Notes, Guide and Study material
Discuss Yeats’ treatment of the Byzantium myth in his Byzantium Byzantium explores the antithesis of time and eternity. Byzantium was the name of the capital of the Eastern wing of the Holy Roman Empire. It was famous for its mosaic work and gold enamelling. It was a reputed centre of art and culture, but in … Read more
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
The Financial Expert Summary Narayan’s sixth novel, The Financial Expert (1952), is his masterpiece, and Walsh calls Margayya, the hero of the novel, “probably Narayan’s greatest single comic creation.” An extremely well-constructed novel, in five parts corresponding to the five Acts of an Elizabethan drama, The Financial Expert tells the story of the rise and … Read more
The Dark Room Summary The Dark Room, Narayan’s third novel, was published in 1938. Critics do not rate it very high. Thus, A.N. Kaul regards it as insignificant and one of Narayan’s failures, and S. Iyengar regards its end as “Cynical Conclusion.” The Dark Room is a moving tale of a tormented wife. Ramani, the … Read more
The Bachelor of Arts by R K Narayan Summary His next novel, The Bachelor of Arts, was published in 1937. It is a mature work than the earlier novel and it deals with a later stage in a young man’s career when he is about to leave college and enter life when he is neither … 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