the question of time is not and

cannot be new”

Expressed as the distinction between clock time and eternity with the desire to
escape permanently form the tyranny of the finest into the second or to capture
eternal moments from natural time and pressure them from its sausages.

In the play time/ waiting go side by side. Samuel Beckett indicates time/ waiting in
the play “waiting for Godot “as

“Silence is peering into the play like water into a sinking ship”

Beckett infers that humans pass time by habit or routine to cope with the
existentialist of the annuity of their existence.

Vladimir: “we always find something eh didi, to give us the impression that
use exist”

The concept of hope sustaining life is quite obvious , the two characters Vladimir
and Estragon keep an burning a lay of hope in them and hoping for better
coexistence. Ironically or otherwise it establishes co-relation between the
existence of the characters and the tree.

The trumps repetitive inspection of empty hats perhaps symbolize mankinds in

research for they desire most within the vacuum of a universe.

The central characters in the play we see between two extremes and most of the
time. They remain indecisive which type of existence they should be preferred. In
this regard, the play waiting for Godot can be regarded as dealing with centuries
old problem of human existence under different circumstances.

Faustus of existentialist drama:-

 - Illogical techniques
- Central theme nothingness, absence, emptiness, unresolved mysterious,
absurdity

They comprise a play like waiting for Godot

The play is abundant in repetition as there is caption in life, the play is full of
nothingness as there is nothingness in life, there is meaninglessness in the play as
there is meaninglessness in life

As mentioned earlier the distinction between clock time and subjective time is one
of the themes of waiting for Godot. This is quite natural since one becomes
conscious of time when is waiting. The passage of time is not absolute but realities
to one’s mental condition. The tramps major problem is make time pass in such a
way that they are least bothered by it.

Vladimir and estragon constantly complain of the slowness with which time
passes and do their best to hurry it on with their futile deeds. For them time is
passing slowly because they are leading hard lives waiting for something
miraculous. We can cite an example from the text to strengthen the topic under
discussion.

Vladimir and estragon discovers that estragon boots have been changed the two
discuss the situation in this way.

Estragon: mine were black, these are brown

Vladimir: you are sure, yours were black?

Estragon: will they were a kind of grey

Vladimir: and these are brown?

Estragon: will they are a kind of green

The conucersciticm shows alter meaninglessness and wastage of time in futile

deeds.

Futile deeds are too means of survival for them

Between the acts of the play, the tree has grown five/ six leases, pozzo has grown
old and luckily dumb. The notion of being blind to waste time blinding rather his/
her main concern is to enlighten different domains of existence.

They all change as estragon remarks,

“Only we can’t”

in this play, these two characters are living in two worlds (one of imagination and
other of reality)

There is a distinction between the momentary and the eternal. Since Proust
parucularly it has been hardly possible to separate the question of time from the
question of identity and existence is/ as the I which existence in the past the same I
as now? Here,

I person as a state metaphor every individual

I is struggling for exultance and can be generalized as abstract representation of

every human beings in the same condition.

As far as the concept of identity as existence kit is concerned it has been a

dominant urge, among the human beings to exist by identifying themselves as
positive others. Same is the case of estragon and Vladimir who are straining for
either exultance in the rest of their lives in waiting for Godot. Physical time is
sometimes taken seriously and included. Actually the theme of the play is a clash
between physical concept of time and pleasures of life here after.

Heimen’s concept of identity and identity crisis argues that identity is fluid and
keeps an changing. Same action is identified differently by different both types of
time i.e. physical and eternal and no supernatural power will come to help them in
the time of crisis, but on the other hand they are still hopeful for something
miraculous.

A related concept in the one witness of the self as self is known through others

The most reliable other is of course, God conceived as an all seeing absolute.

The concept of self and other with reference to existents carries that implied
meanings that other can be reached or explored only by exploring self. The other
shapes existence as the self strives for it. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that
the underlying philosophy of existentialism is the more enlightened the self. The
brightest response from the other

Conclusion:-

To exit, we can say that if we keep on wasting time like Vladimir and estragon
doing nothing just waiting for Godot, our existence on this universe will be
meaningless or futile such type of people are regarded as hollow men. This can be
related to various philosophies if existence and essence but as presented on the
stage no other equipment in audience than the bond of common perception about
self and other.

Symbolism in Waiting For Godot

Symbols are essentially words which suggest much more than their literal
meanings symbolism means,

“analogical representation of persons things or ideas”

As symbols increase the expressing power and range of meaning, they are
frequently used by those writers who wants to express mystic and spiritual
thoughts. Let’s try to locate the use of symbolism in the play waiting for Godot
and how has this literary device added extra charm in the play.

As far as the symbolism in the play is concerned it is replete with symbolic

devices right from the title till the end

1. Title is Symbolic:-
The title carries different messages and is highly suggestive and symbolic. It
carries following implications:

 Waiting and effort are two competing discourses embodied by the title
 Waiting more of impracticality and less of putting efforts
 Whereas the word Godot is also symbolic and connotative as.

Godot someone superior, supernatural, divine agent, capable of granting what is

desired most

 The title also symbolize that everybody is waiting for his/ her own Godot
according to his/ her or mindset.
 The title also symbolizes that most of human beings all trough their lives
keep waiting for some supernatural happening to raise their status in life
instead of doing who said that?

The real quotation is like this:

“Hope deffered maketh the heart sick”

This is a proverb Bible (13:12). It is highly symbolic in its significance. The two
characters mentioned (Christ and thieves) are symbolic in nature representing
competing groups of people believing in Godot according to their own symbolic
settings

Symbol of Godot:-

Godot stands for a big question in the play. This is the most interpreted symbol in
the play. Some of the critics are of the view that Godot is not representation of
God. Because they believe that the word Godot means meaninglessness. But at
symbolic levels, there can things practically. This is the very theme around which
the whole play resolves. The writers have criticized such notions of the people and
have labeled them as absurd ideas.

 The very title waiting for Godot symbolically stand for a state of hoping
against hope. We can extract another symbolic significance from the title of
 the play which is waiting without putting practical efforts for some is a
symbol of uselessness and for others is a:

“Kind of prayer and staying connected with divinity”

 The title also symbolize that either to continue waiting for some miracle or
try to shape yours destiny yourself.

According to some critics, the play carries references from Christianity e.g. in the
start Vladimir says,

“Hope deffered make some sick”

Be no finality, meaninglessness for some may be symbol of meaningfulness for

the others. Secondly, it has also been noted that the title “En attendant Godot”
seems to contain an allusion to a book called “Attente de dieu” which would
flourish a further indication that Godot stands for God. The word Godot can also
be taken for the character. Godeau in bezle’s play meredit. In the above
mentioned books, the character is awaited for a miracle to happen and change the
situation. This symbolically shows that human beings all through their lives
depends on supernatural power, hoping for some miraculous situation. Instead of
waiting for some miracle people should manage things for themselves. Those who
mange are wise and those who do not are otherwise (absurd)

Thirdly, the word Godot resembles the words God and water Godot is a bilingual
pun on God and water because the hero is waiting for isolation and spiritual thirst
e.g.

Waiting a state of being thirsty

Godot means of quenching thirst

Water God

So, it shows that Godot has resemblance with God. He is a savior or a supernatural
agency or a messianic figure. One of the interpretations of the word Godot is the
second coming of Christ.
Although waiting for Godot resembles with God but it is not truly God rather
concept of God. Beckett indicates that the conception of Godot lies in their waiting
for Godot and their faith that he will come.

Another interpretation of word Godot is that it resembles ‘nobodaddy’ (not father

like). Thus, the sub-title of the play can be nobodaddy revenge. This shows that
Godot has dual personality. Sometimes of beneficial and sometimes of punisher.
According to some philosophers, the proof of God’s existence lies in his absence.
This is proof vs. absentia. It can be interpreted as:

GODOT

Hope Uncertanity

At symbolic level, it can be co-related with witman’s concept in leaves or grass,

when he says,

“Unseen is proved by the seen”

Symbol of tree:-
The tree under which Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot is full of
symbolic implications; basically, tree is a symbol of life or hope. It is a reference
towards the tree of garden of Eden. But at the same time, tree is a symbol of cross,
which is made of wood. Hence, the underlying significance of the symbol of tree
as follows:

So, the presence of tree in the very setting symbolizes the Dilemma of human
existence. This bare tree is a symbol of bareness for some and a means of granting
for the others (Vladimir and estragon). Therefore, not only the play is symbolic at
the level of title, selection of characters but also the very setting of the play desert,
bareness, etc is also symbolic.

Symbolic of country Road:-

This country road is symbolic in nature. It symbolizes

country
road

journey endless
of life suffering

This country-road show the circle of life. It shown that life is mere a journey when
the cycle completes we reach at the same point from whereas we start. As said by
Eliot,

“In my end is my beginning”

We see that there is no change in the life of Estragon and Vladimir. The play ends
from where it started. This is also symbolizes the endless journey of suffering as
the human beings do not know the end of their suffering as both characters of the
play.

Symbol of Ditch:-
It is also a universal symbol of oppression. This ditch raises the question of self
identity of man. This expression fails all the traditional concepts of humanism.
Man is nothing but is subjected to oppression and suffering here the role of
oppression is important, any place, where this oppression exists, like homes, office
world or universe become a ditch hence, it symbolizes the Absurd Existence of
man.

Symbol of Hat & Boot:-

The search in hat and boot symbolize human search for relief. It shows the anxiety
of human beings. This search encircles the whole humanity. All of us are waiting
for a change which would change our condition. It symbolizes all the questions
about her existence, which are never offered answers. This search symbolizes the
uncertainly of human life.

The language of the play is non-communicate silence and non-verbal phrases are
of great significance. The play symbolizes irrationality and meaninglessness.
Clithes are used extensively. There is repetition of dialogues, routines, etc.

The characters in the play waiting for Godot are mechanical puppets. They
perform their roles like machines. They don’t know what they are doing and what
they will do next.

To sum up the above ideas regarding the play, we cannot extract a clear idea what
Beckett intended to write? What the play is all about? Once Beckett was asked to
explain the play he said,

“And if I will tell you in a sentence, I would not have written a play”

Conclusion:-
To conclude, we can say that the use of symbol in the play, into is obvious. It can
be said that the very title, characterization, physical setting of the play and the very
desires of almost all the characters in the play are symbolic either at one or the
other level.

Waiting for Godot as an Absurd Play

Waiting for Godot is one of the master-piece of absurdist literature. The term
absurd was coined by Martin Ellis’s book. Theatre of the absurd published in
1961. The very word absurd means:

“Non-sensical, ambiguous, opposite to reason”

The play wrights loosely grouped under the label of absurdist’s (those who
believe that human beings exist in a purposeless chaotic universe in which attempts
to impose order are frosted) believe

“Humanity’s plight as purposeless in an existence which is out harmony with

its surrounding awareness of this lack of purpose produced a state of
metaphysical anguish”

Absurdism is an idea commonly associated with existentialism. According to

Minchliffe,

“Absurd theater is timeless, universal and philosophical”

The basic parameters upon which the theory of absurdist’s rest are given below

1. Our source and ending of existence is unknown

2. Our existence is ambiguous
3. Our desires are absurd
4. Humanity’s plight seems purposeless

Characteristics of the absurd plays:-

 - These plays violate every canon of successful drama
- These plays have no story and plot
- These plays are devoid of recognizable characters and motivation
- Characters are mechanical puppets
- Theme is unexplained
- Neither a beginning nor an end
- These plays seem to be reflections of nightmares

Our chief concern here is to co-relate these features with the play waiting for
Godot. One of the masterpieces of absurdist literature. On following grounds, the
play waiting for Godot is said to be an absurd play.

Plot:-

According to aristitle,

“Plot is the sequence and arrangement of incidents in a story”

(Chap#3)

Aristotle’s poetics

The rout ledge publications

2009

In traditional conventional dramas/ plays, there was fixed and a definite story. The
heroic actions were based on the conventions in the plot. Whereas in waiting for
Godot the plot is vague/ minimal. No exhibited story. No definite story is
exhibited by it rather than the portrayal of a static state of being. There is no
dramatic conflict in the accepted sense of the word no periphery, no
anagnorisis, etc

Moreover, Aristotle arrests that:

 “A plot should have a proper beginning middle and an end”

(Chap # 3, poetics)

Whereas waiting for Godot does not have a proper defined and ending.

Theme:-

At thematic level, the play may be termed as an absurd play as it does not had a
definite, obvious theme. From the beginning till the end, the theme remains
blurred. At surface level, the theme of the play seems to be waiting whereas
endless waiting in turn seems absurd. The play is neither about Godot nor about
waiting rather its puts waiting directly on the stage. Abstract ideas are portrayed
so that the audience may experience then directly, e.g.

Importance, ignorance, waiting, etc. a critic says about Beckett:

“Beckett in his plays/ dramas does not write about things rather he presents
the things themselves”

(The Cambridge Publications)

2006

Esslin says about absurd plays,

“If a story has to have a fully explained theme, neatly exposed and finally
solved, these are without any obvious theme”

In the story, Godot who seems to be an active subject is dominated by a passive

verb i.e. waiting which becomes the active subject. Although the play, it is
waiting that is highlighted more.

Lack of superb characterization:-

In traditional conventional dramas, the actions of the characters were based on the
conventions of the plot and were dominated by strong passions and ambitions

Macbeth’s air------power

Faustus’s aim------unchallenged power

Hamlet’s aim-------revenge

But in waiting for Godot whatever characters perform is not in harmony with its
plot.

So, the play waiting for Godot can be labeled as an absurd play, because
characters are flate and mechanical puppets. Whereas in a successful drama,
characters are round and don’t indulge themselves in futile deeds. The tramps are
ordinary or even below the ordinary level of humanity but actually.

“Every dramatic representation of man is a successful representation of the

absurd”

Butcher says,

“A direct identification with the characters makes us indirect participants in

the play”

(The oxford publications, 2003)

But after going through the entire frameworks, we are unable to identify ourselves
with the characters. Martin Esslin remarking about absurd play asserts that;

“If a good play has to have a subtlety of characterization and motivation,

these are after present the audience with mechanical puppets”

(The theatre of absurd, 1961)

Ambiguous or broken language:

At linguistic level, the play waiting for Godot can be labeled as an absurd play
because the dialogues are no witty, repartee or pointed dialogues and there is no
conscious use of poetic language. The conversation between the two tramps is
more common even then the daily conversation.

Estragon my shoes were black

And these are brown

Vladimir are you sure, yours were black

Es they’re a kind of grey

Vi but these are brown

Es no, but, they are a kind of green

Both the acts at their ending have the same dialogues e.g.

Estragon well! Shall we go?

Vladimir yes! Let’s go

Moreover, the play waiting for Godot can be regarded as an absurd play because of

- Dying dialogues
- Sentences unfinished
- Stories that of Englishman in a brothel are interrupted
- Thoughts and speculation e.g. that of two thieves never reach conclusion
- Actions never take a proper shape e.g. estragon says let’s go but even then
they can’t proceed a single step
- Lucky is not allowed to complete his speech.

Hence, all the actions fall into uncertainly. Things are topsy-turvy leasing the
reader perplexed

Loss of identity:-
Loss of identity is the chief feature of waiting for Godot as an absurd play. The
tramps have lost their identity in second act. These two are old acquaintances, but
so their relationship is in doubt. They spend the night apart and are certain only of
intervening beatings, since they are breathing and life is an endless rain of blows
for them. They wait for ultimate extinction but in a frustrated way, hence another
reason to categories the play, waiting for Godot as an absurd play.

In absurd plays, most of the things remain in mystery as in the certain plays such as
waiting for Godot. The tramps are waiting for mysterious Godot whom reality is
not known even to the waitotrs (Vladimir and Estragon)

Another reason which the play can be regarded as an absurd play is its physical
setting. It seems that Becket has imported half meaning of this absurd play through
the spectacle he used. The desert, the bare tree, tramps deeds on the stage carry
hidden meanings/ implications to be explored by great wits keeping in mind the
theater of absurd

The prominent reason for which the play is regarded as an absurd play is its
ending. The ending of the play is not a conclusion in the usual sense the wait
continues the human issues remain unresolved.

Conclusion:-

To conclude we can say that:

“The theatre of the absurd can be seen as a reflection of what seems to be the
attitude most genuinely representative of our time”

The above mentioned reasons e.g. loose plot, unexplained theme, unusual ending,
loss of identity, impossibility of actions, etc make the play waiting for Godot as
an absurd play

Pre-destination in Oedipus Rex

Pre-destination means that

“There is no way to control your life and that your life has been planned out
for you ahead of time and nothing could be done by you to escape it”

Some people believe in pre-destination while others believe that your life is a
matter of yours own choice and whatever you get is actually actions. As Abraham
Lincoln says,

 Man is the architect of his own fate

Sincerely, William Henry asserts that

 I am the master of my fate, I am the caption of my soul

The story in Oedipus Rex seems to prove the truth that

 “There is a life pre-determined for you and you can neither attar it nor
escape your prophecy”

The world of Oedipus is a world of mysterious where man’s free will, struggle for
identity and inherent humanism is moulded by barbaric fate. The Gods, oracles,
prophecies and curses are fulfilled inspite of the harsh struggle to divert them.
There is a frequent use of the names of Gods in Sophocles plays. Same is true
about Oedipus Rex as well. We see the names of various God having various roles
to play e.g. Apollo Dionysus, Jews etc.

As Oedipus says,

“The God was Apollo who brought my sick, sick fate upon me”

And Tieresias (the blind seer) asserts that

 It is not through me that your fate will come, sixe it lies within Apollo’s
competence
- In the story, Oedipus suffers a tragic downfall. As he is foretold at Delphi
oracle that he will murder his father and marry his mother. He tries to
 escape adverse circumstances but being a man, finite in his facilities comes
back to the circumstances he was avoiding as:
 Man is helpless in face of elementary forces of nature

Hardy also asserts that:

 We are just like puppets in the hands of the president of immortals

Incest and parricide were fate bound acts, therefore prove to be forgiven but
Oedipus untiring quest to know the ultimate truth threw him in front of the hungry
lions of fate. Being a king and a compassionate exorcist, he had to resolve the city
from prologue and famine. It was his duty to prove into the very depths. As the
priest asked him

“Let them not say we rose but later fell, keep the state away from going down
into the storm”

- Oedipus commits certain mistakes which were not done intentionally with
an evil purpose. They sprang from his excessive goodness and reached
maximum to form his Hamartia. His
1. Self-confidence was transformed into over-confidence. As he says

“I have come, myself to hear you, I Oedipus who bears the famous name”

2. Egoism Egoism

As when he says to Creon

“Thrones may be won or bought, you could do neither”

3. Self-realization pride

“Suppose you must be wrong (Creon)”

Oedipus: still I must rule

- He curses the prophet of Apollo bitterly by calling him

 You senseless, witless, sightless, mad old man

You child of endless night.

Since, it calls down appalling penalties. His own face is much worse that it might
have been other than exile and purification. He places curse upon himself. The
oracle does not demand such a punishment for him. When he realizes that he may
be the murder of Laius, he desperately remarks.

“And this-t’ was I, none other. Than I invoked the curse”

- Oedipus faces two extremes. He had to go through circumstances yet he is

brave enough to decide punishment for himself rather than being killed or
admitting suicide, he decide continuous affliction for himself. Whatever
happened to him was pre-decided. His hasty decisions, anger etc. though
added spices to his destination yet they did not have a direct influence on it
indirectly, they had influences on it, further discussion will make it clear that
it was pre-destined by giving a depending answer to Creon’s insulting
remarks, Oedipus says that,

“It was all decided by Gods, my life was innocent”

This shows that Oedipus fate always chased him to make him meet his doom.

Mavrice Bowra remarked

“The Gods forced the knowledge on Oedipus of what he had done”

Another example of fate distinction can be given from Tieresias lines. He

foreshadows future by saying,

“The revelation may not please, a blind man who has eyes now, a penniless
man who is rich now”

This shows that a man who is rich and visionary at this tile will suffer and becomes
penniless and blind in time to come and we see that through Oedipus tries to run
away yet he gets more entangled in the web woven by Gods Tieresias also says,

“Whether I speak or not, it is bound to come”

Oedipus doing are already decided yet he could have avoided murdering Laius as
he did it in a fit of anger. A critic says

“could not have Oedipus avoided what ever happened to him”

But marrying Jocaste was unintentional. Though he murdered Laius yet he did not
know that he acted upon the prophecy told to him. This is what Tieresias asks him.

“You do not even know the blind wrong that you have done them”

When Oedipus realizes that he is the very man found guilty of insect and parricide,
he says

“Who is the man more hated by Gods, than I”

Furthermore, he says,

“I was barn to this fate-I, who could deny the savagery of Gods”

Jocaste and Oedipus mocks at the prophecies by saying,

“Oracle’s are empty words”

(Oedipus)

“O riddles of God’s will where you are now”

(Jocaste)

Through Laius and Jocaste try to outrun prophecy by conspiring to starve baby.
Oedipus to death but, Gods want the child to be alive so, he is saved to suffer.

This shows that man cannot outrun the decisions of Gods. If Oedipus had been
restricted to Corinth, he would not have been suffered a lot but un a bid to escape
fortune, he got back into the clutches of malignant fate. As it is said that:

“Fate is always wrathful and raising its finger at the man says”

“Since art thou borne thou shalt suffer”

And Thomas Hardy says,

“As flies to the wanton boys, are we to the Gods who kill us for their sport”

Conclusion:-
To sum up, it can be aptly said that we are like puppets in the hands of fate,
through choice is given to us but it is limited as the consequences are decided by
Gods. We do not enjoy complete freedom as when Oedipus came to know that he
was found guilty of heinous acts if he had enjoyed complete authority on earth he
could have changed his fate. He only tried to run away but he couldn’t change it
despite of every effort to change it. Destiny and fate may seem polities but the
nobility of characters in changing it with courage evokes a compensating
admiration. Oedipus himself says

“I am destiny’s child”

Oedipus Rex as an Aristotelian Tragic Hero

Before embarking on the discussion whether Oedipus Rex is an Aristotelian hero

or wot, let us look at the parameters set by Aristotle for an ideal tragic hero. They
are given below.

1. Not perfectly good, not completely bad

2. Consistent
3. Must poses an error of judgment i.e. Hamartia (Hubris)
4. True to life
5. Arouse pity and fear in the audience.
6. Essentially human
 Audience may identify themselves with him i.e. he should be an
intermediate sort of a person not alien to audience
 Morally or intellectually above ordinary humans

The parameters described above make it easy for us to analyze whether Oedipus
Rex is an artistilten here or not. Let us analyze these parameters one by one.

 For Aristotle a tragic hero should not be completely good (saint like/ pious/
extremely virtuous)
Person as we are unable to identify ourselves with him when such a pious
person suffers, it shocks the audience rather a rousing pity and fear. Therefore,
says Aristotle, that he should be an intermediate sort of a person. If he is utter
villain, our sense of justice is satisfied rather than the emergence of pointy and
fear.

“It does not appeal to any of our human feelings to our pity or to our
fears”

Aristotle says,

“A tragic hero should not be eminently good not completely bad yet whose
downfall is brought about, not by some vice or depravity but by some
errors or frailty”

It case of Oedipus, he is not sainting like neither an utter villain. He is an

intermediate sort of a person prone to the hardships of life like ordinary human
beings.

ii) Consistency is required for a person to be an Aristoltean tragic hero. If we

analyze the character of Oedipus, he is consistent in his passions in his curiosity
brevity, magnificence. Throughout the play, he is ever-willing to know about
the facts even at the end, Jocaste after getting a sudden prediction of the
situation (troth) asks him/ Oedipus to let this quest go off whereas, he is
passionate rather various enough to know the truth.

iii) True to life:-

Another important parameter for a person to be called as an Aristollean tragic

hero is that he should be true to life. His life is the natural outcome and
amalgam of his feelings, passions etc. he should be like a real human beings.

iv) For Aristollen, a tragic hero must possess an “errors of judgment” or

Hamartia professor Atkins remarks,

“Aristotlean tragedy is the tragedy of errors and the hero suffers by some
flaw/ step which may be taken willingly or unconsciously”
 Hamartia is ignorance to truth, errors of judgment etc. which is committed
knowingly or unknowingly by the hero and it in turn, power a way for the
downfall of the hero. If we analyze the character of Oedipus, he apparently
commits no error mistakenly/ willingly rather he is unaware of the truth i.e.
killing of his own father and marrying his mother but certain other factors are
there which join up with his ignorance and set-up the machinery of his door in
mother e.g.

i) His pride
ii) Too good opinion of himself
iii) Ever-vigilant to know facts
iv) Over passionate
v) Hasty decisions e.g. he occurs Creon to be conspiring with Tieresias, the
blind seer, to get the throne and orders him to be killed at once without
logical proofs.
vi) His Hamarita my be termed as his effort to be outsmart i.e. to try to
outrage the fury of Gods and to change what has been decided.

As when a messenger from Corinth comes to tell him of the death of his
foster father polubus, he thanks God that polybus died of natural
consequences. Thus, he along with Jocsate feel over confident by
showing that they have changed the fate whereas reverse is the case.

v) for Aristolte, a tragic hero should be a man with whom we are able to
identify overselves identification is essential as it leads us to pity and fear. The
around of pity, and fear is the basic purpose of a tragedy pity comes when we see a
person becoming a victim to undeserved misfortune and fear comes when
misfortune befalls a man like us i.e. average human beings. We feel that we may at
some point in over life become that victim to fortune.

This is what Butcher remarks:

“A direct identification with the protagonist makes us indirect participants in

the tragedy”

And the purpose of tragedy is fulfilled.

As it is said that:
 “Tragedy is a vent or outlet for emotions”

We identify ourselves with Oedipus as when we see him being projected to the
merciless fate.

- Aristotle opines that the tragic hero must be a human being otherwise we
may not be able to identify ourselves with him and we may not feel
ourselves to be the part of tragedy. When Oedipus blinds himself with the
help of Jocaste hair pins we feel pity and think that what an ordinary human
beings would do under such terrible circumstances.
- Character is destiny is another important characteristic of Aristotelian
tragedy. Throughout the play, we see that Oedipus though striving his level
best to go away from severe consequence foretold to him by the prophecy
forcefully to face the consequence. He is just like, as Thomas Hardy says,

“A puppet in the hands of the president of immortals”

- Fate and chance also plays an important role in the lives Aristotelian tragic
heroes similar is the case with Oedipus. He from the very beginning tries of
outrunning fortune, whereas the more he tries to get away. The more he gets
closer to them. Whatever he suffers is predestined by Gods.
- Sudden discovery (Anagnorisis) is also an important part of a tragic hero’s
life. Which comes when the story is approaching its end rather it is better to
say that, Anagnorisis paves way for the end of tragedy e.g. in Oedipus Rex,
when the shephered reveals and unfolds the whole story. This revelation
makes the story to meet its end.

Conclusion:-

To sum up, it can be said that Oedipus Rex up to great extent followers the
traditional concepts of Aristotelian tragedy. Through at one point it diverges from
Aristotelian concepts that Oedipus belongs to a Royal family and hence, he isn’t
like an ordinary human being, through belonging to a Royal family yet he is a
suffer like an ordinary human beings. His character sketch is the amalgam of
various passions, feelings and emotions and he is over-ruled by his passions which
ultimately lead to his downfall. Hence, Oedipus pride hasty decisions, too good
opinion of himself and the way circumstances are paved for him by Gods. All these
factors make Oedipus Rex to be an Aristotelian tragic hero.

TWELFTH NIGHT AS A ROMANTIC COMEDY

Comedy is a broad genre which encompasses a large variety of different types of

literature. Generally, this term is used with reference, to a particular kind of drama
which is written primarily with the intentions to entertain the audience and which
has a happy ending for the character as well as for the audience,

Hazlitt says,

“Twelfth night is the happiest and one of the loveliest of all Shakespearean
comedies”

Twelfth night is a romantic comedy which means that

“It is a comedy of love’

Hence, the main theme of the play is love.

Joseph.H. Summer says,

“Twelfth night is the climax of Shakespeare’s early achievement in comedy”

According to L.G. Salinger,

One of the prominent features which this play possess is that it contains a familiar
love story which is transformed into a comedy so that the interest is shifted from
the heroine to the group of characters and it reflects their varying response to the
power of love. It also contains a sub-plot which contains customary jokes whereas
basically it is love story.

H.B. Charlton says it to be calls

“Connotation of realism and love”

Humor and wit are the prominent characteristic of Shakespearean plays/ comedies.
According to some of the readers, the play is appealing peculiarly due to its union
of humor and romance. The play is a romantic comedy as we see that the main plot
is a love story which in turn is supported by a sub-plot which is based on comic
follies. It makes the reader or viewer to burst into laughter.

The comedy diverges from the customary comical conventions. It reveals a feast of
misrule. J.H. summer says,

“The traditional role of elder generations is abolished. There are no parents

involved in this comedy. In act-I, we see a duke who is love sick and young
ladies who are fatherless and motherless, are shown to embarked on disguised
action”

According to a strong romantic formula, the happy ending should be achieved at

the beginning. Whereas we see complexities and ambiguities in the start which are
resolved in the end. Hence, this comedy is slightly diverged from the regular comic
conventions. Romance is the basic features around which the whole comic action is
built. There is a love triangle i.e.

The duke loves a rich counters Olivia whereas at the end we see that this is just a
passing fancy G.G. Gervinus says in this regard that:

“He was more in love with his love, rather than his misters”

Another strange thing is that a lady is being attached by another young lady. This
is something which leads to complications in the story which are resolved at the
end by the arrival of Sebastian. This is what J.H. summer says that
“The entrance of Sebastian is what we call to be the most dramatic movement
of the play”

Shakespeare is having a deep understanding with human psychology. We feel

ourselves to be a part of the emotions of Shakespearean characters e.g. Viola
becoming a victim of her own disguise. She loves the duke whereas her disguise is
a great hindrance in her way.

“Let concealment like a worm in the bud feed on her damask cheek. She
pinned in her thought and with a green and yellow melancholy. She sat like
patience on a monument smiling on grief”

Then we see that when Sebestian enters the fray, he is brutally asseculted Olivia
gets bethroted to him and takes him with her, calls a priest and immediately gets
engaged to him. As in one of her soliloquy, she says,

“Even so quickly may someone catch the folight me thinketh. I feel this
youth’s perfections with an invisible and subtle sleuth to creep in at mine
eyes”

The romantic follies of viola accompanied by various comical situations lead us to

burst into laughter. The sub-plot is accompanied by various celebrations. Dancing,
drinking and merry-making prevails in it. Then there, is mock-wooing
accompanied by a duel-flight between a young lady and a coward man Sir
Andrew. Both of them does not fit well into the scale of duel fight and this thing
makes the readers to laugh.

Viola taking love message of the duke to Olivia gets perplexed when she looks at
the ring which Malvoliq gives him from Olivia’s side saying that he mistakenly left
it there. All the situation depicted is topsy-turvy. All the linked in a direct or an
indirect way to form a tapestry.

The laughter reaches at the top when Malvoliq, getting a letter from Maria written
by the wame of Olivia acts on the instructions written in it i.e.

He appears in a mocking dress wearing colorful stockings and acting in a strange

way like a mad person. He being a servant, thinks his master lady to be in love
with him to as a result he bears the consequence i.e. he is imprisoned in a dark
room where he is further irritated by the clown as directed by Maria (female
servant of Olivia)

The play also reflects common Elizabethan age characteristic when females took
initiative in love affairs as a critic,

Salinger says,

“Women took initiative in wooing, and in appearance assuming. The four

main characters reverse their desire and break their vows at the end of
comedy. The heroine performs love service for the lover”

In the main-plot, a sister is mistaken for her brother and the brother for the sister,
this mistaken identity creates a survival kit for them, as Viola says to Olivia,

“You do think you are not what you are”

Ans she accepts the same truth for herself as well. The Feste is a complete
portrayed of a professional fool by Shakespeare. His role may seem superfluous
but his presence lends a peculiar flavor and charm to the play and affects the
overall mood of the audience and the play Oxford Dictionary calls Feste to be a
silly person or the

“One who professionally counters fits folly to entertain others, a jester or a

clown”

We see that it is the crown that brings the end by revealing the situation and
concluding the whole play realistically in front of the audience or the readers.
Hence, it is a conformation of love and realism.

“A great while ago, we begun with hey, ho, the rain and the sun. But that is
all, our play is done and we’ll strive to please you everyday”

This play also shows that when one is in love he/ she loses rationality and goes
beyond logics. As in case of Marvolio, Sir Andrew, Viola etc.

In Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare says,

“Love is blind, and the lovers later see. The pretty mistakes which happen by
themselves”
Conclusion:-

To conclude, it can be said in the light of above discussion that twelfth night is a
romantic comedy which caters to the taste of all men/ women. Romantic follies
along with comic situation create an overall atmosphere of mirth which has an
entertaining effect on the readers/ viewers. Hence, a critic rightly remarks about
this play.

“Twelfth night is the happiest and loveliest of Shakespeare’s plays. It is so

mixed with beauty that we can see it being staged night after night, days and
weeks after weeks, without weariness”

DAMNATION OF DR. FAUSTUS

Damnation means to be thrown into the worst depth of the hell forever or
condemned to eternal punishment

Man is fallible each and every human has some weakness and faults in his
character besides prophets.

According to Aristotle, a tragic hero commits an error of judgment termed as

Hamartia. This error of judgment brings his downfall. Dr. Faustus is an egoist,
ambitions and self-centered person who’s falling to the devilish exercise brings
about his downfall. This thing is explained by Chorus when they say,

“Till swollen with the cunning of a self-conceit, his waxen wings did mount
above his reach and melting, heavens conspired his overthrow”

These lines imply that Faustus is going to be damned. His pride and arrogance
which is the mother of all sins will bring about his downfall.
 Straying into forbidden path:-

As the drama unfolds and the story advances, we move to see Faustus proceeding
towards his damnation, step by step. In the first scene of act-I, he analyze all the
branches of knowledge he has mastered and comes across the decision that

“A greater subject fiftieth Faustus wit”

He rejects all those branches as he is now filled with

“Learning’s golden gifts”

Finally, he reads the necromantic books and decides to be a magician. His

damnation starts when he forgets the difference between a human being and God.
He says,

“A sound magician is a mighty God”

Decision to study black magic, first step towards damnation

The path of black magic and necromancy is chosen entirely by Faustus himself. He
is having an excessive curiosity along with pride which is his Hamartia. We see
that he wants an unchallenged power and to have everything.

“That moves between the quite poles”

And to

“Reign sole-king of all the provinces”

The desire to learn black magic already exists in the inner recesses of his mind.
Thus, he says,

“T is magic, magic that hath ravished me”

He invites his friends (magician) Valdes and Cornelius and says them,
 “Known that your words have won me at last to practice black magic and
concerned arts”

And the very next moment he says,

“Yet not your words only, but mine own fantasy for my head but ruminated
on necromantic skill”

Thus, the well-versed magicians promise the beginner to the road of destruction.
Faustus says to them about this black magic

“O! This cheers my soul”

Second step calling/ raising Mephistopheles

Next step towards damnation is that when Faustus blash, phemes the name of God
and raises the spirit of Mephistopheles who is,

“One of the offending spirits of Lucifer”

Who is turn is the lord of all evil powers.

Faustus says to himself,

“Within this circle is Jehovah’s name, forward and backward

anagrammatized”

Mephistopheles tells Faustus that the evil spirits approach the place where they
hear someone abjuring the name of God.

He says,

“Nor will we come, unless, he uses such means whereby he is in danger to be

damned”

He says,
“The simplest way to conjure, is to abjure the trinity and prey devoutly to the
prince of Hell”

Upon this, Faustus says,

“So Faustus hath already done so, and holds this principle, there is no chief
but only Beelzebub”

This shows his future advancement to hell. He arrogantly says that,

“This word damnation terrifies not him for he confines hellion Elysium”

Signing the pact:-

Faustus sighs the pact with Lucifer by selling his soul to him for just twenty years.
He while writing looks at the congealing of his blood which is again a warning for
him from God but he murmurs.

“Is nor t thy soul thins own! Then write again, Faustus gives to thee his soul”

He says to Mephistopheles,

“Go and bear these tiding to great Lucifer, Faustus surrenders his soul to
him”

He satisfies his deed with the declaration

“If I’d have as many souls as there be stars, I’d give them all for
Mephistopheles”

After seeing Mephistopheles to be so obedient, he says,

“I see there is virtue in my heavenly words that would not be proficient in this
art”

Being a religious scholar, he knows that the greatest and gravest of the sins is
turning away from God, and challenging his books yet he says that
 “Divinity is the base of the three”

He disregards the concept of hell by saying

“Tush! There are trifles and mere old wives tales”

Through he knows that the concept of heaven and hell ordained by God can never
be a trifle.

Further Deterioration-Dramatic Irony:-

Further we see that the person who once wished to be a God on earth through the
use of magic becomes a juggler and trickster after becoming a sound magician. He
irritates the people and mocks at them as in Holy Saint Peter’s dinner.

C.S. Lewis points out in this regard,

“The progress of Faustus is from a man of knowledge, to a trickster to a

cowering wretch”

Furthermore, Faustus in his study says to himself,

“Despair in God and trust in Beelzebub”

Though he knows that God is supreme yet knowingly he moves toward evil.
Further step towards damnation takes by him can he shows through his words

- These necromantic books are heavenly

- I shall pull down all the churches
- I this is hell, I shall willingly be damned
- Contrition, prayer, repentance what of them
- When Mephistopheles shall stand by me,
- What God can hurt thee Faustus-thou art safe?

His excessively curious nature is the main reason of his downfall. There are certain
limitations entrusted upon man by God. “The fruit of forbidden tree” symbolizes
those limitations. Faustus tried to learn what is only known to God, thus
challenging his authority,

- But tell me, hath every sphere a dominion or an intelligential,

- Tell me, are there many moons above the heaven.
- Where is the place that we men call him?

After watching the filmy scene of seven deadly sins, he says.

“This feeds my soul”

Thus there is evil hidden in the inner depth of his mind.

- Warnings:-

the wearing given to him by God are in the form of

- His conscience
- Good angel who asks him to “Read the scriptures”
And to “Lay that damned book aside”
- Congealing of his blood
- His question to Meph about the creation of universe
- Mephistopheles description of hell.
- Old man’s appearance etc

The good angel says,

“Ay Faustus repent and God will pity thee”

Surety of damnation-reunion with Hellen:-

This is the climax of the play which involves Faustus reunion with Hellen. The
very word Hellen comes from hell, destructive. Through Faustus is infect evil spirit
yet he closes all the ways of forgiveness by saying

“Sweet Hellen! Make me immortal with a kiss”

And involves himself in sex act with Hellen.

Last stage:-

The last stage reflects great dramatist irony. The person who does not fears God
and damnation who discard the concept of Hell, now whishes his body to be or to
melt or to be transformed into a beast as he says that,

“All beasts are happy”

In the end, he is damned

Conclusion:-

In the epilogue, Chorus makes his frightening damnation clear by conveying us a

message that:

“Cut is the branch that might have grown too straight”

In the light of above mentioned discussion, it can safely be said that Faustus paved
the path of damnation for himself with his own hands. His pride, arrogance egoistic
nature and excessive curiosity brought about his downfall.

TWELFTH NIGHT AS A COMEDY OF DISGUISE

One of the prominent characteristics that all the Shakespearean comedies have in
common is the use of disguise. This symbolizes one of the peculiar Shakespearean
themes of appearance vs. reality. The comedy starts with disguise and end with
disguise. So, disguise is the central theme of the play. Twelfth night has been
given various name to the show its and the structure of the whole story. It has been
variously called as an exposure of sentimentalism, attainment of self-knowledge
and maturity romantic love and its follies, self-deception and simply as
 “The comedy of masks and disguise”

Some of the critics have taken its masks while others have taken its disguise.
Critics have divided the characters of this comedy into three basic structural
characters.

1. The one who wears under deception consciously

2. These who are affected by the former’s deception/ disguise
3. Self-deceived ones

Disguise leads to mistaken identity.

As Frank Kermode says,

“Twelfth night is a comedy of identity, standing on the borders of wonder and

madness”

Shakespeare uses this technique of mask to portray realistically that how at

different stages (phases of life) one has to wear a mask for one’s own survive. This
theme of disguise or mistaken identities is prominent not only in all Shakespearean
comedies as well. In another comedy named the merchant of Venice, the girl
named Portia wears a mask to have Antonio. So, it becomes quote obvious that
Shakespearean comedies contain mistaken identity. As it is said,

“Glided tombs do contain foul worms”

Viola is the central figure of the play who disguises herself as a male named
Cicerio. This shows that this is a comedy of disguise. It also forces upon the
society that how a young maiden in an unknown society is prone to many dangers
and has to change her outward appearance for her survival. The disguised Viola
and her follies lead us to laughter e.g. Viola and Olivia wants to be betrothed to her
whereas the disguise of Viola is problematic for her own self as she loves the duke,
but her disguise is a hindrance in her way.

“Let concealment like a worm in the bud sit on her damask cheek. She pinned
in her thought and with a green and yellow melancholy. She sat like patience
on a movement smiling on grief”
Viola’s character is an amalgam of all. The three types of Characters described by
the critics. It is she who consciously outs on the disguise and the one who is the
victim of her own disguise as well as the one indulged in self-deception. Hence,
wearing a disguise may not be always pleasant rather problematic as well.

A famous critic J.H. Summer says that

“Every character bears a mask”

And not only every character rather every human being, at present wears a ask to
change his beauty or for some other purpose character itself is a disguise, a
mistaken identity hiding a person’s originality. As Eliot’s Prufrock says,

“We make faces to meet faces that we daily meet”

Hence, Shakespearean comedy makes us burst into laughter by applying the

technique of mask/ disguise our laughter a sympathetic one. We feed ourselves to
be a part of the emotions of character

Orsino and Olivia become the comic characters as they confuse id reality with
self deception. Orsino the duke considers him to be in love with Olivia. But the
mask that he wears of the lover of Olivia is not real. Later on we see that he loves
Viola, or starts loving Viola. Commenting for Olivia and Viola.

G.G. Gervious says,

“He was in love with his love, than with his mistress”

The love which he posses for Olivia are not a true love rather a temporary feelings
and he calls to be love. The end all the faces are unmasked and complications are
resolved.

Shakespeare says,

“If must be the food of love, play on the appetite may sicken and so die”

Whereas of we look at Olivia, we see different kinds of pretensions in her. She

rejects the offer of the duke but afterwards wants to escape boredom. Through
love, she declares that she will remain in veil for seven years to lament the death of
his younger brother. But this is again a disguise. No sooner does she see Cicerin
(the disguised Viola) she unmasks herself i.e. she throws off her veil. Hence, her
character is also not real,

“Mask is a means of disguising. It may be physical mask like viola or it may

be psychological or mental mask as in case of Orsino and Olivia”

When Sebastian enters in the fighting-dval plain, he is brutally assaulted Olivia

looks at him and in the very first glance at the real person right means catches the
inspection of love and betroths him. In her soliloquy, she says,

“How can a person subject himself to plague in one moment, me trinket. I feel
this youth’s perfections with an invisible and subtle sleuth creep in at mine
eyes”

Then we see that various critics have commented on the disguise of viola whereas
it is the only source of introducing complications in the play which are later on
resolved by the entry of Sebastian which a appreciated by J.H. Summer in the
following line,

“The entry of Sebastian of what we call to be the most dramatic moment if the
play”

Furthermore, we see Shakespeare’s genuine of thinking two opposite things

together with some technical device. The story consists of a main plot which has a
serious love theme. This main plot is in turn, supported by a comic sub-plot which
provides the material for main plot. Hence, very tactfully handles the theme of
disguise as well as that of main and sub-plots.

The story exhibits a complex love trainable and all the characters in it form a
network having direct influence or an indirect one on each other. Duke comes
close to viola, and an understanding as a person comes through viola’s disguise.
This complication is resolved by the entry of Sebastian whose coming to the scenes
directly resolves complications and the marries Olivia. Their marriage in turn
makes the marriage of Orsino and viola possible. Hence, everything is possible
through disguise and only through it the play proceeds in a progressive way.

“Disguise is of the pivotal role in the play and holds an utmost importance”
Disguise is also apparent from the character of Malvolia who apparently wears
disguise for Olivia and is self-deceived as well. Maria the maid of Olivia drops a
love letter for Malvolia with the name of Olivia in which it is asked to him to come
with wearing bright colored stockings. This act, he does as is asked and
consequently he is imprisoned. He is escaped when the disguise starts disappearing
in the main plot.

A critic says that,

“Three characters are wither deceived or they deceive themselves. The first
two, Orsino and Olivia are unmolested to their follies and the third one,
Malvolia though treated harshly as a result of his absurd illusion”

The end is brought about a clown who reveals the whole situation to the audience,
and concluded the play. This is how tactfully; Shakespeare makes a clown who is a
disguised on to portray reality. The clown says,

“This great moment, the world begun with hey, ho, the cloud and the rain. It
is all one, our play is done, and we try to please you forever”

Page 300 missing

My sort of blood cleans,

My sort of fire, purifies

These lines are taken Major Barbara by G.B. Shaw

The play, Major Barbara is a kind of competing discourse between two completing
passions within every human being i.e. lust for money and spiritual salvation.
Undershaft, acting as a spokesperson of pragmatic approach of the view that one
should have enough money to have his/ her desires realized. In this way, one can
purge one’s body and soul

On the other hand, Major Barbara, representative of Salvation Army is of the view
that saving souls is more important than purging bodies. Again Undershaft stresses
his point and says that the weapons, he prepares in the factory are necessary evil
for keeping peace in the world and paging the evil spreading in society by force.
 - Irony on Tiresias character (metaphorical significance of Tiresias)
- Title significance of waiting for Godot (symbolizes)
- Role of old man in Faustus
- Significance of grave-degree scene

Theme of damnation (long) start

Dr. Faustus is a play that highlights every human beings passionate desire for
achieving acquiring power, pelf and enjoyment. If one follows one’s desires
blinding potting aside the voice of conscience (good angel) one is bound to suffer
damnation. Whether this damnation can be avoided or not by following the voice
of conscience (good angel) is one of the recurrent themes in the play Dr. Faustus

Other themes slave of passions, strive b/w good and evil. Lust for absolute
power.

 Past tense is followed by past

 Wrong use of passive voication

Ideas of Jocaste about fate and prophecies

 The play oedipus Rex centers around the theme of fore-destination. The
queen at surface level seems not believing in prophecies made by oracle.
She accounts for the happening in the past.
 krogsted not only wants money back but good status on the bank as well
 By leaving her husband and children, Nora looks forward to develop her
independent and powerful identity and her own method of making money.
 Connection b/w money and power in Doll’s house (as a feminist)
 Money and power is the thing in the play “A doll’s house that every
character is after and we can locate number of examples that establish link
b/w money and power i.e.”
i) Nora needs money to get her husband treated or cured and to manage a
trick to hit, trip to Italy
 ii) Nora is thrilled to have her husband to earn more money so that, she can
spend as freely as she can
iii) Because of being economically sound Torvald treats and name Nora as a
pet and a doll
iv) Mrs. Linde explains Nora that she married her late husband because of
his money to support her family
- she will not obey is will she?
- I was astonished at her performance and also they were
- no use of interrogative in sub-ordination clauses
- it has been one of the remarkable incident in my life
- she is not as wise as they are
- I asked them if they cannot keep quiet
- Will they be reading nine coming June
- When I reached there, they be awarded by me

Inspire of doing best, he is unable to claim honor.

They seldom break their promise. Do not they?

The decision has deferred until the next Eid

Conclusion:-

In mind, the above discussion regarding the most frequent themes, it can be said
that damnation seems the dominant one among other themes. How one can
minimize the degree of damnation is highly controversial as strive b/w good angel
and evil angel various from soul to soul.

- Oedipus Rex as an Aristotelian tragic hero

- WFG as an absurd play
- Theme of Dr. Faustus

Significance of Apostrophe to Hellen in Dr. Faustus

The apostrophe to Hellen in Dr. Faustus holds a great significance in the whole
play. This apostrophe represents to the following peculiar characteristic of
Marlowe’s critics genuine.

1. Marlowe was of more of a poet than a dramatist e.g. (Was this the face that
launched a thousand ships? And burnt the topless tower of ileum)
2. Marlowe’s love for beauty is beautifully portrayed the way he praises Hellen
3. Marlowe’s love for Greek mythology
 All is dross that is not Hellena
4. Marlowe portrayed the peculiar characteristics of a typical renaissance man
i.e. his final selection is evil. He is more prone to it.
5. A scene representing evil temptation to take man’s soul which is the
prominent feature of morality plays
6. Use of figurative language is also obvious which shows that he is portraying/
praising the beauty in superlative degrees
 Brighter art thou than the flaming Jupiter
7. Faustus being a renaissance man is more inclined towards physical pleasures
“Make me immortal with a kiss Hellen”

Ans 2)

Seven deadly sins:-

The names of seven deadly sins as depicted in the play are as follows.

1. Pride
2. Covetousness
3. Wrath
4. Envy
5. Gluttony
6. Lechery
7. Sloth

Seven deadly sins according to Shaw and Marlowe.

 i) Food
ii) Clothing
iii) Firing
iv) Taxes
v) Rent
vi) Children
vii) Respectability
1. Pride
2. Ulrath
3. Sloth
4. Gluttony
5. Envy
6. Lechery
7. Covetousness

Grave digger scene:-

The scene provides tragic relief as well. G.D.S in Hamlet is significant in the
following ways,

A doll’s house is a play that is a representative of patriarchal norms. The concept

of male dominance is played up at various levels in the play. Nora is named as
treated like an object and commodity by her husband. This can further be
explained in detail offering textual references which are as under.

Relationship between money and power in a doll’s house:

Answer:

Power can be defines as,

The authority one exercises over others to rule them or to make them obey.
Money is also a kind of power. The one who is ecumenically sound enjoys the
right of exercising this power over others. We can locate many examples in a doll’s
house to find out a co-relation between money and power.

1) Nora needs money to get her ailing husband cured and to manage a trip to
Italy
2) Nora wants her husband to get promoted and to earn more so that all her
desires may be granted.
3) Mrs. Linde tells Nora that she married her late husband to support her
siblings economically.
4) Krogstad does not only wish rather want his money back rather to get
promotion as well
5) Helmer is economically sound so he calls Nora by various names as
spendthrift, skylark, extravagant etc.

This shows that Nora is economically dependent on Helmer so he can call her by
these names.

This naming shows the relationship between the namer and the named.

Namer Helmer Powerful

Named Nora sub-ordinate

Test drama

Significance of old man in Dr. Faustus:

The old man in Dr Faustus is an allegorical representation of Faustus conscience.

Who is ever oscillating between two extremes (two different ways) externalized by
good and evil angel. He may be taken as Faustus conscience. Who is always
pricking him to stick to the right path and mend his ways. The old man is a
symbolic representation of a renaissance spirit who is always torn in two extremes
and in the end gets prompted by mundane temptations. Faustus says to old man:
 “Dear friend, leave me alone for sometimes and let me ponder about my
deeds”

Then he says,

I am leaving but with a heavy heart

And in the end when Faustus gets attracted towards Hellen, he (old man) says,

Accursed Faustus, a miserable man

This shows the significance of old man in the play. He stands for the conscience
that, in the end gets tilted towards sensuous pleasures.

Wheather Oedipus Rex is a victim of fate or characters?

This controversy has been these since the very beginning that whether Oedipus
contrived his doom or was trapped certain arguments in favors as against listed
below.

- Oedipus says, I am destiny’s child

- Nature/ Gods made things happen to lead characters towards the web of
destiny. Prophesied broth and ill-ominous life
“Thrown into hills, saved to suffer more”
- Finally murdered the person for whom he abounded everything

These are some of the evidence which prove that (to my mind) this particular
Greek was contrived to suffer and suffers endlessly.

It can be spotted by Shakespeare’s from King Lear that

“Oedipus was a man more sinned against than singing”

Q.

Co-relate three waves of feminism with a play a doll’s house.

Three waves of feminism highlight woman’s awareness attempts for self-

delimitation, suffering from some reverse consequence in the struggle for
employment and finally realized that in order who survive within identify, they
need bold steps to be taken. It can be co-related with the play in a sense that
initially Nora feeds happy in being represented as skylark, squirrel, little,
spendthrift, sparrow etc.

Within the passage of time she passes through a process of realization that to earn
an independent identity. She will have to shatter the web of particle. In this regard,
she decides to leave the things/ person she has been depending and takes the bold
step by deciding to leave Helmer and children. The act of door slamming is a
symbolic representation of inner resolution that has taken place in her to search
safe harbors for him in the world. other than restricted for walls of Helmer’s house.

I cant’s think anything to wear. It all seems so stupid and meaningless.

Lines from a doll’s house by Henrick Ibsen.

Context.

This play by Ibsen is slightly regarded as a play dealing with feminist issues. Nora,
the central characters in the play, passes through a process of transformation to
realize her true self. Simply, this play means a journey from subjection to self-
hood.

Critical comments:

As far as critical message is concerned the use of personal pronoun I on one hand
indicates degree of certainly on the past of Nora and on the other is in the form of
person as state metaphor.

I Nora

I Every woman

A kind of obvious change and self-realization in these, finally she negates things.
She loved most in the past
E.g. seems stupid.

The use of lexical items is highly ideological i.e. stupid meaningless.

The use of lexical something’s she finds some other things that are more
significant i.e. positive/ independent self identity.

Q. hamlet as an artistic failure:

Hamlet is regarded as an artistic failure by few critics in the following grounds.

- Hamlet’s exact age is unknown

- Loose structure
- Violation in the observance of three unities (time, place and action)
- A representative of absolutely utopian world
- Hamlet’s too much thinking and less action yet as an ideal figure.

Q. facial scenes in Dr. Faustus:

Introduction:

Comic scenes in Dr. Faustus have ever been an issue of controversy among those
critics. Some of the view that they have never been penned down by Marlowe,
whereas, certain other critics doubt their quality. Here we are only concerned with
the comic scenes in the text and what function they perform. They are evaluated
one by one.

Conclusion:-

To conclude, we can say that despite long lasting controversy about the standard of
comic scenes in Dr. Faustus up to great extant they serve the purpose of providing
comic relief in the tragedy as well parallelism b/w the character and the creator in
Dr. Faustus

.Parents base of stock both Marlowe and Faustus were from poor parents

. Dissatisfaction yet art though still but Faustus and a man

. Deprived and sky kissing desires.

Fly to India for Indian gold, bridge in moving air, be though on earth as Jove
is in the sky, all the things that move b/w the quiet, poles should be at my
command.

. List for knowledge:

Both were highly qualified and rebel in nature.

Divinity is the basset of three.

Greatest subject fits Faustus’s will.

. Great admires of beauty:

The fairest maid in Germany, was this face

. Calling Holly wits in question.

Go and change the shape as an old Franciscan Friars

Devil can assume.

. Challenged the institute of marriage:

Tall not of wife

Marriage is but a ceremonial toy.

. Remained in conflict with their surroundings throughout their lives

. Turned towards religion by the end of their lives to wash away the charge of
atheism or blasphemy

. Both died young

Faustus: tell me who made the universe, Mephistopheles: I will not

. Quest for knowledge

. Irony as on surface level Mephistopheles said that he will obey Faustus but he is
not answering the very basic requirement of Faustus.

. Faustus wants to explore the hidden realities of the universe

. Mephistopheles is not telling a lie but is just surfing to answer this shows that at
least he is sincere with whatever he is and whomever he obeys

Context

Faustus calls Mephistopheles and asks him various questions about this universe
but as Mephistopheles realizes that this is going God he refuse to answer.

Drama:

. How come he dead, I shall not be juggled with ti hell with allegiance.

Hamlet- when lasts came to know about his father’s death.

. Nothing but that shalt be my paramours

Dr. Faustus- apostrophe to Helen.

. There is bad blood on your hands and nothing but good blood can cleanse them

Major Barbara-to her father

. I cannot think of anything to wear, it all seems so stupid and meaningless

Doll’s house-at the end

Q. to be or not to be, what you think Hamlet is talking about in this soliloquy

This well known and proverbial colloquy of hamlet reverses the following key
concept such as,

. Universal fear of death

. Self slighting a controversial issue during renaissance age and in Christianity

. Hamlet agitated state of mind. He is external torn b/w two extremes.

I-e. to be life

not to be death

complete disliking about the world that surrounds hamlet, at linguistic level/
metaphorical use of language i.e.

to be life

not to be death

is quite appropriate which not only conveys certainly in Hamlet’s mind but also
wavering tendencies of the age as well

Q. what is the role of Salvation Army in Major Barbara

The role of this army (is of competing) has been depicted in the drama in the form
of competing discovers b/w father and daughter

According to her this army means to bring the people towards life. Salvation
means to make the people able to survive spiritually and materialistically his army
is making attempts to bring consolation and peace on the deprived section of the
society. This army can provide the people a healthy and pure society providing
every individual with his/ her basic needs.

Whereas under shaft is of the view this so called army is just nothing but a kind of
religious exploitation. No soul can be saved until or unless on the gravest evils is
crushed i.e. poverty.

Apostrophe to Helen in Dr. Faustus

- Love for beauty

- Typical renaissance spirit
- Marlowe seems more of a poet than a dramatist
- Final selection of every Renaissance man is but evil and hence typical
human nature has been portrayed in this apostrophe to Helen.
- This apostrophe to Helen is a stamp on Faustus, damnation.
 - As far as language use in this apostrophe to Helen is concerned, it is highly
embellished and figurative e.g.
- Marlowe’s vast range of leaving and love for Greek mythology is quite
obvious.

Traditional gender role in Hamlet’s nunneries scene.

Nunnery scene begins with Hamlet’s advice to Ophelia in imperative style

“Get thee to nunnery”

And “mother of sinners”

The examples cited above from nunnery scene represent stereotypical division of
roles at linguistic levels such as:

Hamlet in a commanding position or hamlet as super ordinate and Ophelia as sub-

ordinate, another social construction that a woman is sole cause of sin and mother
of sinner.

Concept of names powerful and

Named powerless

Is quite obvious,

Hamlet names

Ophelia the named

At the same time this nunnery scene embodies a central theme of the play i.e.

Difference b/w appearance and reality

At surface level hamlet shows that he is no more but the very advice about going to
nunnery implies that hamlet never wants to get Ophelia to marry anyone else.

Feminist perspective in a doll’s house:

A doll’s house by Ibsen is regarded as a great piece of work dealing with feminist
issues. The very title of the play a doll’s house suggests relative identity of a
woman and her stereotypical perception as an object and commodity in patriarchal
societies. She is taken no more than a doll, totally at the disposal of some male to
be placed anywhere.

Another feminist perspective of the play is at the level of naming. Throughout the
play we see Helmer assigning little song bird, little sparrow etc. nowhere she is
assigned a human status at linguistic level.

Still another feminist perspective as highlights in the play is Nora’s and her friend.
Mrs. Lindy’s dependence on male members on their survival. Both need
protection from their respective male daftness.

A doll’s house still represents another feminist perspective where woman is

“An object to be objectified”

Portrayed as a beauty object, a sex object and an inanimate thing have sole duty to
attract her male parties through her objectification. Same has been the case with
Nora.

The final scene of the play is set exactly in accordance with the feminist
perspective where we see Nora taking a bold step in getting rid of male dominance.
It is an attempt identity for herself.

Theme of nothingness/ in waiting for Godot, absurdity/ meaninglessness

Is one of the dominant themes of the play. The very activities of the characters
(Estragon, Vladimir) senates around nothingness. They are never resolve and
decided and throughout the play they suffer from troubles which are no better than
nothing. They want to reconcile with the main stream of society but without
meaningful or serious attempts and hence all this ends in nothingness. Most of the
time they keep on waiting for Godot divine help without doing anything and hence
in the end they get nothing. In addition to these fettle actions. They most of the
time are doing nothing. Sometimes he become of Eozzo and Lucky. Even their
attempt to put an end of their life ends in nothing.

Estragon nothing to be done

“There is nothing we can do, nothing happens, nobody comes/ nobody goes,
it’s awful”
 - Significance of Chorus in Greek Drama.
After confused waiting for Godot
- Chaotic state of mind of modern human beings
- The very desires they hanks after are seldom clearly state but more often are
in the form of Chaos or endless.
- The topic of their discussion are almost ever chaotic and so is their mind and
the worlds that surrounds them,

“There is providence in the fall of every sparrow”

Hamlet

“That strain again, it had a seeing fall”

Twelfth night

“He broke a law when he was born”

Major Barbara

“Poverty is one of the worst crimes”

Major Barbara

Thou this is madness, at these are method in it.

Hamlet’s madness has ever been a medaling question among the readers and the
critics. So, far, no finality has been achieved in this regard. However, these have a
detailed analysis of Hamlet’s real/ feigned madness keeping in mind the text and
context of the play

Madness real:

Madness feigned:

Conclusion:-
Keeping in mind the controversial statement of the question it is held to conclude
whether Hamlet’s madness was a real one or assumed one. However, to my mind
his madness as more of feigned than real.

Q. Is Dr Faustus a morality play?

Before commenting on the statement of the question i.e. whether or not Dr. Faustus
is a morality play, it is pertinent to know what are the prominent features of
morality play and these aie listed below.

- Personification
- Evil in glowing colors
- Tussle/ conflict in the mind of protagonist
- Handily of some divine/ religious/ moral issue.
- I conditional bond is signed
- Mythical/ biblical references
- Wavering nature of the her (passion/ consumed)

Now in the light of above listed features. I am going to discuss whether Dr. Faustus
is a morality play or not.

Keeping in mind the above discussion, it can be assumed that up to great extent Dr.
Faustus falls in the category of morality plays through according to certain other
critics this play is an incarnation of renaissance spirit.

Mythology severs religion is philosophical social way etc.

Symbolism in Oedipus Rex.

Twelfth night as a romantic comedy.

Metaphorical significance of Tiresias blindness,

Metaphorical significance of his blindness lies in the fact that

He is a blind seer

Up to certain extent although he is blind yet he represents an element of divine

justice or personified representation of divine justice. A motivating factor of all the
story of Oedipus Rex
The turning point of the story lies in his prophesies or escalation of hidden truth

In the end his blindness though metaphorical yet proves that blind is not blind, but
the seer and seer is not the seer but the blind.

Significance of Hamlet’s apostrophe to man:

O man a piece of work is man how like an angel.

As far as Hamlet’s this particurile speech about the perception and representation
of human beings is concerned in one hand, it highlights disturbed and agitated state
of mind of Hamlet. And on the other Hamlet’s perception about the greatness of
human beings.

How like an angel in reason.

Though Hamlet believes that human beings have been created by nature in perfect
form with matchless qualities of head and heart, the devil in human beings most
often lowers them from their standard. This is what Hamlet is take about when he
says,

To me is not more than a particle of dust

In short this apostrophe of Hamlet about human beings bring out devil and angel
like qualities in every human being.

Seven deadly sins in Faustus:

Seven deadly sins in Faustus are personified representation of different human

beings passions such as;

- Pride
- Worth
- Envy
- Sloth
- gluttony
- lechery
- Couestness

Symbolic significance of the title a Doll’s house.

The title symbolically stands for stereotypical woman’s perception and
representation in patriarchal an inanimate doll.

All though her life she is treated as a commodity to to be transferred from one
male to another (from father to husband)

She is ever in search of an independent identity and house but ironically is never
housed.

The title also signifies feminine issues highlighted in the play.

Q. how does Oedipus come to represent the riddle of sohinxin “Oedipus Rex”

The very title faced and solved by Oedipus in the form of sphinx is ironic in nature
because the course of the play highlights that the solves of the riddles is a riddle by
answering the question i.e.

”Name the creature who walks in four legs in the morning, on two in the noon and
on therein the evening”

Oedipus rightly answer the riddle by saying that such creature is only man/ human
being who crawls

Four--> childhood

On two--> youth

On three--> old age

Q: why is viola compelled to disguise herself.

She did so b/c of the following reasons

- For survival in a patriarchal society

- She hides her identity to unveil certain
- Facts, such as search for her lost brother
- And to be close enough to the duke orsino to know more about him
 - This disguise by viola also indicates that survival in a male dominant society
sets with being man like.

Q: what seven figures Lucifer uses to distract Faustus from his prays.

The following seven figures are used by Lucifer to distract Faustus from his prays.

Names

Q: Oedipus Rex as an Aristotelian tragic hero.

Before embarking on the discussion whether Oedipus Rex falls in the category of
Aristotelian hero not, lets first try to know what are the parameters described by
artistolian for a tragic hero

E.g.

- Neither too good nor too bad

- Intermediate sort of person

- Most process on error of judgment or Hamarita

Should be true to life

Above the states of an ordinary or average

- Generally artisitoloan heroes belong to upper class.

In the light of above listed features, it is caries for as to decide that up to what
extent Oedipus Rex fulfills artistolian requirements of a tragic hero.

Hamarita is one of the most required feature of a tragic hero. This ignorance
blindness to truth, error of judgment etc.

May be conscious or unconscious driving to the protagonist to a serious mistake

which ultimately becomes the cause of his downfall. As far as Hamarita is
concerned in this regard, Oedipus can safely be classed among artistolian hero as
he prominently suffers from Hamarita in the form of his ignorance to truth
(killing his father and getting married to his mother)
Other important characteristics which not only contribute in making Oedipus a
tragic figure but pave the way for his final degradation as well are his pride, too
good, opinion of himself and rashness. Fate and chance have an important heroes
and some is the case with Oedipus.

“Nature contrives incidents for him to be trapped”

E.g. solving the riddle, saving the city and marrying the queen.

Character is destiny:

Character is destiny is still a prominent feature of Artistolian heroes and this

factors can easily be traced in Oedipus’s life history as right from his birth he is
regarded as an ill-ominous child. Therefore, attempt is made to get rid of him but
these was something different in store for him to suffer and therefore, despite every
attempt he is saved to a life full if humiliation.

Melodramatic elements still are among the others prominent features of an

artistolian tragedy either in the form of sudden revelation or impressive art of
narration by the hero. Oedipus is going to be proved the required wants accused his
speeches tend to be more and more melodramatic.

Sudden discovery or anagnorsis is still a feature to be observed in artistolian

tragedies. This feature clearly is witnessed in Oedipus Rex as well because the
very arrival of the shepherd proves Oedipus the man in trial. Similarly
supernatural machinery in artistolian tragedies has a significant role to play e.g.

Ghost in Hamlet, storm in Lear, witches in Macbeth etc. this divine machinery in
the form of poetic justice has beautifully been employed in the form of blind seer
(Tiresias) the shocking revelation by the prophet proves to be the turning point in
the play which asserts divine superiority at the cost of human insignificance same
things we witness in,

Hamlet as well e.g.

“Murder through it has no tongue will speak”

Oedipus Rex violates artistolian concepts of tragic hero as well because Oedipus
instead of being an average human beings belongs to royal family but at the same
time it must be remembered that his Hamarita and consequent suffering are far
more than. The error and suffering of an ordinary human being. This is what is
known as ambivalence in Oedipus case.

Conclusion:-

Summing up the above discussion it can be said that up to great extent Oedipus
Rex can be regarded as an authentic artistolian hero as he passes Hamarita,
melodramatic element and the concept of character is destiny.

Q. Discuss Hamlet as a typical Shakespearean tragedy.

Character is destiny introduction of supernatural elements horror, suspense and

blood shed melodramatic elements.

Concept of poetic justice hero, the towering personality tragic waste and comic
scenes.

Q. locate examples of character is destiny from Hamlet

Murder of Polonius

Life of Hamlet is saved by sea-pirates

Exchange of sword

Appearance of ghost

Geitride’s drinking the poisoned cup

Q. Hamlet in his last exchange with Hamarita shows a calm acceptance of

death or fulfillment and says,

“There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow”

The statement there is a special providence is of vital significance as far as a

continues process of transformation in Hamlet is concerned in the beginning of the
play Hamlet expresses similes type of remarks when he says,
 “Not only have we grown physically but mentally as well”

This man that change is an unquoidable feature of nature either in human beings in
the world that surrounds them. These are no of supernatural agents beyond the
control of human beings. Despite struggling hard human beings are left with no
option save the acceptance of the following fact

“Rough new or how we will”

This is what is termed as predestination as fatalism.

The very statement of the question under discussion i.e. there is special time and
again reminds us of our insignificance as compassed to the most significant
destiny. As far as Hamlet’s case in the play is concerned up to great extent Hamlet
fulfills harridan concept of fatalism i.e.

The context of the play Hamlet most often positions prince Hamlet in such type of
circumstances which are unquoidable right from the very first act of the play the
appearance of ghost in the form of divine justice signifies that the only cause of
the action left with the human beings is to accept what is unavoidable e.g.

“Murder, though it has no tongue will speak”

Again we witness no of other incidents which pave the way for human beings to
believe and readily accept that

“Nature makes incidents happen”

We can co-relate Hamlet’s proverbial type of remarks

“There is a providence in the fall of every sparrow”

With the incidents taking place in the rest of the play. One such example is arrival
of the players in the court and similarly Hamlet sleaze’s Claudius when finds him
kneeling in the prays. Taking him repenting from the core of his heart. It is a well
known fact that real intentions of Claudius were to cheat as he himself says,

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain words without thoughts never below
heaven to go”

Still another example in this regard can be quoted i.e.

 “Human beings are just like puppets in the hands of nature”

Polonius sudden death and sea-pirates incident are clear proofs in this regard that:

“Human beings are no more than mean agentives to be used by super natural
power”

Hamlet’s final discussion with horatio before last sword fighting with Laeted can
be co-related with the statement of the question that there is very little for human
beings to do than to accept what is preside. This thing number of transformational
phases and finally is bound to accept that:

“Character is destiny”

And

“It is said to change what is predefined”

However, the line under analysis, if analyzed linguistically also curies super
ordination of divine power and sub-ordination of human beings. The use of words
providence and sparrow are metaphorical in nature

Providence--> divine power, God or supreme agency.

Sparrow--> insignificant human beings totally at the mercy of divine power.

In conclusion it can be said that it is right to say up to great extent that characters is
destiny as far as the play be made clear by following incidents as well e.g.

- Murder of Polonius
- Life of hamlet is saved by sea-pirates
- Exchange of sword
- Appearance of ghost
- Gertrude’s drinking of poisoned cup

“Let me be cruel but not unnatural”

Hamlet

“I will speak dagger to her but none”

Hamlet
 “Leave it to the poor to parented that poverty is a blessing”

Major Barbara

If i am to reach any understanding of myself and the things around me, I most learn
to stand alone

Doll’s house

We are all born mad, some remain so

Twelfth night

A personified image of renaissance spirit ever in conflict and most of the time this
spirit yields before worldly temptations as Faustus says to old man:

Dear friend leave me alone for some time to pondos about my deeds

And the old man says,

Accessed Faustus, a miserable man

She lays old man’s significance in the play. Though he pricks Faustus time and
again yet surrenders before sensuous temptations.

Q. relation b/w money and power in Doll’s house:

Authority can be defined as:

Capability that makes you superior to others

The very title of the play a doll’s house exhibits power again that whim should be
named and in what fashion

“All os dross that is not Helena”

Dr. Faustus

Q. if must be the food of love, play on. What does this man?

- the duke is more in love in being called a lovers of Olivia.

- The very opening of the play highlights the type pf play it might be.
- a typical Shakespearean romantic comedy dealing with a theme of love and
marriage

- to duke is a representative of upper class having nothing to do except indulging in

love affairs

- it does indicate the type of epitype the duke was suffering from.

Al surface level it seems that the devil is a loves of magic and the lady Olivia in
real scene but it was a sort of activity on his pait.

Q. what is the role of old man in Dr Faustus?

The old man in Dr Faustus is allegorical representation of Faustus’s conscience

wavering b/w two extremes as externalized by good and evil angels. Old man may
also be taken as conscience of Dr Faustus ever pricking to mend his ways. He may
also be taken as e.g.

Doll--> a woman, inanimate at the merry of male members

The title significance the concept of power at the level of naming. Throughout the
play we see that the main domains of power set with the powerful (male) i.e. either
Nora’s father or husband

Throughout the play, except in the end, she has to present herself in a manner that
attracts the male members. Being powerless (physical and economically) she has to
behave like a sub-ordinate and feels happy in being named like.

Sky larck, little, sparrow, spendthrift etc

Even the revolutionary decision taken by Nora is not taken as a bold step rather a
kind of revolt or a nasty decision against male norms. The powerful has every right
to represent powerless as has been the case with Nora.

Q. something is rotten in the state Denmark, Marcillus declaims in act I, scene4.

Was like situation in the country. Before the above mentioned remakes of
Marcellus we witness everything getting out of order in Denmark e.g.

Mysterious murder king Hamlet, nasty marriage of Claudius and Gertrude,

appearance of ghost and sudden transformation in price hamlet make every one
like. Marcellus to think that something wrong had been done. More over was like
situation in the country fireless some coming destruction. The entire situation has
been deftly harvested by Shakespeare creating as atmosphere of horror, suspense
and mystery. Marcellus here being a soldiers is comprehended the situation more
like a scholar and scene some destruction doomed for Denmark.

Q. time is out of joint, cuspate, that ever i was born to set it right.

Q. Faustus not only embodies the spirit of his age but universality.

Faustus as a renaissance tragedy

Specticism

A spirit which holds the possibility of knowledge to be limited. And one who
doubts and is never ready to believe without solid proofs is sceptic.

Explain:-

Till swollen with cunning of a self conceit

- Greek myth
- Role of Chorus
- Use of lexicalization its under pinning’s
- Too good opinion of oneself leads one to damnation
- Things/ passions must be kept on check

The very opening of the play is dramatic in nature and includes display among
Greek tragedies. The role of chorus has been justified right in the beginning, things
are made toweling personality. Faustus is puffed up with his leaving and starts
thinking him no less than a superhuman being. The very sin of pride ultimately
becomes the cause of his downfall.

However, the use of lexical items like Swoln, cunning and conceit indicate the type
of knowledge which Faustus has mastered e.g.

Swoln--> a crust caused by some disease

Cunning--> negative connotations, expertise in some forbidden area of

knowledge and its negative use.
Conceit--> similes to pride which ultimately results in downfall

In this way, the chorus right in the inception of the play paves the way for the
readers to guess what lies ahead.

Influence of the Greek mythology on renaissance England is also obvious from the
reference from Greek myth

Dramatic Irony:-

Initially his claims are tall but during the cause of the play, we see him acting as an
ordinary magician beginning for woman/ dotchess

More over at the end of the play the lasts words spoken by him are “O
Mephistopheles” although he shows that he is repenting.

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