Notes, Guide and Study material
Renaissance element in Edward II Edward’s approach to life is that of an imaginative dreamer. His life of self-indulgence. He loves pleasures, plays, masques, and revelries. Like Hercules doting on his favorite Hylas, like Achilles having his favorite friend Patroclus, the king must have his Gaveston, and after Gaveston is taken away from him, he … Read more
Summary of the poem ‘All for Love’ written by Lord byron The poet is not interested in name, fame, glory and honour. He does not bother about the great names in history. He believes that the days of youth are the days of glory. The period of youth the greatest glory in life. Myrtle and … Read more
Twelfth Night as Festive Comedy of Youth Shakespeare’s ‘festive comedies’ have been identified as plays in which the form and spirit of contemporary popular holidays are evident. The characters may be enjoying festive pastimes (such as in A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Love’s Labour’s Lost), or they may, themselves, be part of a larger, festive … Read more
VARIOUS KINDS OF LOVE IN TWELFTH NIGHT ‘As to the types of love represented by the characters in Twelfth Night the subject is inexhaustible, like the light and shadows of contrast…’ -Morton Luce Twelfth Night is the play of which love is peculiarly the subject The very first speech of the Duke calling for music … Read more
Treatment of Childhood and Adulthood in Henry Vaughan’s “The Retreat” The central theme of ‘The Retreat’ by Henry Vaughan is the glorification of childhood based on the Platonic doctrine of immorality and of anti-natal existence, of the soul- the belief that life on earth is not our first state of existence, that the soul comes from Heaven which … Read more
Iago’s Motiveless Malignity Iago is probably the most sophisticated of a long line of Shakespearean villains, and he shares certain characteristics with Richard III in the early tragedy of Richard III (1593), Don John in the comedy Much Ado About Nothing (1599), and Claudius in Hamlet (1601). Iago revels in his ability to dissemble and … Read more
How far it is correct to say that Othello is the most romantic of all Shakespearean tragic heroes? Over and above the obvious generic import, the juxtaposition of the terms ‘romantic’ and ‘tragic’ hero in a single character entails a further connotation encompassing a way of life as well as a breadth of vision. Inspired … Read more
How did the Industrial Revolution influence English Literature? The Industrial Revolution ushered in an era of unprecedented prosperity in England. But on the side of debit. it converted the “merry England” into a sooty and squalid England and it also gave rise to a number of social problems which are the inevitable bane of industrialization. … Read more
Disguise And Mistaken Identity in Twelfth Night Shakespeare’s use of disguise and mistaken identity is significant to the plot of Twelfth Night as it is the thread that runs through the entire fabric of the play; and it is instrumental in providing confusion, misunderstanding and ultimately love almost all of the characters in this play … Read more
1. An Introductory Note: Burns’s life had no easy flow and was disrupted now and then by ups and downs. His poetical creation, too, had an abrupt flow. The present poem O my Loves like a Red, Red Rose was one of some two hundred songs, written by Burns after his marriage with Jean Armour, … Read more