Unit-1 Drama
Unit-1 Drama
Unit-1 Drama
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LUCKNOW
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ENGLISH LITERATURE
SUBJECT CODE – 30
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CONTENT
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Terence Rattigan
Arnold Wesker
Caryl Churchill
Joe Orton
7. Post Modern Dramatist Alan Bennett
Christopher Fry
Samuel Beckett
Noel Coward
Harold Pinter
Introduction
Arthur Miller
Edward Albee
8. American Dramatist
Tennessee Williams
Eugene O‟Neil
August Wilson
Introduction
Mahesh Dattani
9. Indian Drama & Theatre Vijay Tendulkar
Girish Karnad
Badal Sarkar
10. African Dramatist Wole Soyinka
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INTRODUCTION: A PREFACE TO DRAMA
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a
Greek word meaning "action" (Classical Greek: drama), which is derived from the verb meaning
"to do" or "to act”. The origin of the Drama is deep rooted in the religious predisposition of
mankind. The ancient Greek and Roman Dramas were mostly concerned with religious ceremonials
of people. It was the religious element that resulted in the development of Drama.
What is Drama?
Drama is a type of literature telling a story, which is intended to be
performed to an audience on the stage. It is an imitation of life. It is different
from other forms of literature because of its unique characteristics. It‟s a
medium of communication.
Generally, while Drama is the printed text of a play, the word Theatre often refers to the
actual production of the text on the stage. Theatre involves action taking place on the scenery, the
accompanying music, the costumes, the atmosphere and soon.
Definition of Drama
“A play is a just and lively image of human nature, representing its passions and hum-ours
and the changes of fortune to which it is subject for the delight and instruction of mankind”.
- John Dryden
It is often believed that the art of drama is western form of literature and it has been
originated from the Greeks. It is also assumed that it traces its origin in Egypt as far back as 3200
B.C. Scholars are divided on the origin of drama. Many scholars trace the origin of drama to
wordless actions like ritual dances and mimes performed by dancers, masked players or priests
during traditional festivals or ceremonies.
The unit one of NTA NET syllabus in English literature which deals with drama continues
to be popular and one of the frequently asked topics in NET exam. This file is designed in simple
and direct manner. A proper description of every literary dramatist and their genre of writing, their
form, themes and plot is discussed in a complete framework. The wealth of illustrative examples
enables the students to assimilate the content without being intimated by its range and wide scope.
It is well organized and classified according to various literary dramatists as English Drama and
Dramatists, which is again segregated into various literary ages like Elizabethan Drama,
Restoration Drama, Jacobean Drama, Puritan Drama, Modern Drama. The second
classification deals with the American Dramatists, further to be taken by Indian Theatre and
Drama concluded by African Dramatists. This file provides a neat summary of the numerous
literary trends and movements associated with the Drama of historical ages. Keeping pace with the
change in syllabus, Drama has an important role to play in understanding the literary world and to
qualify exams for assistant professor. I hope students will understand the links between different
literature and connect a link between historical aspect of literary world and contemporary trends.
The syllabus is just like IPL cricket match where the cricketers across different nations join hands
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and play together. Similarly, all the units are focused on the literary genre and not on one particular
literature. So students need to focus on new strategies.
- Dr Anurag Agarwal
After the establishment of The Theatre in 1576 there came a huge competition in the
production of drama. Novelty in drama is always needed for success. The managers were finding
such men who could patch up old plays with new matters. A bunch of bohemian writers associated
with either Oxford or Cambridge University came forward in the literary canvas with their handful
of contribution in the field of drama. They are called “University Wits”. They absorbed the new
renaissance spirit and synthesizing the vigour of the native tradition with more refined classicism.
The group consisted of seven- John Lyly, Thomas Kyd, Thomas Nash, Thomas Lodge, George
Peele, Robert Greene and Christopher Marlowe. So they are known as “The seven Stars of the
Cosmos.”
The constellation of University wits made the Elizabethan drama more popular with
Renaissance humanism and pride of patriotism. English drama for the first time in their hands
recognized its potentialities and exuberance. They wrote classical plays, courtly comedies, farces,
chronicle plays, melodramas etc. They gave thrill, action, sensation, hum our and music.
Undeniably the University Wits paved the way for Shakespeare and other playwrights of the
coming of ages.
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1. George Peele (c.1558-98) who was born in London was educated at Broadgate Hall,
Oxford, where he completed his degree in arts in 1579. Peele was an actor as well as a writer
of plays, and for some time, he was a member of Lord Admiral‟s Company. Peele has left
behind some half dozen plays, rich in poetic beauty paralleled by none except Marlowe‟s. The
Arraignment of Paris (c.1584) is supposed to be his earlier work. A kind of romantic
comedy, it contains an elaborate tribute to the Queen and shows great skill in the variation of
metre. Less musical than David and Bathsheba (1599), it has some striking passages of
melodious beauty. Edward I (1593), an incoherent chronicle play; The Old Wives’ Tale, a
clever satire on the popular drama of the day; The Hunting of Cupid, an earlier play now lost.
Peele‟s poetical works include Polyhymnia (1590), a poem in blank verse, The Honour of the
Garter (1593), The Fall of Troy.
2. Robert Greene (1558-92) too was a student of St. John’s College, Cambridge, and later of
Clare Hall, Oxford wherefrom he took his M.A. degree in 1583. He lived a lecherous life,
and his life, which had much promise, came to an end nearly in the bud. Greene was, first of
all, a storyteller and a pamphleteer who turned to drama for the lucre it offered. His plays are
four in number: Alphonsus, King of Aragon, (1587); Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (1589),
Orlando Furioso (c.1591) and The Scottish Historie of James the Fourth (1592).
Alphonsus is modelled on Marlowe‟s Tamburlaine; Orlando Furioso (c.1591) has its
source in an English translation of Ariosto; and The Scottish Historie of James, the
Fourth, staged in 1592, is not a historical play, but has for it theme an imaginary incident of
King‟s life. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, the finest of Greene’s works is a tale of love of
a maid with two men. It can, to a great extent, be called a document of Elizabethan life.
Greene wrote thirty-five prose pieces. They are also important works in that they reveal the
author‟s erratic energy, his quick, malicious wit, and his powerful imagination.
3. Thomas Kyd (1558-94), one of the important university wits, was the son of a London Notary
and was educated at Merchant Taylor‟s School. A dramatist and translator, he achieved great
popularity with his first work, The Spanish Tragedy, which was translated into German and
Dutch. The horrific plot of the play, stuffed with murder, frenzy and sudden death, has
gained the play lasting importance and popularity. While the play bears resemblances of
Marlovian lines, „there are touches of style that dimly foreshadow the great tragical lines of
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Shakespeare.‟ The only other play of Kyd that still survives is Cornelia (1593), a translated
version of a work of the French Senecan.
(a) He glorified the matter of the drama by his sweep of imagination as reflected in the stories.
(b) He vitalized the manner and matter of the drama, as reflected in characterization.
(c) He clarified and gave coherence to the drama, as reflected in his blank verse.
4. Thomas Nash (1567-1601). After completing his education at Cambridge, he went in 1586 to
London to earn by writing. He took an active part in the political and personal questions of the
day, and his aggressive method took him behind the bars. He finished Marlowe‟s The Tragedy
of Dido, but his only surviving play is Summer’s Last Will and Testament, a satirical
masque. Nash also wrote The Unfortunate Traveller or The Life of Jacke Wilton (1594), a
prose tale that has enough importance in the growth English fiction.
5. Thomas Lodge (1558-1625) was educated at both Oxford and Cambridge where he studied
law. He, however, gave up his legal studies and took to writing, and while writing, he acted too.
Nash produced very little in quantity, and it is assumed that he collaborated with Shakespeare in
Henry VI. The Woundes of Civile War, a kind of chronicle play, is considered to be Lodge‟s
own work. He also wrote prose romances, the most famous of which is Rosalynde: Euphues
Golden Legacie (1590) which was the chief source of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
6. John Lyly (1554-1606) was more famous as a writer of prose than a dramatist proper. The
plays of Lyly were written after the publication of Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit (1579) and
were acted by „the children of Paul‟s before her majesty.‟ His best-known dramas include
Alexander and Campaspe, played on New Year‟s Eve in 1581; Sapho and Phao (1584);
Endymion (1591) written around the friendship between the Queen and the Earl of Leicester,
and Midas (1592). He also wrote two other plays – The Woman in the Moon and Love’s
Metamorphosis. Lyly‟s plays might lack stage effectiveness, but they display the dramatist‟s
superior culture and a fine sense of style. His plays have more kinship with masques than the
drama, and the delightful songs that are interpolated in the plays enhance their charm by a great
measure. His dialogues are really admirable at times, happy in clear-cut phrases and
allusiveness.
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brawl, but it is still uncertain as to whether he was killed in a fight over a bill or because of
his involvement in undercover political intrigue.
A typical Renaissance man, Marlowe combined a life of action with a career as a scholar
and man of letters. Most important to posterity is that he was a poet of genius, his controlled and
magnificent writing carrying the stamp of his powerful personality. His tragic dramas, which
center on man's lust for power, are second only to those of Shakespeare. Marlowe's heroes will
their own destruction and are eventually consumed by their insatiable desires. The construction of
Marlowe's plays, his technique of focusing attention on a single prominent character, and,
above all, the power and variety which he instilled into dramatic blank verse "the mighty
line" so admired by Ben Jonson – greatly influenced Elizabethan drama and paved the way for
the plays of William Shakespeare. Marlowe's influence on his contemporaries is perhaps most
vividly revealed by his idyllic pastoral lyric, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," which
inspired a flood of imitations and replies, among which the best known is that by Sir Walter
Raleigh.
His four major plays were written between 1587 and 1593: Tamburlaine the Great, parts I
and II; The Jew of Malta, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus; Edward II. Dido, Queen of
Carthage (with Nashe, 1594) and The Massacre at Paris (1593) are attributed to him. His non
dramatic poetry is famous for the narrative "Hero and Leander", based on the Greek of Masaeus
(5th Century AD) and completed by Chapman, and the lyric "The Passionate Shepherd". Little
else has survived, apart from his translation of Ovid's Amores (printed 1596) and of "The First
Book of Lucan" (printed 1600). It has been suggested without evidence that he had a share in the
writing of a number of other plays, including Shakespeare's Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, and
Richard III.
Works:
1. Tamburlaine the Great (part I and II)
2. Edward II
3. Dr. Faustus
4. The Jew of Malta
5. Dido, Queen of Carthage
Marlowe was the greatest dramatic writer of 16th century apart from Shakespeare, and the
most important influence upon Shakespeare. His importance is due to the energy with which he
endowed the blank verse, which in his hands developed an unprecedented suppleness and power.
His plays have great intensity, but they show a genius which is epic rather than dramatic at east in
Tamburlaine and Faustus which are his acknowledged masterpieces; his best constructed piece of
theater, Edward II, is also the least typical of his poetic genius. On the other hand the final scene
of Dr. Faustus is one of the most intensely dramatic scenes in English literature. In the musical
handling and control of the ten – syllable line, he learned from Spenser, and contributed to
Milton as well as to Shakespeare.
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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
BIRTH PLACE
Henley St. Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, UK
In the sixteenth century, Stratford-upon-Avon was an important agricultural centre and
market town. The building in Henley Street known today as the 'birthplace' of Shakespeare
was actually two adjacent buildings that John Shakespeare purchased at different times and
later joined them into one. There are not renderings of the original buildings.
William‟s birth preceded by only a few months the most severe outbreak of the bubonic plague in
England since Black Death of 1348. On July 1564, the Vicar wrote in his burial register, “Hic
incipit pestis” [today the plague begins].
Now days, there is an exhibition that has been set in Henley street with the name of William
Shakespeare; His Life and Background. The exhibition is open to general visitors.
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EDUCATION
Shakespeare allegedly attended the Strafford Grammar School, which was the centre
of major education for sons of prominent citizens at that time. Shakespeare started his
education with English alphabets probably from the 'horn book' and later he leaned Latin grammar.
Although Shakespeare likely had some lessons in English, Latin composition and the study of Latin
authors like Seneca, Cicero, Ovid, Virgil and Horace would have been the focus of his literary
training.
MARRIAGE
On November 28, 1582 Shakespeare got married to Ann Hathaway of Stratford,
Daughter of Richard Hathaway of Shottery. Ann was some three months pregnant at the time of
marriage and was eight years older than her husband William. Their first daughter, Susanna, was
born on May 26, 1583. The couple later had twins, Hamnet and Judith, born February 2, 1585
and christened at Holy Trinity. Hamnet died in childhood at the age of 11, on August 11, 1526.
Shakespeare's sorrow at the loss of his only son is undeniably reflected in his later work,
and particularly, in a passage from King John.
Shakespeare in London
Shakespeare came to London at an auspicious time, the dawn of the golden age of English
drama. (The first theatre name The Red Lion, was built by John Brayne)
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In 1576 Brayne and his brother-in-law James Burbage erected another playhouse name The
Theatre. James Burbage, was a carpenter turned actor. In 1587, Philip Henslowe opened another
theatre name The Rose on the south side of River Thames.
The Rose became the home of Christopher Marlowe‟s plays. Here Thomas Kyd staged his
immensely popular revenge drama The Spanish Tragedy. Shakespeare‟s Titus Andronicus and
Henry VI trilogy was played by Lord Strange‟s Men which was staged on the same theatre.
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The Lord Chamberlain's Men
Shakespeare established himself once again with the reassembling of the playing companies
after the reopening of the theatres in 1594. We find Shakespeare, in December 1594, listed by the
Treasurer of the Queen's Chamber along with Will Kemp and Richard Burbage, the great clown
and tragedian of the company, as receiving payment for two performances at Greenwich. These
three, and four other-John Hemming, eventual co-editor of the First Folio among them were the
charter members of the a new theater company organized under the patronage of Henry Carey
Lord Hunsdon, Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth. They were known as the Lord Chamberlain's
men. When they preformed publicly, it was at The Theatre, built by James Burbage (father of
Richard) in 1576 north of the city. Shakespeare became a share, or householder in the company,
i.e. he was now a part owner/manager and as such shared in the profits. This provided him the
stability necessary for his most fruitful years, when he, as the company's principal playwright,
produced an average of two plays per year until about 1611-1612, when he seems to have retired to
Strafford.
Shakespeare must have done a great deal of acting. He is listed by Ben Jonson in Jonson's
magnificent 1616 Folio of his Works as having acted as the chief comedian in Every Man in His
Humour in 1598.
He was also listed by Jonson as one of the principal tragedians in the 1603 for Sejanus.
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Major Comedies of Shakespeare
1. All's Wells That Ends Well (1604 - 05) – Some critics today consider this play to be one of his
Problem Plays, because it can‟t be classified as tragedy or comedy. This play was originally
published in the First Folio in 1623. Recently it is argued that Middleton collaborated with
Shakespeare on this play.
2. As You Like It – This is also a pastoral comedy first published in the First Folio, 1623. In this
play Rosalind flees along with her cousin Celia and Touchstone to find safety and
consequently love, in the forest of Arden.
This play is known for its most famous speech. "All the World's a Stage".
In this play Duke Frederick has usurped the whole kingdom and exiled his elder brother,
Duke Senior, when he banishes Rosalind from the court, all the three leave the kingdom where
Rosalind disguises as Ganymede and Celia disguises as Aliena.
The source of this play is Thomas Lodge's "Rosalynde", the second source is 'The
Histories of Orlando Furioso' by Robert Greene.
3. The Comedy Of Errors – (pub. 1623 in first folio). It is a comedy of mistaken identify and is
one of his early plays. It has been adopted for Opera, stage and musical theatre. It is a story of
two identical twins who accidently get separated at the time of birth. The source of this play is
Roman comedies of Plautus. (Menachmi)
4. Measure for Measure – It is a play which deals with the issues of mercy, justice truth and the
relationship of pride and humanity. "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall".
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It is also a part of the First Folio of 1623, it is taken to be a comedy but the over – all
impact of the plot defies our expectations as a comedy.
5. The Merchant of Venice – It is one of the most important and remembered play for its
dramatic scenes and for its immortal character, Shylock along with Portia. Due to his extreme
cruelty, Shylock became more prominent and famous but the title character is the merchant
Antonio.
In this play Bassanio wishes to marry Portia and approaches Antonio, for 3000 ducats who
has always helped him. Unfortunately Antonio didn‟t have so much money so he tells him to
take it from Shylock which will be repaid by him. Shylock is reluctant in the beginning but
agrees upon one condition that if Antonio will not repay in time he may take a pound of
Antonio's flesh.
Antonio's ships are lost at sea and so now Shylock is happy to take revenge. In the court,
Shylock even refuses to take 6000 ducats and demands Antonio's flesh. In the mean time
Portia arrives disguised as a lawyer and asks Shylock to show mercy in a famous speech
advoicing him about mercy. "tis twice blesst: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes"
(act IV, scene I). However Shylock is admen and refuses to take any compensation apart from a
pound of flesh.
While Shylock was preparing his knife, Portia told him that the contract allows him only to
remove the flesh and not the "blood", otherwise his lands and goods would be forfeited under
the Venetian's laws. To every one's surprise Shylock is now ready to accept any offer and the
law takes its part and forfeit his property half to the government and half to Antonio, leaving his
life at the mercy of the Duke because Shylock attempted to take the life of a citizen. The Duke,
immediately pardons Shylock's life. In the end Bassanio comes to know that Balthazar was
Portia and Antonio learns from Portia that three of his ships have returned safely.
6. The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602) – This is a comedy by Shakespeare which features the
character Sir John Falstaff, who had previously been featured in Henry IV (Part I and II). Its
title is a reference to Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England.
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7. A Mid Summer Night's Dream – It is a play which portrays the events surrounding the
marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta. This play is categorized as a comedy
and is known to be widely performed across the world.
8. Much Ado About Nothing – It is considered to be one of the best comedies by Shakespeare
which ends with multiple marriages. The story line has two pair of lovers – Benedick and
Beatrice and Claudio and Hero. This play was included in the First Folio published in 1623.
"Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever".
"Is it not strange, that sheeps'
guts should hale souls out of men's bodies"?
9. Tempest – The Tempest is regarded as Shakespeare's last complete play Critics had enough
evidence for the view that Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest and Pericles were
written towards the end of Shakespeare's career and The Tempest is probably the last and the
finest of the four. These four plays have been grouped together under the heading of 'romance'
because these plays possess the typical features of the romance mode like exile, journey,
storms, shipwreck, exotic location, countryside, magic realism and supernatural etc.
Prospero who use to be the Duke of Milan was ousted from power by his own brother
Antonio, because he was rather more interested in the study of the books of magic. Antonio after
obtaining this power took help from the King of Naples and got success in driving out Prospro
from Milan. Antonio along with Miranda were placed on a boat, left to the mercy of the wind and
the waves. By doing this Antonio had calculated that they would perish in the ocean but luck
favoured them and the boat drifted to an island where Prospero and Mirinda landed safely. Prospero
continued his study of magic and through this he could control the force of nature. He became so
powerful that large number of spirits of air, water, fire and earth began to pay homage to him. And
a spirit called Ariel was the chief whom Prospero began to employ in his service. After twelve
years Prospero got an opportunity to take revenge upon his enemies. Prospero uses his supernatural
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powers to cause a storm in the sea when king Alonso, Ferdinand, Sebestian and Antonio were
returning after marriage of Alonso's daughter and as a result of this storm they were cast ashore on
Prospero's Island and now all these men were completely on Prospero's mercy. He could have
tortured all of them to the cruelest treatment but forgives all the three men and promises to arrange
for their safe voyage. He claims his dukedom of which he has been deprived.
10. King Lear – It is a tragedy in which the title character distributes, his whole estate between
two of his three daughters which was based on their flattery and the consequent result was
tragic. G.B. Shaw wrote, "No man will ever write a better tragedy then Lear".
King Lear wishes to distribute his realm among his three daughters but the
distribution depends on who loves him best. So in the process of the proclamation of love,
Cordelia is honest but blunt which makes King Lear angry and so he disinherits her. Kent
objects to this unfair treatment and so he was banished from the country. As Cordelia was
disinherited, the Duke of Burgundy refused to marry her but the King of France marries her
just because of her honesty. Finally the aged king divides his whole kingdom between two
daughters Regan and Goneril and outcasts Cordelia for her disloyalty but after some time he
came to know that Regan and Goneril prove to be most disloyal, to had whom he had already
given the kingdom. He wanders near the countryside as a poor man until Cordelia comes with
her husband, the King of France to reclaim her father's land. Regan and Gorneil are defeated,
but only after Cordelia has been captured and murdered, King Lear then dies of grief.
11. Twelfth Night – (sub title – What You Will) It is a comedy written around 1601 – 02. It is
based on a story by Matteo Bandello. In this play the ship in which Violla was moving got
ship wrecked on the coast of Illyria and come ashore with the help of a captain. Her twin
brother Sebastian is believed to be dead. Now Voilla disguised herself and renamed as Cesario
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and with the help of the captain enters in the service of Duke of Orsino. The Duke took help of
Cesario (Violla) as an intermediate to profess his love before Olivia. Olivia took Violla to be a
man and falls in love with Cesario while Violla fallen in love with the Duke.
Eventually Voilla's brother Sebestain who was unharmed in the shipwreck reappears and
Violla's true identity comes out when members of the court notice the similarities between her
and Sebestian. Olivia quickly falls in love with Sebestian and Violla confess her love for the
Duke.
"But be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great,
Some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them"
12. Romeo and Juliet – The two families, the Montagues and the Capulets live in Verona, Italy
amidst a bloody feud. Romeo a Montague, and Juliet a Capulet, fall in love and struggle to
maintain their relationship. After Romeo kills Juliet's cousin Iybalt in a fit of passion, things
fall apart. Both lovers eventually commit suicide with minutes and both the families had no
other option rather to make peace over their grief.
"Night's candles are burnt out, and Jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops".
"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
"Good – night, good – night! Parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say good night till it be morrow".
"He jests at scars, that never felt a wound"
13. Hamlet – This play has been described as "the world's most fined story after Cinderella". It
is a tragedy which is set in the kingdom of Denmark, where Prince Hamlet takes revenge on
his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet. The whole play portrays and explores the
theme of revenge, insests, madness, grief and moral corruption.
In this play Hamlet seems to delay and delay to achieve his goal which he is not able to
achieve due to his brooding nature. Hamlet adopts a device to verify the ghost's story, though
even after the confirmation of that story, Hamlet goes on delaying his revenge. Ultimately the
revenge is taken and revenge cost the avenger his own life besides the lives of others.
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"To be, or not to be: that is the question"
"The time is out of joint; O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!"
"Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy,
For the apparel oft proclaims the man"
"Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all"
"I must be cruel only to be kind"
"To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause"
"O god! I could be bounded in a nut – shell,
And count myself a king of infinite space,
Were it not that I have bad dreams".
"The rest is silence"
"There is nothing either good or bad,
But thinking makes it so".
"There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough – hew them how we will"
"How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world".
"Lord! we know what we are,
but know not what we may be"
"Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow,
Thou shalt not escape calumny"
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The paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of
dust"?
14. Macbeth – "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly”
"Drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things…
Nose – painting, sleep, and urine.
Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes;
It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance".
"Nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it".
"Now good digestion wait on appetite,
And health on both".
"There's no art
To find the mind's construction in the face".
"Macbeth : if we should fail,-
Lady Macbeth: We fail!
But screw your courage to the sticking – place,
And we'll not fail."
"Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings"
17. Julius Caesar – "Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once".
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"If I could pray to move, prayers would move me;
But I am constant as the northern star"
"But when I tell him he hates flatters,
He says he does being then most flattered"
"If you have tears, prepare to shed them now".
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10- Midsummer Night's Dream The (1595 or 1596), the crowing comedy of Shakespeare'
youthful period. It has the famous character of Puck. The whole play is surcharged with
supernatural and ethereal atmosphere. With its songs and dances and spectacular effects, it
is almost more of a masque or opera than a comedy in the strict sense of the word.
11- Much Ado About Nothing (1598-8),a popular comedy by Shakespeare, based on an Italian
tale. For the main story Shakespeare is indebted to Bandello, but he has added the
fascinating figures of Benedick and Beatrice. The comedy is full of brilliant and sparkling
wit.
12- Othello (1604), a powerful tragedy by Shakespeare. It ranks with Hamlet, Macbeth, and
King Lear. It is a remarkable study in suspicion and Jealousy, which lead Othello to murder
his innocent wife Desdemona. The villain of the play is Iago. Othello is Shakespeare's
nearest approach to domestic tragedy. It is ''the most painfully exciting and the most
terrible'' of Shakespeare's plays.
13- Richard II (1595), Richard III (1594), two historical plays by Shakespeare. The chief
interest of the first play lies in the contrast between King Richard II and Bolingbroke. King
Richard's character has been presented both in its weakness and in its merits. In Richard III,
Shakespeare finds himself with a tragic hero who has all the traits of the conventional
Senecanism. Richard II is more lyrical than Richard III, and it contains many poetical
passages.
14- Romeo and Juliet (1595), a romantic love tragedy by Shakespeare. "Its lyrical passion at
times rises to the heights of ecstasy. This tragedy is obviously a young man's effort and
shows the fullness of Renascence thought and passion.
15- Tempest The (1611), the last pay of Shakespeare. It is a dramatic romance mingled with
fairy lore, magic and supernaturalism. The chief character is Prospero who acts as
Providence in the play. The romantic young pair consists of Ferdinand and Miranda. The
theme of the play is forgiveness and Liberty. The wrongs are redressed and losses restored.
The play contains two unusual characters Ariel and Caliban.
16- Twelfth Night or That You Will (1601), a famous romantic comedy by Shakespeare based
on the eternal triangle of love. The main characters are the Duke, Olivia, and Viola. The
Duke loves Olivia, Olivia loves Viola (disguised as Cesario), and Viola
17- loves the Duke. Another important character is Malvolia who is the main source of humour
in the play, as he is made the butt of all the fun. Feste, the Clown, is the soul of this musical
comedy.
18- Winter's Tale, The (1609-10), one of the last dramatic romances of Shakespeare. It is
based on Robert Greene's Pandosto.
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PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. Who wrote Hero and Leander ?
(a) Shakespeare (b) Marlowe (c) Chapman (d) Sidney
3. Ralph Roister Doister, the first regular English comedy is modeled after
(a) Seneca (b) French (c) Plautus (d) Terence
4. Gorboduc, or Ferrex and Porrex was written by Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville in
(a) 1558 (b) 1560 (c) 1562 (d) 1564
7. Was this the face that launched a thousand ships/And burnt the topless towers of lllion?
Where do these lines appear ?
(a) Dr. Faustus (b) Edward II (c) Tamburlaine (d) Jew of Malta
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16. Who wrote the two long poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece?
(a) Sidney (b) Keats (c) Marlowe (d) Shakespeare
20. In which Shakespearean play do the characters Beatrice and Benedick appear?
(a) All's Well That Ends Well (b) Much Ado About Nothing
(c) Measure for Measure (d) Twelfth Night
Codes:
a b c d a b c d
(A) 4 3 1 2 (B) 4 2 1 3
(C) 1 3 4 2 (D) 3 2 1 4
Codes:
a b c d a b c d
(A) 4 3 1 2 (B) 1 2 3 4
(C) 1 3 4 2 (D) 3 2 1 4
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26. The ghost of Banquo appears in
(a) King Lear (b) Hamlet (c) Macbeth (d) Othello
28. Which Shakespearean play was performed at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth, daughter
of James I, to Frederick, Elector Palatine in 1613 ?
(a) Cymbeline (b) A Winter's Tale
(c) The Tempest (d) Coriolanus
Codes:
a b c d a b c d
(A) 4 2 3 1 (B) 1 4 3 2
(C) 1 2 3 4 (D) 3 1 4 2
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38. In which of following plays Shakespeare do we find a ghost
(a) Richard II (b) Cymbeline
(c) A Midsummer Night's Dream (d) Antony and Cleopatra
39. If it be true that "good wine need no bush", 'tis true that a good play needs no epilogue.
Which play are we talking about
(a) Much Ado About Nothing (b) As You Like It
(c) Merchant of Venice (d) Julius Caesar
40. Cowards die many times before their deaths, The valiant never taste of deal but once.
Which play contains these famous lines?
(a) Hamlet (b) Richard II (c) Macbeth (d) Julius Caesar
41. The time is out of joint; O cursed-spite. That ever I was born to set it right. Where do these
lines figure ?
(a) Macbeth (b) Othello (c) Hamlet (d) King Lear
45. Which is the first play of Marlowe that established his "mighty line" ?
(a) Tamburlaine (b) Jew of Malta (c) Edward II (d) Dr Faustus
49. The soliloquy beginning with Thou, Nature, art my goddess is spoken by
(a) The bastard in King Lear (b) The bastard in King John
(c) Caliban in The Tempest (d) Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV
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ANSWERS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
B C C C D D A B A A
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
B A C C C D C B D B
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
C, D B A C B C A C C C
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
A B B C A C A B B D
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
C C C A A B A B A
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