Notes

 Madness Scene in “The Duchess of Malfi“ Webster has made a two-fold use of madness in The Duchess of Malfi. Firstly, Ferdinand employs the madmen to torture the Duchess in her imprisonment, and thus to horrify the readers. Secondly, he tortures her by putting a dead man’s hand in her hand and also by showing … Read more

Chorus in Samson Agonistes In the preface to Samson Agonistes, Milton himself points out that he has introduced the chorus in this play after the Greek’s manner. However, in the use of the chorus Milton follows the example of Sophocles rather than that of Euripides. Unlike the chorus of Euripides Which remains aloof from the … Read more

 Comment on the use of the supernatural elements in Hamlet Shakespeare, in Hamlet, makes effective use of the popular superstitions and beliefs in the supernatural and wonders at the inexplicable mysteries of death, prevalent in his time. But unlike his contemporaries, his use of supernatural agencies was neither crude nor gross, nor was it a … Read more

Doctor Faustus as a morality play Both Mysteries and Miracle Plays deals primarily with the teachings of the church, theological and devotional and Morality Play tried to bring home to the men’s mind this ethical doctrine. Though the Morality Plays began in the reign of Edward (about 1340) the old extant form of these plays … Read more

Doctor Faustus as a Tragic Hero or Character Analysis of Dr. Faustus Whatever may be the cavils of critics Doctor Faustus is truly a great tragic hero. His sky-high ambition to gain limitless knowledge and power, his Renaissance curiosity – “to practice more than heavenly power permits,” and his yearning for enjoying sensual pleasures of … Read more

Comic scenes/elements in Doctor Faustus Some sort of comic relaxation provided after a succession of tense scenes in a play is known as comic relief. Aristotle and his followers insisted upon the unity of tone and impression and were strongly opposed to the admixture of the comic element in a tragedy. Sidney in his Apology … Read more

Hamlet’s Madness or Antic Disposition At the beginning of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Hamlet is clearly a sensitive and idealistic young man: a scholar, a philosopher, and a poet too. But in course of the play, he acts like a mad man. This problem of madness is perhaps the most maddening problem in Hamlet. Certain critics … Read more

Comment on the Significance of the title “Measure for Measure” A good title of a play should indicate the theme of the play. It must also be such that it attracts attention like the signboard of a shop, it should give the readers an idea of the contents of the play. The title  Measure for … Read more

Discuss the contribution of Victorian women novelists to the development of the English novel. Women writers and female characters had been part of novel-writing since the time of Aphra Behn, and it is commonplace that women were the main readers of the genre in the eighteenth century. After Sir Walter Scott made the novel popular … Read more

 Critically analyse Shelley’s use of imagery in his “ode to the west wind.”   Literarily imagery means imaginative language that produces pictures in the mind of people reading or listening. It refers to visual pictures of other sensory experiences evoked by the writer. It conveys word pictures. It evokes an imaginative, emotional response, as well as … Read more