Notes, Guide and Study material
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
Summary and Analysis of “Since there’s no Help, come let us kiss and part” Summary: A goodbye kiss is a painful event, but in some ways, a relief Drayton captures both those feelings, and others besides, in this sonnet The relief of closing out something obviously painful, the struggle to let Love die, the vain hope … Read more
Role and Character of Isabella in Marlowe’s play Edward II Though drawn more elaborately than any of Marlowe’s other women, yet Isabella fails to enlist our sympathy. An insipid foil that she is, the playwright has enlarged her share in the politics of the region beyond the degree indicated in Holinshed and has made her … Read more
Elegiac elements in the Anglo-Saxon Lyrics A Sombre mood of melancholy reflection predominates in a group of Anglo- Saxon poems; and by virtue of their lyrical quality, these poems seem to stand apart from the heroic and the religious. These poems strike the true elegiac mood and have nothing to do either with the Germanic … Read more
Character sketch of Malvolio Olivia’s puritanical steward Malvolio is the most complex and the most interesting character in Twelfth Night. Though not ‘essentially ludicrous’-(Charles Lamb) as comic characters generally are, Malvolio is far above the conventional gulls. He is branded as ‘sick’ of ‘self-love’. Olivia recognises this defect in Malvolio and says, “O you are … Read more